Does the Batman: Arkham Trilogy Include All DLC?
Yes, absolutely. When you purchase the Batman: Arkham Trilogy bundle, you get the Game of the Year or Premium Editions of Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight – meaning all substantial downloadable content (DLC) ever released for the series is included. Read on for a complete breakdown.
Overview of the Iconic Arkham Series
First released in 2009, the Arkham series from developer Rocksteady Studios brought the legendary Dark Knight to life in masterful fashion. Batman: Arkham Asylum innovated superhero games with a dark and gripping story, exceptional stealth/combat mechanics and the authentic Batman atmosphere.
Its sequel Arkham City built on that foundation with an expanded open world right in the heart of Gotham, letting players glide across rooftops and confront an all-star lineup of supervillains. Fan and critical reception was rapturous, winning multiple Game of the Year awards:
| Game | Metacritic | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Arkham Asylum | 91 | over 4.6 million |
| Arkham City | 94 | over 11 million |
Arkham Knight then raised the bar further when it arrived on new-gen consoles in 2015, completing Rocksteady‘s trilogy. With the entire city now open for exploration, seamless incorporation of the iconic Batmobile, epic set pieces and emotional finale – Arkham Knight is seen as a fitting culmination to one of gaming‘s greatest series.
But a key part of the Arkham experience was also the substantial DLC releases that expanded each game with new stories, skins, challenge maps and playable heroes.
Every Piece of Arkham DLC Included
Across the trilogy, there have been over 40 DLC packs adding hours of content to an already massive saga:
Batman: Arkham Asylum
The Game of the Year edition has all DLC below:
| DLC Pack | Description |
|---|---|
| Insane Night Map Pack | 2 challenge maps – Totally Insane, Nocturnal |
| Prey in the Darkness Map Pack | 2 challenge maps – Scarecrow Nightmare, Armed & Dangerous |
| Crime Alley Challenge Map | Fight off waves of thugs in Crime Alley |
| Dem Bones Challenge Map | Survive the undead horde |
These challenge maps provided engaging Batman combat/predator arena gameplay outside the main story. The DLC was relatively light for Asylum, with Rocksteady focusing efforts on sequels.
Batman: Arkham City
The Game of the Year edition has all DLC below:
| DLC Pack | Description |
|---|---|
| Catwoman Pack | Play as Catwoman with her own story arc |
| Nightwing Bundle Pack | Play as Nightwing across 6 challenge maps |
| Robin Bundle Pack | Play as Robin across 6 challenge maps |
| Arkham City Skins Pack | Batman skins from classic comics |
| Challenge Map Pack | More combat and predator challenges |
| Arkham City Lockdown | Side-scrolling brawler spinoff |
| Harley Quinn‘s Revenge | All new 2+ hour story campaign |
Rocksteady expanded on ideas from Asylum, with a slate of challenge maps letting you control Robin or Nightwing. Catwoman brought a fresh style, while Harley Quinn‘s Revenge stands out as one of the only narrative DLCs extending the core game.
Batman: Arkham Knight
The Premium Edition has all DLC below:
| DLC Pack | Description |
|---|---|
| Batgirl: A Matter of Family | Prequel story set before Arkham Asylum |
| Red Hood Story Pack | New storyline playing as Red Hood |
| Harley Quinn Story Pack | Standalone story including new areas of Gotham City |
| Crime Fighter Challenge Pack | AR combat/predator challenges + Batmobile races |
| Season of Infamy | Most Knights quests vs new villains Killer Croc, etc. |
| Various skin packs | Flashpoint Batman, Earth 2 Dark Knight, etc. |
| And more challenge maps | Too many to list here! |
You can see Rocksteady pulled out all the stops for Arkham Knight DLC! Standouts include the narrative expansions that let you finally play as Batgirl, Red Hood or Harley Quinn with their own unique abilities/playstyles.
Different Versions and What‘s Included
There have been various collection releases over the years bundling these games, but what‘s included varies:
| Bundle | Games | DLC Included? |
|---|---|---|
| Batman: Return to Arkham | Asylum, City Remasters | No |
| Batman: Arkham Collection | Asylum, City, Knight | Yes (all noted above) |
I highlight this because Return to Arkham notably does not include any DLC, while the Arkham Collection does. So it‘s important to grab the Collection if you want everything!
Why Arkham DLC is Worth Playing
While some DLC in games can feel lackluster or like a cash grab, that‘s not true with the Arkham series. Both the narrative expansions and challenge packs add to the experience in meaningful ways:
- They let you play as fan favorite heroes like Nightwing and Batgirl across new stories with refreshing gameplay variety
- The DLC maps offer combat/predator sandboxes to test your skills outside the main campaign
- Deep fans of Batman lore can geek out over alternate skin packs from famous comic events
- It‘s just more Arkham – and that‘s never a bad thing!
After following this acclaimed trilogy over multiple years, I loved revisiting its dark, engaging world in the DLC releases between main entries. They expanded the scope of the series and let me spend more time inhabiting the cowl of Batman and his allies.
The Definitive Superhero Trilogy – Now Complete
In conclusion, when you grab the Batman: Arkham Trilogy collection including Asylum, City and Knight – you can rest assured knowing every piece of bonus DLC content is included too. With over 40 items adding new maps, playable heroes, stories, skins and challenge modes – it‘s an incredible amount of value that completes the package on Rocksteady‘s genre-defining Caped Crusader saga.
I‘m happy to provide any other gaming recommendations or insights! This trilogy deserves a spot in every gamer‘s library.
