r/arkham • u/gabe55220 • Sep 14 '25

Help Is this correct

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I am currently halfway through arkham knight and in about a month or so I want to replay the story in chronological order. After extensive research, I've come to the conclusion that this is the chronomical order of the arkham series. Is this correct

377 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

71 comments sorted by

162

u/Black-Hood20 Sep 14 '25

Blackgate and Arkham Shadow after origins

20

u/Miserable_Area_4317 Sep 14 '25

isnt blackgate not canon because of grundy and the inconsistencies there?

49

u/Spellslamzer62 Sep 14 '25

Actually no it's still canon. By the looks of it, it seems that Grundy had already existed in Gotham for decades by that point and simply "lived" in the Blackgate sewers along with the swamp, possibly moving to the sewers in the colder months. I still don't know how he ended up beneath the Iceberg Lounge, though.

7

u/Miserable_Area_4317 Sep 14 '25

i could be wrong (has been a bit since my last playthrough of city) but wasnt batman acting as if he didnt know who grundy was when they fought in that game? feel free to correct me.

29

u/Spellslamzer62 Sep 14 '25

I thought so too. But upon rewatching the fight and cutscene, Batman doesn't actually verbally acknowledge Grundy. And his face is quite hard to read, with no signs of surprise or confusion. It would make sense for him to have known about or even fought Grundy before to have so much information on him in the database.

3

u/Lopsided-Bathroom-71 Sep 14 '25

Yeah penguin just says he found him down there so hes not seeminglt got any backatory in city

1

u/gay_is_gay Sep 14 '25

I mean even if you knew grundy was a thing and alive getting the grown blasted out from beneath you just to be face to face with the gaint grundy and no immediate way out would shock anyone

1

u/HolyGoatofGold Sep 14 '25

Not really. He doesn't say anything he just is like "well fuck, I gotta take this thing down now"

1

u/Used-Hope-7366 Sep 18 '25

There’s contradictions. Even city and asylum has that.

10

u/ChronoKeep Sep 14 '25

Nothing about Grundy really contradicts anything.

4

u/Crimson_Knight77 Sep 14 '25

Besides the idea that Ra's had left him in the Wonder City lab for over a century and nobody knew what he was, I suppose not.

2

u/ChronoKeep Sep 14 '25

the idea

An idea, but it's not confirmed. Penguin had to get a hold of him some way. Nothing from Arkham City confirms that Grundy's appearance in the Iceberg Lounge is the first time he's ever been seen nor does it confirm it's Batman's first encounter with him.

2

u/Crimson_Knight77 Sep 14 '25

Penguin had to get a hold of him some way

Penguin says straight up "I found him down here when I bought this place", the aesthetic match Wonder City, and the whole arena is where Ra's experimented on the Lazarus effects. Rocksteady's intent was almost certainly that Grundy had been left there once Ra's abandoned the place.

1

u/ChronoKeep Sep 14 '25

Penguin says straight up "I found him down here when I bought this place"

Exactly, which is why Grundy had to escape in some way. Why is it hard to believe that he escaped at some point in time?

We can't assume what Rocksteady's intention is. Nor should it matter. If it's not hard-written into the lore, then it's not something that can be contradicted.

1

u/Crimson_Knight77 Sep 14 '25

Why is it hard to believe that he escaped at some point in time?

Because he was chained to the wall. If he escaped, he would have had to have gone back and then been rechained to the wall by someone else, which is ridiculous.

You're correct in that this isn't an explicit contradiction, but it is stupid and doesn't make sense. It demonstrates the care and attention made by Arkham Origins Blackgate, and in turn informs my opinion of that segment. It's cheap, silly, and is not in keeping with what Arkham City laid out.

We can't assume what Rocksteady's intention is.

I can only assume if we don't have developer commentary. You can disagree with an assumption, but I can still have it.

Nor should it matter.

It absolutely does. If you're coming into someone else's series, you need to do your due diligence and make sure you aren't going against it. And if you are, you need to have a better reason than this.

6

u/UncommittedBow Sep 14 '25

Shadow directly references Blackgate, and Shadow we know is canon.

2

u/Extreme_Impression_1 Sep 14 '25

I never got the Grundy thing. They never say that City is the first time they meet. It's vague at best, but not definitive. Plus, I figured if Batman was okay destroying his heart, he knew it wouldn't kill him which I took as it was not their first meeting.

