Sword Art Online Games In Order

Taking a look at the complete Sword Art Online games list reveals just how instrumental the series has been in shaping the anime game genre as a whole.

Based on the Japanese light novel series of the same name, the series explores different virtual reality worlds through the eyes of protagonists Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki.

In this list, we’ll break down all Sword Art Online games in order of release, including the main series, spin-offs, and remastered games.

By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of the SAO game timeline from start to finish!

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Main Series

 The SAO game timeline kicks off with Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment, an MMO-inspired RPG that was released exclusively for the PlayStation Portable in Japan.

In it, players assume control of Kirito as he and other players find themselves trapped in the virtual world after a technical glitch prevents them from leaving without risking death in the real world.

Despite not being an online game, Infinity Moment includes common tropes of popular MMORPGs, such as the ability to buy and upgrade weapons, go on missions, and team up with other players.

At launch, the game quickly topped the Japanese sales charts, selling over 130K physical retail copies during the first week.

Considered both a semi-sequel and remake of the first game, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment is a great starting point for newcomers to the series.

Set in the same continuity, the story takes place halfway through the anime’s first arc and sees Kirito navigating new challenges while trapped in an MMORPG.

Part of the game serves as a high-definition recompilation of Infinity Moment before moving on to new content in the form of a new storyline and zone called “The Hollow Area.”

Despite receiving mixed reviews, Hollow Fragment managed to outperform its predecessor, selling over 145K physical retail copies in its first week.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song is the third entry in the main series as well as the successor to Hollow Fragment and is based on an alternate non-canonized storyline.

With this in mind, the game is still considered part of the main series due to it featuring most of the same cast and events that impact later entries.

In it, we’re introduced to ALfheim Online, another virtual MMORPG world where Kirito finds himself competing with the Shamrock guild master to clear the Svart ALfheim expansion.

Following its release, Lost Song was met with mixed reviews as many critics enjoyed the game’s combat but felt its dungeons and enemies were too repetitive.

Next up on our list of Sword Art Games in order is Hollow Realization, an action RPG that takes the series’ story in a new direction.

This includes a cast of four main characters, rather than three from previous games, each of which can be customized through an in-game character creator.

The story follows Kirito, a teenage AI named Premiere, and other characters exploring the virtual world of Ainground following the events of past games.

Similar to its predecessor, Hollow Realization elicited a mixed or “average” response from critics, with the PS Vita and PS4 versions faring much better.

While positioned as a crossover between the Accel World and Sword Art Online light novel series, Millennium Twilight is by all accounts, a main series SAO game.

In it, the Accelerated World and Svart ALfheim begin to merge, causing Yui to become lost while Kirito prepares to challenge the Seven Kings from Accel to rescue her.

Soon after, NPC players from both MMORPGs join forces to save Yui from the villainous Personna Babel by combining their universe-specific powers.

Yet again, the game was met with mixed reviews, with the PS4 version currently holding an aggregate score of 64/100 on Metacritic.

Developed by Dimps and published by Bandai Namco in 2018, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is the sixth main game in the series.

New to this game is the virtual world of Gun Gale Online, a third-person shooter action MMORPG that sets the stage for Fatal Bullet’s alternate storyline.

The story centers on an original character created by the player who ends up exploring GGO’s world with a host of new characters as well as Kirito later on.

Unfortunately, Fatal Bullet suffered from poorly paced sections and repetitive gameplay, resulting in mixed reviews from gaming critics.

Serving as the newest Sword Art Online game release, Alicization Lycoris is a JRPG that takes place within the mysterious Underworld loosely based on the anime’s Alicization Arc.

Having awakened in this strange yet familiar world, Kirito sets out to investigate with help and guidance from his new friend Eugeo.

Alicization Lycoris makes several changes to SAO’s gameplay to create more action-packed battles, including a new Guardian System, sacred arts, sword skills, and cameos from other SAO characters.

It would seem these innovations weren’t enough to satisfy critics and fans, as the game was ultimately met with mixed reviews citing performance issues across each version.

Spin-Offs

Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax is the first SAO spin-off game ever released and was created to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko imprint.

As such, it features various fighters from light novels published under the label, including Sword Art Online characters Asuna, Kirito, and Yuuki.

Gameplay is modeled after other 2D arcade fighters in which two players face off using a main character and assist fighter, building up combos and unleashing powerful attacks.

The game received mixed reviews and was eventually succeeded by Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition, an updated version containing additional characters and gameplay balances.

The other SAO spin-off we’ll be discussing is Integral Factor, a mobile MMORPG based on both the anime and manga adaptations of Sword Art Online.

In it, players are tasked with fighting across 100 floors of the Aincrad while clearing dungeons, battling bosses, and participating in raids.

Doing so allows the player character to gain experience for improving stats and skills with various melee and ranged weapons.

Compared to most of the mainline SAO games, Integral Factor has received considerable praise for its sense of progression and overall gameplay.

Remasters

To conclude our list of Sword Art Online games in order, we have to mention the one and only remastered entry to date, Re: Hollow Fragment.

Based on the second game in the series, Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment functions as a “Director’s cut” edition with a slew of new features.

Among these are an online multiplayer mode, various new bosses, and the option to play as a female character, among others.

While these additions were celebrated by fans and critics at the time of its release, the remaster was ultimately met with mixed or “average” reviews.