10 Star Wars Games with Amazing Lightsaber Combat

Through nine feature films, a litany of books, multiple spin-off television shows and animated cartoons, Star Wars has ingrained itself so deeply into pop culture that it's sometimes hard to remember a time when it wasn't a part of our collective lives. I've spent a lifetime watching and consuming Star Wars, and in that time, one thing that's always stood out is how many different ways of fighting exist.

Everybody loves a good blaster or speeder bike with a laser mounted on the front of it, but the lightsaber has been, and always will be, the most recognizable weapon in Star Wars history. So many games have made an effort to recreate the feeling of the lightsaber, all to varying degrees of success.

Some of them, however, have proven to be very proficient. The Force is definitely with these Star Wars games, as they all managed to find fun and unique ways to present lightsaber combat over the years.

10 Star Wars Episode One: Jedi Power Battles

Arcade-Style Madness

The marketing push for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was less of a movie campaign and more of a full-frontal assault, targeting multiple avenues and methods to squeeze as much as possible out of George Lucas' first of three prequel films. Some of the games were genuinely good, and even the janky ones had a bit of funny charm to them.

Jedi Power Battles is still some of the most fun I've ever had playing a Star Wars game. It almost feels like a game you would have dumped mountains of quarters into in the arcades, as it just has that same sense of simple, yet complex fun those games were known for.

Lightsaber combat errs more on the chaotic side, going for a less traditional exploration of the weapon. When you make swinging a lightsaber this much fun, however, it doesn't detract too much. Jedi Power Battles is an excellent bit of nostalgia for anyone missing the prequel era.

9 Star Wars: Obi-Wan

Hello, There

At the time Star Wars: Obi-Wan was announced as an Xbox exclusive in May 2001, I felt vindicated as a day one owner of the original Microsoft console. Years later, I'm surprised at both how well it holds up today, and the surreal concept of Microsoft getting a completely original, exclusive Star Wars game at the height of the franchise's multiplatform campaign.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan was fairly novel for the time, making use of the right analog stick to control the lightsaber. It may seem like something that wouldn't hold up at all, but having replayed it recently, I was surprised at how intuitive it felt. It certainly had a lot of room for improvement, but was there felt supremely entertaining.

Obi-Wan takes place before and during the events of The Phantom Menace, chronicling the young Padawan's rise from obscurity into one of the Jedi Order's most promising students. In addition to the fantastic lightsaber combat, Obi-Wan's story and cutscenes are also surprisingly well done for the era.

8 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Yes, A LEGO Game

It may be hard to believe that a LEGO game has some of the best lightsaber combat out there, but spending just a few minutes with The Skywalker Saga will do more to convince you than even a Jedi mind trick. This game has really got it where it counts.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga collects all nine films of the mainline story, presenting them to you in any order you choose. You're not obligated to follow the game in any sort of order, which means you can jump straight into whatever film you want at any time.

As the LEGO games have always done, The Skywalker Saga hides a shocking amount of depth under its cartoon-like exterior. Swings and swipes feel unrelenting and solid, and the entire package just feels so wonderfully crisp.

7 Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Crushing Difficulty, Great Lightsaber Combat

3D games don't get to have all the fun when it comes to lightsaber combat. There have been plenty of great 2D Star Wars games over the years, but only one feels as wonderful to play as Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

The Super Star Wars games were some of my most treasured experiences during the 1990s. Star Wars films were on a somewhat bleak hiatus, and this was the only way to experience those classic films once again.

This high-octane, hugely polished trilogy of games adapted each of the classic trilogy in increasingly brilliant and chaotic fashion. Return of the Jedi offers multiple playable heroes, but Luke is easily the most fun. It runs at a fast, unrelentingly furious pace that so many games of this era attempted, but few ever duplicated.