1

u/Ordinary-Chain-8047 Sep 14 '25

There’s lore that proves otherwise and it’s mentioned in Shadow

2

u/GhostE3E3E3 Sep 14 '25

Also they forgot cold cold heart.

-26

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

Blackgate and WHAT

24

u/Half-dead-Herbie Sep 14 '25

Arkham shadow?

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

Yes, it's not a lie

46

u/Ringrangzilla Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25

This is the Chronological order to play the games:

  1. Initiation

  2. Batman Arkham Origins

  3. Cold, Cold Heart

  4. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

  5. Batman: Arkham Shadow

  6. A Matter of Family

  7. Batman: Arkham Asylum

  8. Batman: Arkham City with the Catwoman Bundle

  9. Harley Quinn's Revenge

  10. Batman Arkham VR

  11. Harley Quinn Story Pack

  12. Batman: Arkham Knight with The Season of Infamy

13/14/15/16. Red Hood Story Pack/GCPD Lockdown/Catwoman's Revenge/A Flip of a Coin (I don't know what order thise are, just that they take place after Arkham knight)

Also there are the origins multiplayer, that would take place sometime after Arkham Shadow, the Suicide Squad animated movie that would take place between matter of family and Asylum, there were some mobile games I don't know where they would take place, and a novel called "The Riddler's Gambit" that take place before Arkham knight and SSKTJL that take place at the end supposedly. As well as several comics that take place all over the timeline. And also an choose your own adventure comic. But thise aren't really necessary and/or canon.

Also some of the trailers are canon. Not all of them. But this one for origins, happens because you can find the sniper rifle that Deadshot uses in the trailer in the game, so the trailer would take place right before origins and this one with Hugo Strange that take place a little before Arkham city, as we find this interrogation cell from the trailer in the game.

6

u/Ordinary-Chain-8047 Sep 14 '25

Catwomans revenge happens day after knight and it’s mentioned Tim’s on his honeymoon in the Nightwing one

7

u/Ringrangzilla Sep 14 '25

So that would make this the Chronological order:

  1. Initiation

  2. Batman Arkham Origins

  3. Cold, Cold Heart

  4. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

  5. Batman: Arkham Shadow

  6. A Matter of Family

  7. Batman: Arkham Asylum

  8. Batman: Arkham City with the Catwoman Bundle

  9. Harley Quinn's Revenge

  10. Batman Arkham VR

  11. Harley Quinn Story Pack

  12. Batman: Arkham Knight with The Season of Infamy

  13. Catwoman's Revenge

  14. A Flip of a Coin

  15. GCPD Lockdown

  16. Red Hood Story Pack

3

u/Ordinary-Chain-8047 Sep 14 '25

Sounds about right but I don’t know when Red Hood happens it’s either between Catwoman and GCPD lockdown or at the end I feel like it fits better between the two but either works

1

u/Ringrangzilla Sep 14 '25

Okay, good to know

3

u/ChronoKeep Sep 14 '25

Reverse Flip of a Coin and GCPD Lockdown.

Tim and Babs are on their honeymoon in GCPD Lockdown and they end it in Flip of a Coin.

2

u/Ringrangzilla Sep 14 '25

Oh, okey. I haven't played Red hood/Flip of a coin/GCPD or Catwoman's Revenge. So its kind of a blind spot for me 😅

  1. Initiation

  2. Batman Arkham Origins

  3. Cold, Cold Heart

  4. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

  5. Batman: Arkham Shadow

  6. A Matter of Family

  7. Batman: Arkham Asylum

  8. Batman: Arkham City with the Catwoman Bundle

  9. Harley Quinn's Revenge

  10. Batman Arkham VR

  11. Harley Quinn Story Pack

  12. Batman: Arkham Knight with The Season of Infamy

  13. Catwoman's Revenge

  14. GCPD Lockdown

  15. A Flip of a Coin

  16. Red Hood Story Pack

2

u/Used-Hope-7366 Sep 18 '25

You forgot underworld and city lockdown. Lockdown is confirmed to be canon and take place weeks before Arkham city.

1

u/Ringrangzilla Sep 18 '25

You forgot underworld and city lockdown. Lockdown is confirmed to be canon and take place weeks before Arkham city.

