Some games are fun. Some games are great. But then there are the trilogies that carve themselves into your soul — the ones that feel like old friends you’ll never leave behind. These are the greatest gaming trilogies I won't ever forget, no matter how many years pass.

Every time one of these fantastic games is mentioned, you can bet I’ll be jumping into the conversation, beaming with excitement, and talking a mile a minute.

👁 An image of Geralt of Rivia, Ellie, Batman, Arthur Morgan, and Joel Miller.
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6 Dark Souls Trilogy

Lore, legends, loneliness, and Gwyn

Dark Souls is a game trilogy I truly wish I’d played sooner, when it first came out. The joy and wonder of entering such a richly written world, and then piecing together its lore with the community as it came, would’ve felt so much more rewarding. It wasn’t until the credits rolled on my first Elden Ring playthrough that I realized I wanted more, and I finally bit the bullet, purchasing the entire Dark Souls trilogy and diving in helm-first.

From meeting Solaire and Agdayne to cursing Gwyn and everything he stood for, Dark Souls had me hook, line, and sinker. The trilogy’s impact on gaming is almost mythological. From popularizing the “Prepare to Die” philosophy to birthing an entire Soulsborne genre of hard bosses that make you break down, Dark Souls didn’t just influence games — it reshaped them. Few other games have created such an enduring legacy of challenge, mystery, and storytelling through gameplay.

Dark Souls Remastered

5 Batman: Arkham Collection

Reinventing the superhero genre

Not a lot needs to be said about the Batman: Arkham trilogy and its massive impact on gaming as we know it. It started with Arkham Asylum — a reinvention of the superhero genre where we truly felt what it meant to be the Caped Crusader. This was a third-person superhero game like never before, with a cinematic presentation, stellar performances by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, and a gameplay loop so perfectly refined that its fingerprints are visible on every beat-em-up and superhero game since.

Then came Arkham City, which only improved on perfection, delivering a story for the ages — and the death of one of fiction’s most iconic characters. Despite a disaster of a PC port, Arkham Knight tied it all together, and remained so visually stunning that it still looks modern even today.

The Batman: Arkham trilogy raised the bar for what superhero games could be, setting a gold standard that continues to influence the genre. It showed the world that licensed games could be much more than just cash grabs — they could be masterpieces.

And no, it’s not that I’m ignoring Origins — the Deathstroke boss fight is still one of my favorite experiences in gaming, ever — but it was a prequel and didn’t come directly from Rocksteady.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy

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4 Max Payne Trilogy

Love, loss, and so many bullets

The Max Payne trilogy will forever be closest to my heart, mainly because of how rare it is to see a true romantic tragedy in a AAA game — or any game at all. While the first Max Payne delivered some of the best graphics in gaming at the time, it also did something far greater — it introduced bullet-time gameplay, an innovation that influenced action games for decades.

Max Payne 2 took it to near-perfection, weaving a tragic noir thriller told through graphic novel panels, haunting violin strings, and James McCaffrey’s impeccable performance of a man barely clinging to life after losing everything. Max Payne 2 had it all — relentless action, tight gunplay you could lose yourself in, and a story so powerful it’s still lodged in my heart today.

Max Payne 3, despite one of the rockiest development cycles ever, dared to move the story from New York to Brazil while still keeping Payne the broken, brilliant man we knew. I have a few gripes with how Payne was portrayed, but when the final showdown at the airport hit, surrounded by corpses, blood, and empty shells, none of that mattered. The Max Payne trilogy had stuck the landing and gave us one of the most unforgettable action series of all time.

Max Payne Trilogy

  • $55 $16 at Steam (expires May 8, 2025)
👁 A collage of Wolf from Sekiro, Max from Life is Strange, and Adam Jensen from Deus Ex.
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3 Prince of Persia

A timeless legacy we still miss

The Prince of Persia series is something every 20-something gamer grew up on. Not only was it generation-defining, but it truly put 3D parkour and platforming on the map through its AAA storytelling and set the stage for one of gaming’s most successful franchises: Assassin’s Creed.

What started with The Sands of Time, took a darker turn with Warrior Within, and tried to find balance with The Two Thrones, remains a trilogy like no other. Rewinding your mistakes in real-time was revolutionary, and the tight parkour and combat felt truly peak for its time. While the story may have had its flaws, its impact was undeniable, and villains like the Dahaka still stand tall among legends like Nemesis and Mr. X.

For many gamers, Prince of Persia will always have a special place in their hearts. It’s a reminder of a time when games dared to innovate, and when the simple thrill of running along walls and defying death was enough to capture our imaginations forever.

I just can’t wait for the remake of the 2021 remake, which is reportedly under development over at Ubi Montreal. Here’s hoping it sticks the landing, wink wink.

Prince of Persia Trilogy

  • $99 on Steam (Franchise Bundle)
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2 Grand Theft Auto

The rise of open-world chaos

The Grand Theft Auto trilogy wasn’t just a moment in gaming — it was a cultural phenomenon. GTA III kicked the door open for what open-world games could be, giving us a gritty, chaotic Liberty City where we could live out every criminal fantasy we'd only ever seen in movies. It wasn’t just about causing mayhem — it was about the feeling of stepping into a living, breathing world that didn’t revolve around you, but still bent just enough if you pushed hard enough. That's what made GTA III one of the most important games ever.

Then came Vice City, dripping in neon lights and 80s glamour, where the music, style, and story of Tommy Vercetti felt like a fever dream of excess and ambition. Finally, San Andreas arrived — and it changed everything again. It wasn't just a game; it was an entire state. It gave us CJ’s unforgettable story of betrayal, family, and survival, and a sprawling world that felt impossibly alive. Few games have captured the spirit of an entire era like San Andreas did.

Looking back, the GTA trilogy wasn’t just about the crime or the chaos — it was about the freedom to carve your own story into a world that felt limitless. These three games defined a generation of players who realized that sometimes, it was okay to press the gas, roll the dice, and see just how far you could go before the stars caught up.

Buy Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition

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1 Mass Effect Trilogy

Choice, consequence, and the galaxy at stake

Mass Effect is one of those trilogies I wish I could've experienced spoiler-free, fresh off its original release. Few games have ever managed to make player choice feel as weighty, or the burden of leadership as real. From the first moment you step aboard the Normandy, you aren’t just playing Commander Shepard — you become Shepard, carrying the weight of countless lives and civilizations on your shoulders, all while trying to hold on to your humanity across an endless sea of moral gray.

Mass Effect 2 then raised the stakes to a whole new level, delivering one of the greatest second acts in gaming history — a masterclass in emotional storytelling where every decision you made along the way truly mattered. And though Mass Effect 3 stumbled with its ending in the eyes of many, it still managed to deliver an unforgettable, gut-wrenching finale to one of gaming’s greatest epics — a story of unity, sacrifice, and the desperate hope that even in the darkest moments, heroes can change the fate of the galaxy.

The Mass Effect trilogy changed gaming forever. It showed just how powerful player agency could be, how games could make us care deeply for fictional friends, lovers, and comrades, and how a science-fiction universe could feel just as rich and alive as any movie or novel.

Mass Effect Trilogy

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Memories written in pixels

The magic of these trilogies isn’t just in their gameplay or stories — it’s in the memories they etched into us. They were more than just games; they were moments, feelings, and experiences that stuck around long after the credits rolled. As gaming moves forward, these will always be my personal gold standard — and if you ever bring them up, just know you’ve invited a passionate rant you probably weren’t ready for.