6 Best Darth Vader Appearances In Star Wars Games, Ranked

Published Oct 18, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader is undoubtedly one of the best Star Wars characters of all time. No matter how many appearances he makes in Star Wars media, he’s never lost a morsel of his intrigue or cool factor. In fact, Darth Vader is one of the rare characters in fiction who has only gotten more spectacular with each new appearance, and that includes Star Wars video game roles. For instance, Anakin’s latest appearance was in the fantastic turn-based tactics game Star Wars Zero Company, demonstrating that there is still plenty left for Anakin/Darth Vader to make in games. As long as Star Wars video games are set in an era where Darth Vader was around, there will be a high likelihood that he makes an appearance. Darth Vader has already had countless appearances in Star Wars games, but several are far superior. This following list’s criteria doesn’t require Darth Vader to have been playable, and it doesn’t even require Anakin to have been Darth Vader yet, though his turn to the dark side takes place during the events of the games listed, where he appears and hasn’t already lost all his limbs and been burnt to a crisp. 6 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has one of the best Darth Vaders in any Star Wars game because the game itself is the most wonderful celebration of Anakin and Darth Vader across all nine Skywalker Saga Star Wars movies. Literally no other Star Wars game adapts the entirety of Anakin’s theatrical adventures. From podracing as a child slave on Tatooine in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, to perishing as a father whose last act is nobly defying Darth Sidious and rescuing his son, Luke, Anakin's complete arc is on display here. Moreover, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is as charming as it is due to LEGO games’ signature humor, which paints Anakin/Darth Vader in a unique light. 5 Star Wars Zero Company Star Wars Zero Company doesn’t feature Darth Vader, but Anakin does play a decently sized role amid Star Wars’ Clone Wars era and is featured as a playable unit that accompanies players as a member of their party for a single scripted mission. Here, Anakin is ridiculously overpowered, at least compared to Hawks, Luco Bronc, and every other Zero Company squad recruit you’ve accumulated at the Ring of Kafrene’s Den, and shows players what they’re missing out on if they don’t invest in Star Wars Zero Company’s Tel-Rea Vokoss. Plus, it’s neat to experience the events of Palpatine’s formal execution of Order 66, and later hear that there’s uncertainty concerning what may have happened to Anakin, with only Palpatine and Obi-Wan Kenobi knowing his true fate. If Star Wars Zero Company is as successful and popular as it seems to have been, and following the incredible first season of the post-Clone Wars-era Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, no less, we’re bound to get a whole new slate of Clone Wars-era Star Wars games to further capitalize on it. 4 Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in that it enables players to unleash Darth Vader’s full might, and it’s completely cathartic. Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, and their remakes/reboots all have Darth Vaders that are fun to play as. The original Star Wars: Battlefront 2, however, is particularly special, and later Star Wars Battlefront games’ Darth Vaders can’t conquer the battlefield as swiftly or as dominantly as he does in the 2005 game. He may be slow and only have two abilities, Force Choke and Saber Throw, but he needs nothing else. 3 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith doesn't feature two-player co-op in its story mode—a gross blunder to this day, especially when Obi-Wan and Anakin are basically joined at the hip throughout both the movie and the game. However, no Star Wars game does a more phenomenal job of interactively representing Anakin’s descent to the dark side of the Force. You get to play as Anakin and fight Mace Windu, for example, and cut down Jedi Padawans in Coruscant’s Jedi Temple library while Anakin wears his robes’ hood over his head to denote that he’s now evil. Fascinatingly, you can choose to play as Anakin for an alternate ending, fighting Obi-Wan in a final boss fight on Mustafar. When you win, a cutscene plays where Anakin kills both Obi-Wan and Emperor Palpatine. As a fair warning, though, the video game adaptation of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is maybe the single hardest Star Wars game in the last two decades. 2 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has one of the most haunting portrayals of Darth Vader ever, games, movies, TV shows, and comic books included. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has Darth Vader make a surprise cameo appearance at the end of the game, right as players defeat the real final boss, Trilla Suduri. He’s given a boss health bar and presented as if he’ll be a genuine boss fight, and it’s exhilarating to see Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s Cal Kestis ignite his lightsaber and square up to a foe that few people even knew about around this time. But this is no true boss fight, and players must instead flee from him in a thrilling escape sequence, as Cal couldn’t possibly hope to survive in a real fight with Darth Vader. You can’t even take a curious glance back at your pursuer or else you’ll be slain, and the sequence itself successfully sends chills down your spine with him so close behind. When Darth Vader finally catches up to you, Cal’s stalwart companion, BD-1, manages to actually get a hit in before almost being crushed. If nothing else, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a beautiful demonstration of what it’s like to have Darth Vader pursuing you, and that makes his video game appearances where you’re killing waves of enemies as him that much sweeter. 1 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its outstanding sequel are best known for debuting an incredible and tragic protagonist, Galen Marek/Starkiller. However, Darth Vader plays a huge role as the main villain of both games, and many fans may remember the first installment most for having a prologue level where you play as Darth Vader and slay dozens of Wookiees on Kashyyyk. Wielding outrageously entertaining physics-based Force powers, it’s a treat getting to fling Wookiees around and slice through them like butter with a red-bladed lightsaber. Darth Vader doesn’t need any more great PR than he’s already had for the last 49 years, but there’s arguably no game that makes him look cooler than Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. He's also especially sinister in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and this depiction goes a long way in making Starkiller’s development and origin story agonizingly devastating. Unfortunately, as much as this role adds to Darth Vader’s lore, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and The Force Unleashed 2 still haven’t been officially woven into Star Wars canon. Nonetheless, with stories as great as these, it would be egregious if they never became fully canon, as Darth Vader’s character is richer because of them. TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions Video Game(s) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, Star Wars Battlefront (2015), Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal Created by George Lucas Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.