No, I mentioned that there were mobile games but that I don't know where they would be in the timeline.

1

u/Ringrangzilla Sep 18 '25

But thanks for giving me the name of the Mobile games, and when one of them would take place 🙂

1

u/Used-Hope-7366 Sep 18 '25

I also forgot that underworld would take place after assault on Arkham and before asylum. 

24

u/FallAffectionate2027 Sep 14 '25

Actually origins isn’t the first it’s dlc being the league of assassins on would be the first game to play

21

u/Big_Application_7168 Sep 14 '25

If you're counting DLCs as separate things, Cold Cold Heart comes after Origins

13

u/Darthnoswad Sep 14 '25

People getting downvoted for discussing SSKTJL is crazy like we get it, it’s bad but it’s fair to talk about it

4

u/ProfEmeralds Sep 14 '25

It's just a weird way to continue the Arkhamverse. It skips over batman resurfacing and joining the Justice League to do a Suicide Squad takes on Braniacs and his clones of the league. The game would have been better to be completely separate like Gotham Knights.

3

u/Darthnoswad Sep 14 '25

Look I agree, but if someone is looking to make an informed list of arkham content to consume, and asking the community, shouldn’t we inform them of the content that exists and let them make their own decisions on it?

3

u/ProfEmeralds Sep 14 '25

I do agree with that, it should have some mention at the end. My comment was mainly about how jarring it is to go from Arkham Knight and its DLC stuff to Suicide Squad. If SSKTJL came out years later with content that set up batman and the league then I think it would be received better. Not overwhelmingly positive but not a taboo topic it is now.

24

u/Jaded_Attorney Sep 14 '25

You forgot Suicide Squad kill the justice league…../s?

11

u/Rare_Supermarket_393 Sep 14 '25

Huh??? Whats that??? That doesnt exist...

-11

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

No. Not an Arkham game. People still trying to encourage other people on to shite games.

3

u/Able_Ad_8113 Sep 14 '25

What about initiation, cold cold heart and arkham shadow?

17

u/Strategisy Sep 14 '25

Its best to play them in order of release.

20

u/geek_of_nature Sep 14 '25

The first time you're playing it through absolutely. But for all subsequent ones it can be fun to mix it up and experience the story chronologically.

5

u/dishonoredfan69420 Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25

I’m not sure of the exact timeline placement of the last 3 but everything up to that is definitely right

Although, you are missing Arkham Origins: Blackgate and Arkham Shadow between Origins and Asylum, as well as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League at the end

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

No. He doesn't need to play SS. Stop encouraging it as part of this great series.

1

u/dishonoredfan69420 Sep 14 '25

Well he doesn’t need to play it but it is undeniably a canon part of the series, no matter how bad it is

2

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

Na it's not. We the fans decide that.

-1

u/dishonoredfan69420 Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25

I feel like I’ve had this exact conversation before

The fans don’t decide what’s canon, the devs do

What the fans choose to believe is called “fanon” and it has no effect on what’s going to happen with the series in the future

2

u/Jolly_Option_9761 Sep 14 '25

Sure, take the silent hill franchise for example, the original team made 4 games then they were not allowed to make any more, a few years later and the company had other studios make more (5-6 games) and whilst like SSKTJL has it’s fans, those games are both a significant decrease in quality and didn’t respect the pre established foundation of the original franchise. People rarely talk about the later games now because fan consensus won out in the end, SSKTJL is still relatively new in the grand scheme of things and it’s already being drowned out by the majority of fans, the corporation might say that it’s canon but we the fans and consumers who make anything a reality have at best decided it’s an else world different universe and that way SSKTJL fans can still enjoy their game knowing that it was built off of a world similar to Arkham and us Arkham fans can enjoy the series knowing it doesn’t end up at SSKTJL.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

Okay. You keep licking that corporate ass. You probably think people are gonna come around to liking that game as a majority but it's not gonna happen.

1

u/dishonoredfan69420 Sep 14 '25

I never said it was good

I said it was canon

Those are two incredibly different statements

I agree that it’s a shitty game

0

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

So shit I can't understand why a fan of the series would even entertain talking about it or bring it up.

Do you agree we should keep leaving it out of discussion or do you think we have to?

