10 Best Boss Rush Games, Ranked

Boss battles come in all shapes and sizes, and the best define the games they are in. Plenty of games have iconic, memorable encounters, but it’s far rarer to find ones that make it their primary focus.

If you’re looking for unforgettable fights against iconic monsters and bosses, here’s a selection of games focusing on those incredible battles.

10 The Binding of Isaac: Repentance

Weaponized Tears

The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is among the most respected Roguelite games, with dozens of bosses to test your mettle.

There are many moving parts in The Binding of Isaac, and the bosses are just one part of the puzzle. That said, there’s a showdown before you leave each floor and even a boss rush mode if you meet specific requirements.

Bosses range from trivial to feared monstrosities, like Delirium, who can end even the strongest of runs.

There are secret bosses to discover, rare enemy variants, and the latest expansion, Repentance, adds hundreds of hours of content to an already stacked title.

Beware, The Binding of Isaac is furiously addictive with satisfying meta progression and procedurally generated levels. If you turn up for the boss fights, you may just stay for everything else.

9 Black Myth Wukong

High Budget Boss Slaying

Systems

Released

August 20, 2024

Developer(s)

Game Science

Publisher(s)

Game Science

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence

How Long To Beat

39 hours

PS Plus Availability

N/A

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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Black Myth Wukong is an incredible action-adventure game with jaw-dropping visuals and phenomenal boss fights.

You play as a monkey with exceptional acrobatic skills. While it may look like a souls-like at first glance, combat in Black Myth Wukong is notably faster-paced. You’ll appreciate the speed, as bosses hit obnoxiously hard, and you’re not meant to beat them all on your first attempt.

On that note, bosses in Black Myth Wukong range from frogs to giant flying beasts. There are dozens of unique encounters and an impressive level of variety for such a hefty roster.

The boss battles are arguably the most exciting part of Black Myth Wukong, but there’s far more to the title, hence the lower position on the list.

8 Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!

Knock ‘Em To The Canvas

Systems

Released

October 18, 1987

Developer(s)

Nintendo R&D3

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

4 Hours

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The Punch-Out! games pit you against a long list of deadly fighters, each with their own quirks, moves, and fighting style.

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! is the first entry in the series, introducing us to a unique combat style. You can jab, uppercut, block, and dodge, but throwing moves out without intent is a recipe for disaster.

You need to learn how your opponents fight in Punch-Out!, and the game rewards quick reflexes and pattern memorization. No two combatants are the same, and you can easily spend hours learning how to topple the later fighters.

On that note, Iron Mike himself makes an appearance, and he’s arguably one of the toughest bosses in the NES library.

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! may be a retro NES game, but it’s playable on the Nintendo Switch Virtual Console.

7 Monster Hunter: Rise

A Beloved Capcom Franchise

The Monster Hunter games have been around since the PlayStation 2 era, pitting players against everything from mighty dragons to arachnid horrors.

Each battle in Monster Hunter: Rise is like a grand event. Poor preparation is a death sentence, and each monster must be approached cautiously until you learn its attack patterns.

Combat is busy and heavily skill-based. There’s a ridiculous assortment of weapons to try, and each has such a nuanced playstyle that it can take hundreds of hours to master.

I prefer Monster Hunter: World for its more grounded approach to combat, but Rise makes the list for its pacing. Rise is easily the most accessible the series has ever been, and while there is still downtime between fights, it’s far less than in previous titles.

With Monster Hunter Wilds just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to take this legendary franchise by the horns. Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed on the hunt, as the community is surprisingly wholesome and welcoming to new players.

6 G-Darius

I Finally Get To Talk About This One

G-Darius is a superb 2D space shooter by Taito, and it received a fantastic HD remaster in 2022. The Darius series is known for its bizarre aquatic ensemble of bosses, and that’s no different here.

There are fifteen bosses to conquer, each with two variants. These hulking metal monstrosities gatekeep the end of each stage, but there’s even a specialized Boss Rush mode where you can take them all on in order.

G-Darius frequently enters bullet hell territory, and every battle is a frantic ballet as you try to dodge gunfire. Shoot-em-ups like this have a reputation for being tricky, but G-Darius has plenty of difficulty settings to make things easier.

