Best Video Games for upgrade system

upgrade system Decision Dashboard

Best for upgrade system

Forza Horizon 5

4.9 feature score

Highest scored product for this feature based on supporting review evidence.

Safest pick

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X

4.7 feature score

Balances feature score, supporting reviews, and overall product strength.

Best overall product

Hades II

4.5 overall score

Strongest overall product among items with scored evidence for this feature.

See ranked products
#1 Forza Horizon 5
4.9

The upgrade system is strongly praised for deep tuning, auto-upgrade convenience, stat changes, and broad customization freedom.

Pros: controls responsiveness, movement feel

Cons: tutorial quality, animation quality

#2 Hades II
4.9

Upgrade systems are praised for breadth and power growth, especially arcana and meta progression, with reviewers emphasizing flexibility.

Pros: skill tree depth, dialogue quality

Cons: emotional impact, economy and resource balance

#3 BlazBlue Entropy Effect X
4.7

The upgrade system is a major strength, with Potentials, tactics, elements, inheritance, and build crafting repeatedly praised.

Pros: movement feel, skill tree depth

Cons: menu usability, HUD clarity

#4 Saros
4.6

The upgrade system was praised for making attempts feel worthwhile and improving approachability.

Pros: value for money, fun factor

Cons: map and navigation design, side character depth

#5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
4.6

The revised perk and upgrade system was praised for offering meaningful upside-focused choices rather than weak side-grades.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#6 Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
4.5

The upgrade system is praised for meaningful amulets, combat additions, and flexible build choices that alter playstyle.

Pros: graphics quality, environmental detail

Cons: bug frequency, dialogue quality

#7 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
4.5

Upgrade systems are praised for flexible perks and incentives that help tailor traversal, stealth, and combat approaches.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#8 Ghost of Yōtei
4.5

Upgrades are praised for being tied to exploration, weapons, armor, charms, and mastery activities rather than pure XP grinding.

Pros: movement feel, environmental detail

Cons: puzzle design, age appropriateness

#9 Donkey Kong Bananza
4.5

Upgrade systems were praised when ability unlocks felt impactful, while costume boosts were seen as more situational.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#10 Cabernet
4.5

The upgrade system had one strong supporting review that described the RPG elements behind skill growth as simple but satisfying.

Pros: accessibility options, protagonist appeal

Cons: frame rate stability, polish

#12 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
4.4

Upgrade systems were viewed positively for making gear and Orbment improvements easier and more convenient.

Pros: protagonist appeal, art direction

Cons: camera behavior, tutorial quality

#13 Assassin's Creed Shadows
4.3

Upgrades are generally praised, especially the Forge, weapon improvement, and approachable base-linked progression.

Pros: environmental detail, cross-save support

Cons: writing quality, enemy variety

#14 The Blood of Dawnwalker
4.3

The upgrade system was praised through special abilities that can shift combat momentum.

Pros: core gameplay loop, replay value

Cons: value for money, difficulty balance

#15 Hollow Knight: Silksong
4.3

Crests, tools, and upgrades are widely seen as flexible and creative, though a few reviews found early limitations or resource-linked tool use frustrating.

Pros: core gameplay loop, world interactivity

Cons: loot system, accessibility options

#16 Borderlands 4
4.3

Upgrade systems receive positive evidence for direct SDU upgrades and inventory-capacity improvements tied to collectibles.

Pros: sandbox freedom, art direction

Cons: polish, save system reliability

#17 Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
4.2

Upgrade systems are praised for Jackdaw alternate-fire options, new ship upgrades, and more tactical flexibility.

Pros: core gameplay loop, visual effects quality

Cons: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

#18 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
4.2

The character upgrade system is viewed as more nuanced and strategic than Remake's approach.

Pros: world-building, art direction

Cons: mission design, stealth mechanics

#19 Cronos: The New Dawn
4.2

Upgrades were generally praised as meaningful because scarce cores, suit boosts, and weapon improvements forced real tradeoffs.

Pros: core gameplay loop, emotional impact

Cons: checkpoint system, bug frequency

#20 Battlefield 6
4.1

weapon upgrades and attachments were praised for making weapons improve and change meaningfully.

Pros: haptic feedback integration, performance optimization

Cons: pacing, microtransaction impact

#21 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
4.1

Weapon upgrading was described as a useful part of the broader equipment loop.

Pros: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

Cons: platforming precision, menu usability

#22 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
4.0

Upgrade and Mega-related systems were praised when Mega Evolution felt improved, but some reviewers reduced it to a stat boost button.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#23 Diablo IV
4.0

Upgrade-related evidence was positive overall, especially around Talismans and loadout tailoring, though one reviewer had not yet found thrilling pieces.

