Best Video Games for upgrade system

upgrade system Decision Dashboard

Safest pick

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X

4.7 feature score

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

Most evidence

NBA 2K27

26 supporting reviews

Has the broadest review evidence for this feature.

Best overall product

Hades II

4.6 overall score

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

See ranked products
#1 Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
5.0

Monstie genes, freely rearrangeable builds, equipment upgrades, decorations, and habitat bonuses make experimentation unusually flexible and rewarding.

Pros: puzzle design, level design

Cons: crash stability, multiplayer design

#2 Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
5.0

Weapon upgrades and Materia builds encourage experimentation and weakness-based planning.

Pros: controls responsiveness, movement feel

Cons: camera behavior, physical copy condition

#3 Anno 117: Pax Romana
5.0

Fast relocation, upgrading, and neighborhood redesign make it painless to correct early layout mistakes as the city evolves.

Pros: skill tree depth, upgrade system

Cons: matchmaking quality, server reliability

#4 Crimson Moon
5.0

Persistent gear upgrades are satisfying because improving an item can strengthen future versions of that gear and make later runs feel more rewarding.

Pros: movement feel, pacing

Cons: economy and resource balance, onboarding experience

#5 Dispatch
5.0

Upgrades and passive abilities meaningfully shape dispatch strategy, letting players specialize heroes and improve team synergy as the season progresses.

Pros: mission design, upgrade system

Cons: family friendliness, onboarding experience

#6 GreedFall: The Dying World Review
5.0

Gear upgrades are satisfying because they visibly and statistically strengthen the party, adding another useful layer to equipment customization.

Pros: mission design, sandbox freedom

Cons: movement feel, aiming precision

#7 Yakuza Kiwami 2
5.0

Upgrades are straightforward and rewarding, letting players improve stats and unlock useful or spectacular combat abilities. The system supports steady growth without requiring a rigid unlock path.

Pros: controls responsiveness, exploration quality

Cons: QTE design, camera behavior

#8 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

#9 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

#10 Tom Clancy’s The Division Resurgence
4.8

Quick equip and item leveling make upgrades convenient, useful, and capable of keeping favorite gear relevant.

Pros: exploration quality, sandbox freedom

Cons: mission variety, companion AI

#11 Valheim
4.8

Equipment upgrades feel tangible, making formerly dangerous areas noticeably easier while keeping weapon choices varied across biome tiers.

Pros: core gameplay loop, movement feel

Cons: economy and resource balance, map and navigation design

#12 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

#13 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

#14 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

#15 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

#16 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

#17 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

#18 Aniimo
4.5

Respecs, material returns, and inheritance changes make upgrading creatures less punishing and encourage experimentation instead of locking players into early choices.

Pros: level design, replay value

Cons: competitive balance, battle pass value

#19 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

#20 Bus Simulator 27
4.5

Upgrading districts and bus stops produces visible and gameplay changes, making progression feel tangible rather than purely numerical.

Pros: level design, difficulty balance

Cons: writing quality, load times

#21 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

#22 Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition
4.5

The expansion’s additional upgrade paths are viewed positively, adding fresh ways to strengthen characters and experiment with builds.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, core gameplay loop

Cons: platforming precision, tutorial quality

#23 NHL 27
4.5

Be a Pro's newer traits feel more meaningful because their bonuses connect to specific in-game situations rather than only overall ratings.

Pros: aiming precision, accessibility options

Cons: pacing, loot system

#24 Pokemon LeafGreen and FireRed Versions
4.5

Raising a personally caught team still feels rewarding, especially when training pays off in visible level growth and evolution.

Pros: boss design, side character depth

Cons: monetization fairness, originality

#26 Beast of Reincarnation
4.5

New skills, equipment, and upgraded Bloom Arts appear capable of changing how encounters are handled. The system looks flexible and rewarding, but long-term upgrade balance is still unknown.

Pros: soundtrack quality, value for money

Cons: onboarding experience, aiming precision

#27 SPRAWL zero
4.4

Abilities upgrade at a steady pace and usually add meaningful power without burying the player in menus. A few powers or later upgrades feel less useful than others.

Pros: world interactivity, progression system

Cons: load times, character development

#28 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

#29 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

#30 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

#31 Another Eden Begins
4.3

Upgrades are easy to understand and usually feel tangible, keeping character growth noticeable without turning progression into a complicated subsystem.

Pros: controls responsiveness, world interactivity

Cons: DLC value, platform-specific feature support

#32 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

#33 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

#34 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

#35 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

#36 Marvel’s Deadpool VR
4.1

New pistols, katanas, grenades, and special weapons meaningfully alter the loadout, and reviewers generally like how affordable and distinct many upgrades feel.

Pros: lore depth, originality

Cons: AI behavior, character development

#37 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

#38 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

#39 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

#40 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
4.0

Upgrades are a solid long-term hook, especially in Endgame and across cross-mode weapon progression. Perks, equipment upgrades, and weapon systems give players meaningful ways to grow stronger.

Pros: soundtrack quality, load times

Cons: character development, monetization fairness

#41 Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
4.0

Weapon customization and upgrades are a clear strength, letting players tailor favored guns and improve performance over time. The system reinforces attachment to equipment and supports different play styles.

Pros: core gameplay loop, sandbox freedom

Cons: pacing, dialogue quality

#42 Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties
4.0

The revised upgrade structure is more streamlined and convenient than before, although simplification reduces some of the depth found in other entries.

Pros: controls responsiveness, movement feel

Cons: casting choices, grind level

#43 Mouse: P.I. For Hire
4.0

Weapon upgrades are simple, visually satisfying, and useful for unlocking alternate fire modes. The system works well but offers less depth than players seeking elaborate builds may expect.

Pros: lore depth, user interface design

Cons: AI behavior, aiming precision

#44 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

#45 Highguard
4.0

Higher-rarity weapons can become noticeably more interesting and better to control, giving later rounds a stronger sense of escalation.

Pros: controls responsiveness, level design

Cons: world interactivity, dialogue quality

#46 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

#47 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

#48 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

#50 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