Top 23 Video Game Boss Battles of Each Year
2000: Diablo
Video Game Classics: Diablo
“Diablo II” A fan favorite entry in the series, as well as a cherished boss fight, the big bad of “Diablo II” ends the story on an extreme high note. Of course, the Lord of Terror doesn’t go down so easily. As you might expect, Diablo literally brings the heat with a range of fire-based attacks. He’s no one-trick pony, though; he can also fire a powerful lightning blast and reduce your speed. Attacking from a distance works great…until Diablo charges you, and his melee attacks are almost as deadly as the other ones. It’s just the right level of challenging, bringing a satisfying climax to a fantastic game.
2001: The Great Mighty Poo
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“Conker’s Bad Fur Day” Any boss from 2001 was going to have a tough time appearing as unique as the Great Mighty Poo. Made entirely of sentient crap, he is by far one of the grossest bosses in video game history. However, we can’t deny he has a lovely singing voice. In a perfect clash of horrible and wonderful, the entire fight is a musical number in which he cleverly rhymes nasty poop puns. The mechanics of avoiding his hurled turds and tossing a roll of toilet paper in his mouth aren’t too challenging, or even that remarkable. But the character’s hilarious absurdity has given him a reputation that’s lasted for decades.
2002: Sephiroth
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“Kingdom Hearts” Bringing the world of “Final Fantasy” and Disney together turned out to be one of the best decisions Square Enix ever made. And the studio clearly understood that, with bosses, it was best to go big. Sephiroth remains one of “Final Fantasy’s” most popular villains, so fans were understandably excited to see him pop up here. He’s fought as a secret boss in the Olympus Coliseum, a fitting setting. His sword has long range, though he can also close the distance by teleporting on top of performing high-power, magical attacks. It was great seeing some of his turn-based moves in a more action-focused match, all of which will have you frantically trying to avoid them.
2003: Darth Malak
“Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” Following the mind-blowing reveal that the amnesiac player character is actually the villain’s former master, you have to deal with Darth Malak. Whether you choose the hero or villain route, this Sith Lord won’t be giving up his title without a major fight. He’s got the expected abilities befitting his position, such as Force lightning and extreme prowess with a lightsaber, which he happily hurls at you if you’re too far away. Making this harder is having to deal with the captive Jedis giving him more power. Newer “Star Wars” games may make it look dated. But at the time, this was a clash like no other. And it was the climax of a wonderful build-up from the story.
2004: The Boss
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“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” The final fight in “Metal Gear Solid 3” is tense from both a gameplay and emotional perspective. Having been betrayed by her towards the beginning of the game, the player hunts The Boss and her compatriots throughout. When you finally face her, there’s no big set piece or gimmick like many other fights in the series. It goes smaller, more personal, as you face her in a field of flowers. Her having an automatic weapon means playing things carefully as you close the distance to deliver blows. The fight is made bittersweet by your relationship with her, even more so when it’s revealed that she’s still one of the good guys.
2005: Avion the 5th Colossus
“Shadow of the Colossus” “Shadow of the Colossus” was an easy pick for 2005, given that it’s mostly comprised of boss fights with stunning designs and art direction. But choosing which of the 16 claimed the spot was a bit tougher. Ultimately, the fifth Colossus won for switching things up and doing so excellently. Up until this point, players had been able to climb these towering titans from the ground. But with Avion being a gigantic bird, we had to approach it differently. Shooting it with an arrow began the fight, with the player having to leap onto Avion as it tried to swoop down on them. Hanging on for dear life felt far more invigorating than in previous fights; one mistake, and you’d plummet into the water below.
2006: Stallord
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” Many “Zelda” bosses are designed to be fought using their dungeon’s item. No boss within the franchise makes better use of this formula than Stallord from “Twilight Princess.” During the first phase, Link must ride the Spinner around the circular arena, bouncing back and forth to hit the colossal fossil in the spine, which is protected by skeletal soldiers. During the second phase, you’ll bounce between a massive pillar and the wall to avoid its fireballs and spike traps. The Spinner may be underused, but it’s extremely unique compared to everything else in Link’s arsenal. Designing a fight around it resulted in pure joy, making Stallord a fan favorite boss to this day.
2007: The Sisters of Fate
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“God of War II” The Sisters of Fate provide three great boss fights for the price of one. And they each have their own fun gimmick to wrap your head around. First up is the appetizer, Lakhesis, who relies on her staff, flight, and energy blasts. Second is Atropos, who summons minions before joining her sister so they can both try to take Kratos out. Avoiding Atropos’ attacks from the side while facing Lakhesis will certainly get your blood pumping. Finally, you’ll face the offputting, building-sized Clotho, who is part boss fight, part environmental puzzle. Each of the Sisters brings a different style for the player to adapt to, making it one of Kratos’ more memorable encounters.
