Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Trending
  • New Games for 2026
  • Stranger Things season 5
  • Best Games of 2025
  • The Forge codes
  1. Games

PlayStation's best swordfights, unsheathed

Features
By Play Staff published 26 March 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

SlayStation

SlayStation

Ah, yes. Everyone loves a good gaming stabbing device. Whether you're slicing through demons or just giving bad guys a good poking, there's a swordfight for every occasion. Let's take a look at some of the very best that PlayStation has to offer

Oh, and if this leaves you in the mood for more weapon-based shenanigans, check out two of our most martial of features. There's one about the least practical armour in games, and another on the least practical swords in games - both accompanied by comment from real life weapons experts. Anyway, yeah, sword-fights.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Dark Souls

Dark Souls

From Softwares hard-as-nails dungeon crawler hates you unequivocally. Yet its still kind enough to offer you a huge array of slashing implements to enter into demon swordfights with. Whether its a piddling steak knife or a dirk the size of a Cadillac, variety is the spice of constant death.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Dishonoured

Dishonoured

Stupid Corvo. Why do your clanging metal-on-metal skirmishes have to be so much darn fun? When lopping off limbs is so satisfying, its only natural youd be tempted to bin off careful Blink-based sneakery to stab up every corrupt official in Dunwall. Go on, embrace your inner Errol Flynn. En garde!

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Truly, the right stick is mightier than the sword. Without Raidens slo-mo stick-twirling Blade mode, the ninja would wield all the precision of a heart surgeon whos dropped out of med school to learn vascular procedures from Operation. Master his flurries of slicing and dicing to dominate in cyborg swordfights.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean

Daww, would you look at those adorable Danish plastic lumps? Put a pair of tiny cutlasses in the hollow claws of minifig Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush and you have a high seas Jolly Roger-off for the ages. Granted, all youre doing is pressing square, but this is still some damn cute swordplay.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Heavenly Sword

Heavenly Sword

Nariko really is a despicable cheat. The feudal warrior wins countless stabby encounters against overwhelming odds purely because her sword is essentially an eviscerating Transformer. Capable of morphing between two blades on a chain and a giant katana, it makes her the undoubted don of duels.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Sports Champions

Sports Champions

You insult my honour, sir. I challenge you to a duel uh, using plastic wands with glowing balls on the end. Still, if you cart your noggin off to Imagination Island, the short sword scuffles in this compendium of Move mini-games is fairly satisfying. Pity its light on the gorily graphic decapitations, mind.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2

Look, a lightsaber is definitely a sword, okay? Oh sure, they never get blunt and buzz more than a hive of hornets going medieval on Macaulay Culkins ass. Yet give an asthmatic robot man and a crew-cut dude two of em and you have one heck of a swordfight even if there are far too many QTEs for our liking.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Soul Calibur 5

Soul Calibur 5

If theres one thing The Princess Bride taught us, its that Andr The Giant is a dude. Oh, and pointy smackdowns between two opponents are hella noble. Soulcalibur is PS3s premier sword scrapper thanks to its agile combat, but samurais puncturing thong-flashing ladies is hardly dignified.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Devil May Cry 4

Devil May Cry 4

There are certain rules of engagement one should follow when it comes to proper duelling etiquette. One: dont fight in church. Two: avoid stabbing a mans cast. Nero and Dante cheerfully ignore both of these guidelines as they engage in a blade battle that destroys both Gods house and the formers arm plaster.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
PlayStation PS4 Platforms
Play Staff
Play Staff
Social Links Navigation

We are Play magazine, the biggest-selling,100% independent, magazine for PlayStation gamers. Founded in 2021, it's brought to you by the same team of writers, editors, and designers as the Official PlayStation Magazine, with the same deep industry access, quality of writing, and passion for all things PlayStation. Follow us for all things PS5, PS4, and PlayStation VR.

Share by:
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google

Click here for more excellent Official PlayStation Magazine articles. Or maybe you want to take advantage of some great offers on magazine subscriptions? You can find them here.

Latest in Games
Call of Duty Black Ops 7 cutscene David Mason and Troy Marshall talking
Microsoft CEO resorts to blogging in defense of AI, says "we need to get beyond the arguments of slop" – exactly what I'd say if I was tired of losing the arguments of slop
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Gustave in a French-inspired outfit
AGDQ 2026 has everything from a Clair Obscur: Expedition race to a 70-player Super Mario 64 relay
 
 
The Elder Scrolls Online
Microsoft killed his dream MMO despite apparently loving it, says former Elder Scrolls Online head, so he left: "The game I had waited my entire career to create"
 
 
Star Wars Racer Revenge cover art
New PS5 and PS4 jailbreak exploits trigger a 1,000% surge in prices for Star Wars Racer Revenge
 
 
Ciri in The Witcher 3
New The Witcher 3 expansion rumored for 2026 launch, weeks after CD Projekt Red mysteriously teased "hinted" content
 
 
No Rest for the Wicked
No Rest for the Wicked lead blasts "irreparable damage" to Diablo under ex-Blizzard boss, who says "chill"
 
 
Latest in Features
Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee in The Testament of Ann Lee
2026 may be the year of Marvel blockbusters, but I can't wait for these 6 movies that might not be on your watchlist yet
 
 
Winona Ryder as Joyce and Noah Schnapp as Will in Stranger Things season 5
Stranger Things season 5 finale explained: who dies, does it set up a spin-off and what happens to Eleven?
 
 
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Hopper and Linnea Berthelsen as Kali in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
Stranger Things season 5 part 2 ending explained: who dies, what is the Upside Down, and how does it set up the finale
 
 
The Split Fiction key art featuring the duo of heroes on fantasy and sci-fi backgrounds with the GR+ Quiz logo in the top right corner
Can you guess the game review from the review quote?
 
 
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2, after fighting Syril during the massacre of Ghorman
From Andor's shocking massacre to Pluribus's strange invasion, these are the best TV episodes of 2025
 
 
Donkey Kong Bananza screenshot showing Pauline on DK's shoulder as they both whistle a tune and Pauline wears a small crown
Donkey Kong Bananza is my game of the year, and I'm convinced it's one of the greatest platformers in Nintendo history
 
 
  1. Scythe box on a wooden surface, slightly off to one side
    1
    This alt-history board game is still a gold standard for modern strategy
  2. 2
    Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"
  3. 3
    Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
  4. 4
    Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
  5. 5
    Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
  1. Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
    1
    Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
  2. 2
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  3. 3
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  4. 4
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  5. 5
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  1. Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
  2. 2
    Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”
  3. 3
    Fallout season 2 review: "A hell of a lot of fun despite being overcrowded and convoluted"
  4. 4
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  5. 5
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...