Summary

What began as an immersive superhero adventure starring Batman has evolved and become a still-expanding DC Universe known as the Arkhamverse. The virtual reality game,Batman: Arkham Shadow, is the latest entry that tells another prequel story toBatman: Arkham Asylum, albeit exclusively on the Meta Quest 3.

The Arkhamverse has sequels, prequels, and a spin-off that is also a sequel, leading to a convoluted timeline that newcomers might be confused by. With the release ofArkham Shadow, certain fans will want to know where it sits in the overall chronology, given the events that the heroes and villains all go through by the end.

Set two years into Batman’s career as a vigilante,Batman: Arkham Originsremains the earliest event in the Arkhamverse timeline. Batman is accustomed to street punks and crime lords, but on Christmas Eve, he is forced to contend with his first batch of true supervillains, including Bane, Firefly, Deathstroke, his first encounter with The Joker, and defeating Mr. Freeze on New Year’s Day in the DLC.

At first, the prequel was mistreated for having new voice actors for Batman and the Joker, but over a decade later, Arkham Origins has since become a beloved entry. From its visually stunning holiday setting to showing Batman evolving into a superhero for Gotham City,it remains a strong prequelin the series that finally got its sequel in the form ofArkham Shadow.

InBatman: Arkham Origins - Blackgate, the Caped Crusader fights Black Mask, The Joker, and The Penguin in Blackgate Prison, three months after the events of the previous game. Batman meets Catwoman for the first time, a recurring yetfan-favorite female character in theArkhamgames. This leads to them working together, with Catwoman having ulterior motives as always.

Other villains include Solomon Grundy, Bronze Tiger, and Deadshot, with other DC characters such as Amanda Waller and Rick Flag making appearances.Arkham Origins - Blackgateis an often forgotten entry in the Arkhamverse, mostly due to it originally being a game for handheld systems like the Nintendo 3DS and the PS Vita before being ported to PC and consoles.

While fans were hesitant aboutBatman: Arkham Shadowat first, it has quickly earned praise for effectively adapting the classic entries' gameplay style and storytelling in VR form. It takes place sometime afterArkham Shadowand beforeArkham Asylum, as shown by the appearance of multiple characters before they are famous villains, such as Harvey Dent, Harleen Quinzel, and Jonathan Crane.

The story of Batman: Arkham Shadowfollows a young Batman during a dark period with Gotham City being in complete chaos due to the rise of a villain known as the Rat King. It plays out more like a mystery, with Batman fighting and investigating his way through Gotham and Blackgate Prison to uncover the identity of the Rat King before he unleashes an apocalypse on the city.

The now-defunct mobile strategy gameBatman: Arkham Underworldhad the player controlling a rising kingpin in Gotham City, encountering everyone from The Riddler to Two-Face. The year in which it takes place is never clear, but it is confirmed to take place beforeArkham Asylum, and with Two-Face and Harley Quinn featured, that means it takes place post-Arkham Shadow.

Arkham Underworldfeatured the debut of Carmine Falcone, a character who had been referenced before but never actually appeared. This character, as well as the game, would go mostly unnoticed asArkham Underworldwas taken down due to a lack of players, although he would return inBatman: Arkham Shadow.

5A Matter Of Family (DLC Story)

The Arkhamverse Debut Of Barbara As Batgirl

Though it is not a standalone game,A Matter Of Familyis the only DLC fromBatman: Arkham Knightthat takes place in the past, set months before the events ofArkham Asylum.Barbara Gordon is still Batgirlat this time, as she infiltrates Joker’s new base of operations to save her father Jim Gordon from the clown’s clutches.

Unlike the other DLC chapters inBatman: Arkham Knight,A Matter Of Familyis extensive with an explorable map akin toBatman: Arkham Asylum. It showed that potential games starring members of the Bat-Family were possible and gave Barbara even more development as a character, finally showing her time as Batgirl which had only been referenced prior.

The game that started theBatman: Arkhamfranchise, with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill making their epic return as the voices of Batman and the Joker.Batman: Arkham Asylumis set six years after the events ofArkham Origins, with Batman and Joker having been rivals for a long time and the titular hero already having an ensemble of villains that are locked up in Arkham.

With Paul Dini, the co-creator ofBatman: The Animated Seriesworking on the script,Batman: Arkham Asylumquickly became a beloved superhero gameand part of that is due to its simple concept. Batman is stuck on Arkham Island with all his greatest foes, and he must stop them all. With dark yet beautiful visuals and fun gameplay,Arkham Asylumwas a major success.

Set eighteen months afterArkham Asylumin December,Batman: Arkham Citytakes inspiration from films such as Escape From New York by having an entire section of Gotham City walled off and turned into a dystopian prison. Batman has been operating for eleven years at this point, and the DLC titledHarley Quinn’s Revengeends the Arkham City storyline in January.

With afully explorable version of Gotham Cityand improvements in nearly every aspect of the first game,Batman: Arkham Cityis considered a definitive sequel. It gave players more of Batman’s gadgets and villains to fight, all the while featuring a gripping storyline with various side quests.

The first attempt at bringing the Arkhamverse to the world of virtual reality was considered a mixed bag. There was little to no action inBatman: Arkham VRand itwas more of a psychological horrorfrom the point of view of Batman, but the game could be beaten in less than an hour, as it came out when modern VR was in its infancy.

It’s a little difficult to decipher whenBatman: Arkham VRtakes place at first, but as the story unfolds, it is clear by the end that it takes place betweenBatman: Arkham CityandBatman: Arkham Knight. Batman is shown to be affected by Joker’s toxic blood and, by the end, Batman realizes that the Phantom Joker is slowly growing in his mind.

Originally intended to be the final game in the series,Batman: Arkham Knightfeatures Batman ending his career in Gotham City on Halloween night, eight months afterArkham City. It is confirmed that the events ofArkham Originshappened ten years prior, confirming that Batman’s career only lasted about twelve years in the Arkhamverse.

Arkham Knightpits the Gotham Guardian against his greatest challenge yet, as Scarecrow and the mysterious Arkham Knight have taken over Gotham City with their high-tech militia. He also has to contend with multiple other villains as well as some ofthe scariest moments in the franchise. Several DLC chapters take place throughout a few months after that Halloween night.

Despite its many controversies as a game and story,Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leagueis confirmed to be the next chapter in the Arkhamverse, set five years afterBatman: Arkham Knight. After being exposed as Batman, Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham City and ends upmeeting and joining the Justice League, who have now become slaves under Brainiac.

The live-service looter shooter also features Harley Quinn, the Penguin, and a new Poison Ivy who all have connections to previous Arkham games, but the main connective thread is Batman. The Dark Knight is one of the main antagonists and his story ends in a way that leaves many disappointed, but there is a chance that the character is alive and may return in future DLC for the game.