2008: Tabuu
“Super Smash Bros. Brawl” Prior to “Brawl,” Master Hand was the de facto head honcho. But by the third game, we all knew his schtick, and so Nintendo gave us a brand new baddie to face. Fought at the very end of the Subspace Emissary, Tabuu puts up far more of a fight than Master Hand ever did. He has a wide range of attacks, all of which deal heavy damage. It’s possible he’ll one-hit KO some of the lighter-weight characters. For the heavier characters, he’ll still quickly build up your percentage to bring them very sudden deaths. Lasers, teleporting, explosions, shockwaves, and some particularly annoying throws; Tabuu has all of these and more to make this fight a challenge.
2009: Albert Wesker
“Resident Evil 5” Having betrayed all of us back in the original “Resident Evil,” it felt incredible to finally put down the vile Albert Wesker. Chris and Sheva will confront the slimy villain in a hangar, with the player having to hide and avoid him until it’s the right moment to strike. Using the rockets scattered about the arena is a good call, because he’ll also be trying to blow you up. He still moves faster than you would expect from a tanky, bullet sponge, though. The second phase goes for a more thrilling setting inside a volcano, with Wesker transforming into a monster to match his personality. Defeating Wesker was a long time coming and we were happy to see him reach such an explosive end.
2010: Zeus
“God of War III” Speaking of demises that were a long time coming, Zeus made Kratos' life an actual living Hell in “God of War.” And while we did get to fight him in the second game, the climactic bout here served as the perfect finale to the Greek saga. Since he’s the leader of the Olympian Gods, Zeus comes with several phases and a myriad of deadly attacks. The first half is a 2D fight where he can teleport and electrocute you from the ground and the air. The second half, inside Gaia, has him make copies of himself to keep you busy so he can regenerate. It’s an impressive showcase of power to be sure. But the fight is also interspersed with emotional character beats.
2011: Mr. Freeze
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“Batman: Arkham City” Batman has many clever rogues in his gallery, though Mr. Freeze is one of the most intelligent. For the fight against him in “Arkham City,” Rocksteady found a neat way to implement his smarts through mechanics. As he stalks you in his lab, there will be a wide array of ways to deal damage to him. However, once you use one, you won’t be able to again because Freeze will adapt. How many different attacks you must do depends on your difficulty setting. Regardless, it forces you to plan out each and every move, keeping the fight fresh throughout. Not only that, but he follows your tracks and scans your body heat, all combining to make a slow-paced fight much tenser.
2012: Handsome Jack
“Borderlands 2” Handsome Jack is one of those villains you love to hate. He’s done despicable things and killed untold numbers of innocents, yet he’s hilariously charming the whole game. When it came time to face him, we relished the opportunity. Jack can cloak and copy himself and uses various different elemental attacks as well as AOE ones. As if that wasn’t tough enough, he summons the Warrior once you defeat him, a massive alien that loves to stomp around and bathe you in fire. Our hatred for Jack and desire for justice built up over the course of the game, so this fight didn’t disappoint. The cherry on top is choosing to cut his dying speech short.
2013: Senator Armstrong
“Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance” “Metal Gear Solid” already thrived on ridiculousness. So, an entry from PlatinumGames, known for delivering over-the-top action, naturally dialed everything up to 11. The game’s villain and final boss, Senator Armstrong, is a perfect example. First, he’ll fight Raiden from inside a giant Metal Gear. But once he comes out, the true fight begins. Using his nanomachine augmentations, Armstrong’s punches hit like a truck. Your blows against him on the other hand don’t even make him budge an inch. You’re just meant to survive until you get a new sword so that you both can truly cut loose. With plenty of unhinged dialogue sprinkled between the phases, it’s one of the most entertaining of the series.
2014: Masked Lumen
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“Bayonetta 2” PlatinumGames was clearly in top form throughout the 2010s, following “Revengeance” up with a sequel to the beloved “Bayonetta.” Each boss fight was pushed to the extreme in terms of design and quick-paced battle mechanics, chief among them being the witch’s rival. The Masked Lumen and Bayonetta are essentially two sides of the same coin. They’re just as fast as she is, can also manipulate time, fly, and use a variety of summons. You’ll each be slicing and dicing around one another like some sort of dance. While your opponent isn’t as grandiose as some others, the fight certainly is, especially when both fighters summon gigantic beasts to fight in the background.