Pros: lore depth, art direction

Cons: mission variety, protagonist appeal

#24 Pragmata
4.0

Upgrade systems are useful and rewarding, though one reviewer disliked that the full weapon suite waits until New Game Plus.

Pros: bug frequency, user interface design

Cons: HUD clarity, mission design

#25 Sword Art Online: Echoes of Aincrad
4.0

Upgrade systems were viewed positively, especially weapon customization and EX mod transfer, though evidence is still preview-limited.

Pros: environmental detail, art direction

Cons: world interactivity, loot system

#26 Atomfall
4.0

Upgrade system evidence was limited but positive, with weapon improvement through crafting described as helpful.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#28 Kirby Air Riders
4.0

Road Trip's upgrade choices added strategic balancing, asking players to build a well-rounded machine rather than chase one stat blindly.

Pros: flying mechanics, exploration quality

Cons: AI behavior, boss design

#30 South of Midnight
4.0

The upgrade system earned praise in one review for later enhancements that made positioning and cooldown management more interesting.

Pros: atmosphere, voice acting

Cons: world interactivity, camera behavior

#31 The Rogue Prince of Persia
4.0

The upgrade and medallion systems often added build variety, but some reviewers felt individual upgrades were basic or underwhelming.

Pros: crash stability, HUD clarity

Cons: character development, visual effects quality

#32 Forza Horizon 6
3.9

Upgrade and customization systems are useful and sometimes deep, but several reviewers note familiar options, criticism around customization limits, or overwhelming tuning.

Pros: open-world design, replay value

Cons: dialogue quality, writing quality

#33 Absolum
3.8

Upgrade systems offered build variety and experimentation, but reviewers split over random, temporary, or underwhelming upgrades.

Pros: mission design, world interactivity

Cons: quest design, endgame content

#34 The Outer Worlds 2
3.8

Weapon and gear upgrades were usually liked for customization, but some reviewers found mod limits or specific systems clunky.

Pros: world-building, mission design

Cons: mission variety, enemy variety

#35 Marvel's Wolverine
3.8

Technique points were described as a useful early upgrade advantage, though not as a deep system.

Pros: environmental detail, graphics quality

Cons: gameplay mechanics, emotional impact

#36 Arc Raiders
3.8

Upgrades and workbenches add depth, but unclear item requirements and workshop friction made the system less smooth.

Pros: frame rate stability, platform-specific feature support

Cons: voice acting, writing quality

#37 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
3.7

Upgrade system was mixed: reviewers liked easy, useful upgrades and new moves but criticized weapon upgrading as resource-heavy or boring.

Pros: animation quality, multiplayer design

Cons: save system reliability, companion AI

#38 Silent Hill f
3.6

Upgrade systems were appreciated for strategic trade-offs and natural-feeling growth, but a few reviewers found the mechanics minor or confusing.

Pros: voice acting, emotional impact

Cons: family friendliness, menu usability

#39 Doom: The Dark Ages
3.6

Upgrade systems were mixed: some liked streamlined and useful upgrades, while others wanted more depth or disliked passive-feeling progression.

Pros: environmental detail, polish

Cons: camera behavior, value for money

#40 Resident Evil Requiem
3.4

The upgrade system received positive evidence for its weapon-upgrade structure and replay incentive.

Pros: driving mechanics, protagonist appeal

Cons: platform-specific feature support, checkpoint system

#41 Digimon Story Time Stranger
3.3

Cross Arts and upgrades added tactical options, but reviewers criticized limits such as only equipping one Cross Art at a time.

Pros: atmosphere, world-building

Cons: HUD clarity, fast travel convenience

#42 Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
2.9

Upgrades split reviewers: one liked the exploration incentive, while others felt abilities added little or were not especially useful.

Pros: world-building, world interactivity

Cons: enemy variety, stealth mechanics

#43 Avowed
2.9

Upgrade systems were sharply divisive, with some liking gear longevity and many others criticizing tiers, scarcity, or number-go-up design.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#44 Monster Hunter Wilds
2.8

The upgrade/build system was a mixed point where tighter buildcrafting created tradeoffs but made High Rank gear feel limited to one reviewer.

Pros: art direction, cross-play support

Cons: dialogue quality, monetization fairness

#45 Dragon Ball FighterZ
2.7

Upgrade-system evidence is mostly negative or mixed, with story skills and stat bonuses often described as underused or barely noticeable.

Pros: movement feel, world-building

Cons: save system reliability, mission variety

#46 Crimson Desert
2.5

Reviewer evidence is negative or mixed: upgrade system was often criticized, even where some reviewers found redeeming moments across 1 review(s).

Pros: level design, replay value

Cons: stealth mechanics, save system reliability

#47 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
2.0

Upgrades were fun and familiar for some, but others felt certain powers were underused or too lock-and-key.

Pros: world-building, frame rate stability

Cons: companion AI, upgrade system