With a new Netflix series, and rumors of an game, now seems like the perfect time to try out the Devil May Cry games if you've never played them. However, jumping into the series at this point might not be as simple as grabbing the first game in the series and starting there. While the game is still good, it's also 24 years old, and you can feel its age in places. I might try one of the later games first, and then revisit the earlier games once you have an affinity for the series' characters and controls.

Despite the Devil May Cry games naming its principal cast after characters from the Divine Comedy, and the Netflix series' poignant commentary on Bush-era politics, the series has always been more focused on cool action than heady themes. That isn't to say the game's stories are devoid of content, just that the main reason I'd recommend these games is for their fluid fighting mechanics and corny one-liners. That is by no means a dig, and the series' overall sense of style is what drew me to it in the first place, but it's good to know what you're getting from DMC.

Devil May Cry 3 Is The Beginning Of The Timeline

Devil May Cry 3 Was A Prequel To The First Two Games

Devil May Cry 3 isn't a bad place to start the series if you want to begin at the earliest point in the story's timeline. Devil May Cry 3 was a prequel that introduced the rivalry between Dante and his brother, showed Dante meeting Mary Arkham AKA Lady, and explains the origin of why Dante named his demon-hunting business "Devil May Cry." From a story standpoint, this is also a good place for fans of the Netflix series to quickly see the stark differences between the two versions of the story, and get reintroduced to Dante, Lady, and Vergil.

From a gameplay standpoint, Devil May Cry 3 is also a solid introduction for new fans. It doesn't feel its age quite as much as the first game, and newer versions of it have smoothed things out even more. The Nintendo Switch version of Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, for instance, allows you to swap between combat styles in the middle of a fight, adding a lot of flexibility to how you approach different fights. That said, I do think there are other options that could work better as a starting point for the series.

Starting With Devil May Cry Lets You Play In Release Order

Devil May Cry Was The First Game To Come Out

Starting with Devil May Cry seems like the obvious choice. It's the first game that was released, so obviously the story was intended to introduce you to the characters in a way that works without having any background knowledge. I can see you preferring to meet Dante in Devil May Cry when there is an element of mystique to his backstory, and certain elements of his identity haven't been spoiled just yet. While I would argue that, mechanically, there are better games to start with, that isn't to say it doesn't make some sense to start here.

Devil May Cry's controls may seem unconventional compared to some modern action games, but they are also consistent throughout the series. Learning how to play the first Devil May Cry will teach you to play the rest of the games, and those games will become a bit easier once you've been through the first game. Each game you play, except Devil May Cry 2, will also improve on these controls, so starting at the beginning means you'll mostly just get better versions of its mechanics as you progress through the series.

Perhaps one of the biggest arguments against playing the games in release order is Devil May Cry 2. While the game isn't terrible, it's easily one of the weakest in the series in of gameplay. Combat feels a bit more grindy and less fluid than in the first game. Its story also isn't all that engaging, and I could see new players losing enthusiasm after playing it and never making it to the series' best games. And, if you're not going to play in release order, then there's a better place to start than Devil May Cry.

Why Starting With Devil May Cry 4 Is Best For Beginners

Devil May Cry 4 Is Streamlined And Gives Players New Tools To Succeed

My main reasoning for starting with Devil May Cry 4 is the game's mechanics. You start the game off playing as Nero, whose special Devil Bringer abilities make it easier to quickly understand the appeal of Devil May Cry. It can grab enemies from far away or pull you toward them, keeping the pace quick and engaging. The Devil Bringer also allows for special combat moves that differ based on the enemy you're facing, and allows you to perform powerful cinematic attacks against bosses.

Although you'll be able to pull off some amazing and stylish moves playing as Dante in the earlier games, once you get the hang of their controls, Devil May Cry 4 makes it easy for beginners to immediately feel like a skilled demon hunter. This will sell you on what the franchise has to offer, and get you prepared to play some of the more difficult games in the series. I also think going into Devil May Cry 4 blind helps the story.

If you've played the previous Devil May Cry games ahead of time, Dante's motivations at the start of DMC 4 are still a bit of a mystery. However, if you have never played one of these games before, you connect a lot more with Nero when you first meet Dante, as you have no idea who he is and want to learn more about him. This allows you to unravel the game's central mystery alongside Nero, which is somewhat cheapened when you already understand Dante better going into the game.

The Best Order To Play All Devil May Cry Games

You Don't Necessarily Have To Play The Entire Devil May Cry Series

With Devil May Cry 4 as my recommended starting point, you'll likely want to know where to go from there. While Devil May Cry 5 would continue the story, I think it would be even harder to go back to the older games after playing it. DMC 5 has one of the best combat systems in the whole series, and you may be a bit spoiled by it if you then try to hop back into the older games. My full recommended play order can be seen below:

• Devil May Cry 4
• Devil May Cry
• Devil May Cry 3
• Devil May Cry 5
• DmC: Devil May Cry
• Devil May Cry 2

My reasoning behind this order is that it allows you to start with DMC 4 and get a feeling for the series with some of the more polished controls. Then, hopping back to Devil May Cry means tackling some of the more challenging combat in the series now that you have more of an experience. Devil May Cry 3 is considered one of, if not the best, games by many fans, so I wanted to save that one until after Devil May Cry so you can still appreciate the first game for what it is.

Although Devil May Cry 3 works best thanks to its combination of more polished gameplay and one of the better stories in the series, Devil May Cry 5 is the best from a purely mechanical standpoint. To me, I'd leave this as a treat to enjoy after playing some of the older games. The reason this game isn't last is that I don't think playing every game in the series is really necessary at that point.

As I've already covered, Devil May Cry 2 is the series' weakest entry, both mechanically and narratively, so you don't lose much by skipping it. This may be controversial, but I do think the failed attempt at a reboot, DmC: Devil May Cry, is better than DMC 2 from a gameplay standpoint. I added it after Devil May Cry 5 if you're just looking for more Devil May Cry to play after finishing the best games. Hopefully the rumors are true and Devil May Cry 6 is coming soon.