6 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Unleash the Force

Prior to the Disney acquisition of Star Wars in 2012, what was later deemed the Legends canon was full of some pretty wild and outrageous works. Chief among them was Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which was the first chapter in the long, complicated tale of Darth Vader's secret apprentice that he took on between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

The Force Unleashed really tapped into the more raw, aggressive side of lightsabers in such a wonderfully destructive way. In the role of Starkiller, the game really lets you cause some intensely satisfying chaos with a lightsaber, as well as an array of Force powers.

The real thrill of using a lightsaber in a virtual environment is how it feels upon impact. If that doesn't feel right, it's just not going to be the Star Wars game it needs to be. The Force Unleashed feels brutal, decisive, and incredibly satisfying.

5 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

This One Goes to Eleven

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was a fast-paced, energetic exploration of George Lucas' space fantasy that told the story of Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Starkiller. As George is prone to say during his days on set, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II follows the age-old sequel mantra of being faster and more intense.

Everything about The Force Unleashed II is cranked up as high as it can possibly go without breaking the console into pieces. The story goes into some darker places, and the lightsaber combat has been elevated to something that feels hypnotic both to play and observe.

New styles and decapitation moves were added, as well as the ability to dual-wield lightsabers. Everything about The Force Unleashed II is built around making you feel braver and more forward-thinking, and the absolute devastation you can unleash is still unmatched by any modern Star Wars game.

4 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

A Metroidvania Soulslike with Lightsabers

Taking place five years after the cataclysmic events of Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is one of those games that feels like a dream turned into reality. A Star Wars game with an original story and cast, and fluid and impressively functional lightsaber mechanics, was something that I begged for following the Disney acquisition.

Cal Kestis has slowly become one of the Disney-era's most outstanding new innovations. His never-ending will and determination is admirable, as is his skill with a lightsaber.

Fallen Order has so much fabulous momentum and presence in its combat system, which borrows elements from various Soulslike games. Everything feels so weighty and impactful, and the lightsabers are treated with so much honesty, you can't help but feel like you're right in the middle of a Star Wars movie.

3 Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series

Become Immortal

The one experience for kids that is universal is playing pretend with a fake lightsaber, making all the signature humming and swooshing noises. No childhood was complete without it. That exact feeling was turned into reality, or virtual reality as it were, with Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series.

Star Wars was a property that I always felt was made for VR. The duo seemed destined to be inevitable partners, as so much of the Star Wars universe lends itself to reliving the universe within a space that feels real. Vader Immortal captured so much of what makes lightsabers cool, letting you wield one with so much accuracy that it was easy to lose yourself in it.

I was somewhat skeptical of VR for a while, but Vader Immortal made me a believer. Just existing in the world, using the lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts and engage in high-stakes duels, is one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time.

2 Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Kyle Katarn is Love, Kyle Katarn is Life

Poor, poor Kyle Katarn was relegated to Legends canon following Disney's purchase of the Star Wars IP in 2012. There have been sparse rumors of Disney bringing him back into the fold, but as of now, this wisecracking mercenary and on-again, off-again Jedi Knight remains stuck in purgatory.

It's all rather unfortunate when you consider just how instrumental he was to one of the greatest Star Wars video games ever made. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is simply spectacular, and no fan of this iconic space fantasy should miss out on it. One of the keys to its success was its absolutely lovely lightsaber combat.

After earning your lightsaber in a shortened version of the Jedi Trials, a wonderful touch that I absolutely love, Jedi Outcast lets you loose in its beautifully designed maps to let your imagination run wild. Its aim is to recreate the cinematic madness of the movies, as each encounter feels frantic and like a disaster waiting to happen. Finishing off each battle with a wicked slow-motion camera is also such an amazing touch.

1 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

A More Civilized Age

A lot of Star Wars games with lightsaber combat are built around the destructive power of the weapon, but very few games concerned themselves with the elegant side of it. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was one such game, with its eyes keenly locked on re-enacting what made us all fall in love with the franchise to begin with.

When you boil Knights of the Old Republic down to its basics, what you're left with is a turn-based RPG with real-time pause. The combat is built around the strategic movements and intellectual responses of the weapon, where each clash feels like a choreographed dance as opposed to a flurry of sparks.