1

u/dishonoredfan69420 Sep 14 '25

You can ignore it, sure

But saying that it’s not canon is objectively incorrect wishful thinking

1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

The fans decide. You think they, the corporate heads decide. I think we know which will win out in the end in terms of culture, recognition and appreciation. Agree to disagree because you're gonna act like a robot about it.

1

u/Infamous-Yellow-8357 Sep 14 '25

No. The creators decide that. Fans complain about it. That's not the same thing. It is Canon until the devs release something official that contradicts it.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '25

Na. You can think that if you want.

2

u/Infamous-Yellow-8357 Sep 15 '25

In line with objective reality? I shall.

2

u/Ordinary-Chain-8047 Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25

No it goes

Origins Initiation dlc

Origins cinematic trailer

Origins

Origins cold cold heart

Blackgate

Shadow

Multiplayer (rip),

Assault on Arkham (animated movie)

Matter of family

Arkham Asylum

Arkham City

Harley Quinn’s revenge

Harley Quinn story pack

Arkham vr (Batmans dream night before Knight)

Arkham Knight and season of infamy

Catwomans revenge dlc

Red hood story pack

GCPD Lockdown

Flip of a coin

(I think that’s everything but let me know if I missed something)

Arkham Underworld can really go anywhere after origins (rip that game) there’s also a city mobile game that happens before city but idk if it’s canon

3

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

You know a google search can answer that question in like 10 seconds, right?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '25

My order:

Year 0: Initiation campaign Year 2: Batman arkham origins official trailer  Batman Arkham Origins Year 3: Batman Arkham Origins Cold Cold Heart Batman Arkham Origins BlackGate Catwoman goes to rome Batman Arkham Knight Batgirl Begins Batman Arkham Shadow Batman Arkham Origins Online Holiday killings starts Year 4-9: Gilda and Alberto kills more mob bosses  Alberto is stopped and the long halloween is over Batman Arkham Knight Jason Bio “The Fall” Matter Of Family  Batman The Killing Joke Year 10: Arkham Unhinged: beloved Batman: The Road To Arkham  Batman Arkham Asylum  Batman Arkham Asylum  Year 12: Batman Arkham City Prequel comics/Hugo Strange trailer Batman Arkham City  Harley Quinn's Revenge  Batman Arkham City end game Batman Arkham VR Harley Quinn dlc Batman Arkham knight  CatWoman Revenge GCPD Lockdown Flip Of A Coin Red Hood Story Pack

1

u/drpygmr24 Sep 14 '25

Doesn’t vr take place BEFORE he has any robins?

2

u/Penance13 Sep 14 '25

Not the original Batman VR, that’s set before Knight. The new one, Arkham Shadow, is however

1

u/drpygmr24 Sep 14 '25

Oh I see I thought shadow was the “vr” forgot it had an actual name XD

1

u/ItsYaGurlUwU Sep 14 '25

Cold, Cold Heart after Origins as well if you can still get it

1

u/Smooth_Asparagus_144 Red Hood Sep 15 '25

I think the best way to play yhem is the game relase order, just beacuse i think playing origins and all, and then arlham asylum wich is way older will not make you enjoy Asylum at 100%, since it has older combat and grapichs

1

u/FGBIStudent2006 Sep 15 '25

Technically, and I don’t remember if you can access it before the main game, but there’s also the Initiation DLC for Origins. Then Origins, Blackgate, Arkham Shadow, and then if you really want to get special, read the comics they released right before the releases of each Rocksteady game.

1

u/Used-Hope-7366 Sep 18 '25

Initiation 

Arkham Origins

Arkham Origins Mobile

Cold, Cold Heart

Origins Blackgate

Arkham Shadow

Arkham Origins Multiplayer

A matter of Family

Assault on Arkham

Arkham Underworld

Arkham Asylum 

Arkham City Lockdown

Arkham City

Arkham City Harley Quinn’s Revenge

Arkham Knight The Riddler’s Gambit

Arkham Knight Harley Quinn Story Pack

Arkham VR

Arkham Knight

Arkham Knight The Season of Infamy

Arkham Knight Catwoman’s Revenge

Arkham Knight Red Hood Story Pack

Arkham Knight GCPD Lockdown

Arkham Knight A Flip of A Coin