2015: Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower
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“Bloodborne” “Bloodborne” has many terrific bosses. But “The Old Hunters” DLC added some that surpassed those in the base game, such as the deadly Lady Maria. Her design may be a little underwhelming compared to the nightmarish creatures fought elsewhere. But what she lacks there, she makes up for in how she fights. Her first phase is similar to how players fight, with one melee weapon and one ranged one. However, she’ll then infuse her attacks with her own magical blood, giving her more range and letting her deal more damage. That’s bad enough without the teleporting and massive charge attacks she also inflicts. Best be wary, hunters.
2016: Cyberdemon
“Doom” 2016’s “Doom” brought the FPS franchise back to glory, with plenty of carnage to inflict on demonic hordes. The final boss, Spider Mastermind, was an excellent way to end the game. But the classic Cyberdemon wins for a great intro and a tense, bullet hell of a fight. It begins as you enter Lazarus Labs, where the demon will rip open the door just to hurl you into a room for some alone time. This is a free shot to simply unload as many bullets and whatever other ammunition you have. Because this brute will certainly be doing the same. Its second phase is fought in actual Hell, where it will be far more aggressive. This fight epitomizes what made this reboot so great.
2017: Monk Maz Koshia
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” Some fans were disappointed in the bosses of “Breath of the Wild.” Thankfully, within “The Champions’ Ballad” DLC, we got a fight worthy of the legendary hero. Monk Maz Koshia stands as the final test and has so many different ways to attack, you may not even see them all. His health bar is broken into several phases, the first of which sees him teleporting and using a variety of elemental arrows. Part 2 will have him continuously make copies of himself to overwhelm you through force. Phase 3 has him grow to enormous size, where he’ll throw spiked balls, shoot lightning and lasers, and stomp the ground to produce tornados. No wonder this fight is referred to as a Trial.
2018: Doc Ock
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“Marvel’s Spider-Man” Despite many of us knowing the outcome, “Marvel’s Spider-Man” managed to make us care deeply for Otto Octavius. His descent into villainy was handled masterfully, topped off with a fantastic final fight. The game’s mechanics are pristine, whether using Spidey’s webbing to swing around or hurl objects at enemies. It feels just as good to use them here, just with Otto’s extra arms trying to rip you apart. While Doc Ock leaps about and tries to smash Peter, you have to web up his arms quickly in order to deal actual damage. It’s both suspenseful thanks to how hard he hits and due to the emotionally resonant climax.
2019: Isshin the Sword Saint
“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” FromSoftware is the current king of challenging boss fights. The final fight in “Sekiro” against Isshin the Sword Saint is one of the studio’s finest, and perhaps one of the finest sword duels in all of gaming. There’s no way not to be on the edge of your seat as Isshin descends upon you. He moves with startling speed and ferocity, easily closing the distance between you and slicing off large portions of health. The fight demands patience lest you make a mistake, as well proficiency with the game’s mechanics. Otherwise, it will be a swift, unpleasant death. Isshin is both exciting and terrifying to face, capping the game off in tremendous fashion.
2020: The Rat King
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“The Last of Us Part II” As players take Abby through the lower levels of the hospital in Seattle, there will naturally be some Infected to put down. But as you do, you’ll be aware of something far more dangerous lurking in the shadows. When the Rat King finally appears, you’ll barely have time to register that it’s multiple Infected glued together before it’s time to make a run for it. The intense chase sequence leads to a claustrophobic showdown, where you’ll have to unload your already limited ammo in order to make it out. The entire horrific sequence got our hearts pumping out of our chests, especially when a Stalker separated from the group to hunt us.
2021: Raven Beak
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“Metroid Dread” The “Metroid” series is usually good about feeling extremely tough without coming off as cheap. That doesn't make any of the numerous deaths we faced at the hands of Raven Beak any easier to swallow. The big bad of “Dread” is an imposing, highly skilled warrior with the necessary skills to put Samus in the dirt. He’s exceptionally fast, forcing the player to have extraordinary reaction time in order to not get hit. Good luck with that, because he also has a wide variety of attacks both short and long range. He’s also fought across three phases, each one more bloodthirsty than the last, the second of which gives him wings and the third of which comes with extremely destructive artillery.
2022: Malenia, Blade of Miquella
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“Elden Ring” If there was one boss that dominated the gaming space in 2022, it was Malenia from “Elden Ring.” She quickly earned a reputation as the most challenging fight in the game. And, being optional, she became everyone’s white whale to seek out. She starts the fight by saying she’s never known defeat…which, yeah, is obvious. Her long-range sword and speed makes keeping your distance nigh impossible. Her signature flurry attack has so many hits, it’ll decimate your health bar if it lands. Her second phase hits harder and inflicts Scarlet Rot to deal damage over time. Plus, throughout the whole fight, every attack she lands on you heals her. FromSoftware clearly outdid themselves with this one.