DariusBurst Chronicle Saviours is a newer game in the series, but I honestly think G-Darius utterly blows it out of the water.

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5 Enter the Gungeon

I Could Listen To That Tune All Day

Enter the Gungeon is one of my favorite Roguelites, featuring skill-based combat and unforgiving boss battles.

Movement feels excellent in Gungeon, thanks to the dodge roll mechanic. If you have perfect timing, you can roll through projectiles without taking damage which is an essential skill to master.

You’ll need all the help you can get against intimidating bosses like the “Ammoconda” or the “Beholster” in the screenshot above. Each level guardian has unique mechanics, and there are even bonus rewards if you can take them down flawlessly.

Enter the Gungeon offers plenty of exploration thanks to the randomly generated maps and there’s an unlockable boss rush mode, so you can practice for a perfect run.

4 Shadow of the Colossus

Are We Really The Good Guys?

Systems

Platform(s)

PS2 , PS3 , PS4

Released

October 18, 2005

Publisher(s)

Sony

Engine

Proprietary Engine

ESRB

T For Teen due to Blood, Violence

How Long To Beat

8 Hours

Metascore

91

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium

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Shadow of the Colossus is a grand adventure where you must defeat sixteen hulking colossi to resurrect a girl named Mono.

Colossi offer a completely different type of challenge to bosses in other titles. A considerable part of each encounter is figuring out how to even damage them, as their weak points are usually miles out of reach.

There is some puzzle gameplay between battles in Shadow of the Colossus, but you always feel like you’re gearing up and preparing for the next fight.

A quick word of warning: you might feel a little bad about killing the Colossi. Mostly, they just mind their own business until you decide to run them through. If you’re ok with that, don’t let me stop you!

Shadow of the Colossus is arguably one of the best and most impactful games in the PlayStation 2 library. It’s an exceptionally cinematic title for the era and a must-play even if you’re not looking for a boss rush game.

3 Mega Man 11

Another Classic Capcom Franchise

I’ve already sung Monster Hunter‘s praises, but we can’t talk about Boss Rushes without mentioning Mega Man.

Mega Man 11 is a 2D Platformer that allows you to choose the order of the stages. Every Mega Man title has this mechanic, and the end of each level is guarded by a powerful boss.

If you beat the boss, you earn one of their abilities to use as your own. It’s an addictive gameplay loop, as you’re always becoming stronger, and those abilities can even be used to traverse future stages in creative ways.

Boss battles are a huge part of the game, but the stages are pretty challenging, so they are just one part of the Mega Man experience.

That said, many boss fights in the series are iconic, and the final encounters are downright unfair. I recommend Mega Man 11 as it’s the latest in the series, but all the 2D games in the franchise are worth your time.

2 Furi

A Legendary Gauntlet Of Bosses

Few titles fit the description of a “Boss Rush” game quite like Furi. The gameplay of Furi is like multiple boss battles daisy-chained together, and every opponent brings something new to the table.

Each stage pits you against an opponent with a unique skill set you must adjust to on the fly. There’s a mix of different combat styles. Ranged combat will test your aiming under pressure as you’re forced to dodge complex patterns.

Melee combat is responsive and fast-paced, and the parry system rewards good timing. Bosses can’t resist smack-talking, making battles all the sweeter when you land the killing blow.

Furi is easily one of the more challenging games on the list, but the difficulty is firm but fair.

If you’ve beaten the game already, we’ve ranked all of the bosses. Why not see if you agree with our placement?

1 Cuphead

An Undisputed Masterpiece

Cuphead is one of my favorite games of all time and absolutely deserves the top spot on the list. There are regular scrolling levels in Cuphead, but the draw for many is the iconic boss battles.

Boss fights are so much more than simple 1v1 brawls. These encounters are dramatic setpieces where everyone and everything wants to kill you. No two encounters are the same, and you will face everything from killer carrots to mighty dragons.

The battles and combat are tuned to perfection, and everything plays out with some of the most gorgeous graphics you will see in a 2D title.

Beware, Cuphead is a brutally difficult game despite the cutesy graphics, but it’s hard to get tilted when everything looks and sounds so good!

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