The as the pinnacle of the genre in the video game industry. Few games have managed to match up to the unique gameplay and complex stories that Rocksteady gave audiences with the franchise. They went deep into DC Comics lore in order to provide a number of exciting stories.
The side missions only flesh out the games further, allowing the creators to bring in additional villains that they couldn't find a place for in the main campaign. Some of the tasks require all of Batman's abilities in order to survive, successfully complete an investigation or save the innocent hostages involved in these crises. All of the side missions mentioned are part of the disc versions of the game and not additional DLC.
Honorable Mention: The Riddler Missions
Each game includes the Riddler as part of the side missions that audiences can partake in. Whether they are searching for his hidden trophies, solving puzzles, or racing through the tracks that he has built exclusively for the Batmobile, Engima is sure to keep players on their toes.
The Riddler is certainly one of Batman's greatest threats and there's plenty to explore when it comes to all of his troubling riddles. Ultimately, in each game players get to face off against the man and his latest plan. While it can take a long time to complete the tasks, these missions are a staple of the franchise.
Shot In The Dark: Arkham City
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Shot In The Dark is the Arkham City quest that sees players try to identify the mysterious killer that has been haunting the prison.
It's a problem that only the world's greatest detective can find the answer to, as Deadshot's incredible accuracy causes complications for Batman's time in Arkham City. With his victims scattered across the city, a final confrontation allows players to utilize their stealth abilities to bring justice down on the criminal.
Gotham On Fire: Arkham Knight
Firefly has already caused trouble for the caped crusader earlier into his career when players come across the criminal during Arkham Origins. However, the character returns in Arkham Knight to cause even more destruction in Wayne's beloved city.
This is one of the missions where Batman benefits from having his vehicle to hand. Players race through the streets of Gotham as they try to catch up to Firefly, who is creating blazes that are beginning to get out of control. It's fast-paced and an exciting change of gears for players.
Cold Caller: Arkham City
One of the reasons that Arkham City in particular is considered one of the best superhero video games is the way in which it manages to elevate lesser-known characters. The side mission Cold Caller is a perfect example of this, with Victor Zsasz taking the spotlight.
A number of incredibly creepy calls are made anonymously across Gotham, with Batman having to decipher who's behind these messages. With Zsasz's victims piling up the dark detective must find a way to put a stop to his violence. The story itself and the psychotic personality of Zsasz is what really sets this mission apart from the rest.
Anarky: Arkham Origins
Anarky is a lesser-used villain from Batman's rogues gallery but one that actually carries with him a number of complex themes to explore. is perhaps one of the most underrated games of the series and it's a perfect fit for this underutilized villain.
Players are met with the obnoxious anarchical leader as they begin to try to fight against his ideals, while he continues to try to plunge Gotham into chaos. Whether it's fighting through his legion of cult henchmen or trying to disarm his terrorist bombs, Anarky is a surprisingly capable foe for Batman to face despite being just a kid.
Creature Of The Night: Arkham Knight
Man-Bat has often been a character used to parallel against Batman; what could the caped crusader become if he gave in to some of his more animalistic instincts? Of course, the killer instinct in the Man-Bat is a result of the scientific experimentation that turned him into a monster.
The mission with Man-Bat has a number of different layers. Originally flying around the city searching for the killer, once catching the criminal the story then becomes about curing him, before his viciousness takes any more lives. It requires a great number of skills from players and is as much a story about conflict as it is mercy.
Identity Theft/Friend In Need: Arkham City/Knight
Other Batman video games haven't quite found a way to use Hush in the same way that the Arkham series has. Perhaps it's because the story was allowed to play over multiple titles, but the rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Thomas Elliot intensified here.
Both Identity Theft and Friend In Need play off of the easter eggs and teases throughout these games that something wrong is afoot. Hush's goal to take on the identity of Bruce Wayne is taken directly from the comics. These side missions are therefore all about the details and are stronger in their narrative conflict than the physical battles players take part in.
Mad Hatter: Arkham Origins
The Mad Hatter is one of the most intriguing characters from Batman mythology. The man inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll usually takes a back seat to more sinister villains. Yet the wacky nature of Mad Hatter can be twisted very easily, as is the case here.
Arkham Knight was also a good addition to his story, Arkham Origins portrays a much younger Mad Hatter who is already obsessed with finding his Alice and has a legion of rabbit masked henchmen to do his bidding. The side mission is pretty wild as players are transported to a wonderland of cruelty and mind-bending lunacy.
The Perfect Crime: Arkham Knight
Professor Pyg might be one of the creepiest villains that DC has ever created. Arkham Knight took full advantage of this strange character as players had to investigate his brutalized victims. Of course, it's the final stage of the quest that is especially dark.
While the gruesome crime scenes put the dark detective to the test, it was the brawl against pig-faced, seemingly invincible, and zombified victims that made this a challenge that stood out from the many others from the series. Pyg's singing only added to the nightmare of a situation.
Watcher In The Wings/Heir To The Cowl: Arkham City/Knight
The next chapter of the Arkham games really could have been with the character Azrael, who played a huge part of Batman's mythology in the series. He fancied himself the next vigilante of Gotham and the Order of St Dumas was surely going to continue to trouble Wayne.
In both Arkham City and Knight, this interesting tale played out, with players even getting to take on the role of Azrael for a time. It played into a lot of the lore of the dark knight from the comics and had an especially explosive finale that sold it as one of the best side missions of the entire series.