10 Best Transformers Games To Play Before Transformers: Reactivate

For fans excited to play Transformers: Reactivate, there have been many other Transformers games out to make anyone feel Cybertronian.

With the announcement of Transformers: Reactivate getting a beta release later this year, fans are excited about a new AAA Transformers game. To satiate said thirst for the new game, there are plenty of Transformers games from across the decades to check out, going all the way back to the 1980s.

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There is a shocking amount of variety when it comes to the video game genres that Transformers have been adapted into. There are the typical action games but then Hasbro has allowed developers to experiment with strategy games, open-world games, and even multiplayer shooters across different consoles and visual styles.

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10

Transformers: Battlegrounds Is A Decent XCOM Wannabe

The latest mobile endeavor for the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Battlegrounds goes for a turn-based strategy game akin to XCOM. It has many of the same gameplay aspects including the grid movement and cover system, but instead of humans and aliens, it’s Autobots and Decepticons.

The biggest downgrade is that unlike the AI in other turn-based games that really test the player’s strategic mind, the enemies in Transformers: Battlegrounds are rarely as difficult. Still, its own take on the world of Transformers is admirable, and the gameplay can still provide a fun experience but preferably in small sessions.

9

Rise Of The Dark Spark On Consoles Is A Guilty Pleasure

In a very odd turn, Transformers: Rise Of The Dark Spark attempted to somehow fuse the continuities of the War For Cybertron games, and the Michael Bay movies into one. The story makes little to no sense as a result and is obviously just a means to have tie-in content with the movies.

Gameplay, on the other hand, still manages to keep many of the same elements that make War For Cybertron so good with running, gunning, and transforming action. Even if the story is a total mess, Rise Of The Dark Spark can still be mindless fun and is still the closest

8

Transformers: Forged To Fight Is A Basic Mobile Fighter

There are many mobile tournament fighters including Mortal Kombat on mobile. Transformers: Forged To Fight does little to stand out other than the IP and being able to play as versions of characters from across different shows, games, and movies.

Other than that, Forged To Fight is definitely serviceable for gamers looking to scratch an itch for Transformers. It’s a typical mobile fighter with lots of screen swiping and mashing to win against the opponent, fun visuals, and satisfying carnage to keep things entertaining.

7

Transformers Prime: The Game Is Authentic To The Show

This adaptation of the animated series of the same name goes for what a lot of cartoon tie-in games aim for. A very average linear action game where the player goes across a level fighting and blasting anything that moves. It’s very monotonous and has little to no variety in its gameplay but Transformers: Prime can still be enjoyable.

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For example, the visuals replicate the show’s art style almost perfectly and with the fully animated cutscenes, playing through Transformers: Prime almost feels like an episode of the series. It also helps that the levels are all nice and vibrant, thus it remains a fun experience overall.

6

Rise Of The Dark Spark Gave A Tactical RPG Experience On 3DS

Where most games try to be the exact same game on all consoles, the Rise Of The Dark Spark handheld counterpart on the 3DS tried to be different. Instead of a third-person shooter, it was a tactical RPG similar to the many Fire Emblem games which makes the most sense considering Transformers at its core is a war between robot factions.

For what was clearly a rushed development, the tactical side of Rise Of The Dark Spark can be surprisingly challenging. Anyone that has played a Fire Emblem title will be able to pick this up with no problem and get some enjoyment out of it for trying something from any other Transformers game.

5

Transfomers On The Famicom Is A Brutal Gauntlet

Games on the original NES are known for being difficult such as Mega Man and classic Castlevania titles. With Transformers: Mystery Of Comvoy which was only released in Japan on the Famicon, the difficulty was enough to make even the most advanced Mega Man players rage-quit.

With unending enemies that can kill the player in one hit, three extra lives, and no continues, it turns what should have been a simple action sidescroller into a marathon. There is an appeal to that kind of challenge, especially with games such as Bloodborne and Elden Ring these days which can lead to satisfying victories when progressing through Transformers.

4

More Effort Was Put Into The Revenge Of The Fallen Game

Based on the second Transformers movie by Michael Bay, this title tried to experiment with two campaigns for the player to control either Autobots or Decepticons. Instead of a massive open world, each level is played out in different open maps that have a decent amount of mission and activity variety to keep things from getting too repetitive.

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Each Cybertronian warrior is replicated from the movies surprisingly well with the animations for the characters being rather fluid and impressive for a movie tie-in game. Revenge Of The Fallen also features more love for classic Transformers with G1 skins for characters like Optimus Prime.

3

Transformers: Devastation Is A Love Letter To G1

It’s very clear what Transformers: Devastation is aiming for; it’s trying to back to the past and feel more like an interactive version of the original Transformers animated series with everything looking straight out of G1, thanks to the cel-shaded animation to appeal to the nostalgia of fans.

The hack-and-slash gameplay mixed with vehicle mode and third-person shooter combat turns Transformers: Devastation into a non-stop action thrill ride filled with adrenaline. Sadly, the game lacks when it comes to the story and the level design, but there is enough to enjoy with the action to keep it an entertaining blast from the past.

2

War For Cybertron Set A New Standard For Transformers Games

A third-person shooter set on the planet Cybertron during the height of the war between Autobots and Decepticons, with Peter Cullen reprising the role of the quotable Optimus Prime. That simple concept resulted in a Transformers game that arguably changed how gamers imagined Transformers games forever.

With tight controls, a well-crafted reimagining of Cybertron, and two campaigns, War For Cybertron was the breath of fresh air that proved that Transformers could be a AAA title for gaming. It even had a strong multiplayer mode that stood out because players could swap between robot and car forms at any moment.

1

Fall Of Cybertron Is A Case Of Being A Bigger & Better Sequel

As good as War For Cybertron was, there was plenty of room for a sequel to improve, and that it did. Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron took that foundation and kept what worked fine and improved nearly everything else with a bigger story, bigger action set pieces, and bigger Transformers.

Even the mechanics that were familiar were tweaked just enough to be familiar but fresh, keeping it from being a total clone of the first game. The only downside of Fall Of Cybertron is that it sets up what could have been a long-lasting franchise, yet a true third chapter never happened; perhaps Transformers: Reactivate will be the best substitute.

NEXT: 10 Underrated Cybertronians Who Should Be Playable In Transformers: Reactivate