Every Dead Space Game, Ranked

When Glenn Schofield and his team at EA Redwood announced that it was working on its own take on the survival horror genre, fans were excited. After all, Resident Evil 4 had recently proven to be another massive hit for Capcom, and when Redwood revealed it was working on “Resident Evil in space,” it was easy to see Dead Space becoming one of 2008’s most exciting games. What was tougher to predict was that Dead Space would become one of EA’s most popular games, going on to create a media franchise, featuring three mainline games, two spin-offs, a remake, a book series, a collection of comics, and two direct-to-video films. From all that, a few games stand out above the rest as the best in the fan-favorite series.

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Here is every Dead Space game ranked worst to best.

6) Dead Space Ignition

Dead Space Ignition was part of EA’s larger goal to make the series a wider media franchise. It serves as a prequel to Dead Space 2, but is much smaller in scope than the mainline games, as EA wanted to supplement its more robust releases. Unfortunately, the move to a smaller scope also meant a change in gameplay.

Instead of the classic survival horror game players loved, Ignition is an action puzzle game. You’re not cutting off alien limbs, you’re completing one of three boring hacking mini-games. It was a complete miss from EA, and barely qualifies as a Dead Space game.

5) Dead Space 3

Dead Space 3 isn’t a terrible game, but its existence stands out as an example of developers missing the mark in favor of trying to expand its audience. EA and Visceral were looking to build Dead Space‘s audience, so they decided to make a more action-heavy game while incorporating co-op.

And while some of that action gameplay works, Dead Space 3 doesn’t really feel like a Dead Space game. Add in a convoluted plot, an overlong campaign, and plenty of microtransactions, and you have a game that ended the series for a decade. In many ways, Dead Space 3 is a great example of too much EA meddling.

4) Dead Space: Extraction

Extraction is another Dead Space spin-off, this time for the Wii. However, where Ignition failed to live up to fan expectations, Extraction is a solid on-rails shooter that pushed Nintendo’s system graphically.

Sure, Extraction has a few issues with its camera and is a short experience, but the shooter is a valuable addition to the wider series. It’s not as scary as the other games, which should be a problem, but mostly works given the genre. Unfortunately, the 2011 PS3 port didn’t add much, which felt like a missed opportunity given the more powerful hardware.

3) Dead Space (2008)

When the original Dead Space launched in 2008, it was immediately clear that EA had something special on its hands. The gameplay felt like the next step up from Resident Evil 4 in survival horror. There’s nothing better than cutting through swathes of Necromorphs with Isaac’s Plasma Cutter.

The diegetic UI also helped Dead Space stand out from the crowd. Instead of a normal health bar, you can see Isaac’s life and energy on the back of his suit. That helped build immersion, and let Redwood amp up the scares because you’re always paying attention to Isaac, not his health bar.

The twist ending (and story in general) was a bit lame, and the levels do feel repetitive at times, but Dead Space is one of the landmark games in survival horror history for a good reason.

2) Dead Space (Remake)

You can take everything I just said about the original Dead Space, essentially repeat it here, and add the phrase “but better” to get the general vibe of the Dead Space remake. It’s still the same classic Dead Space game, gussied up for modern audiences.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few important changes. Developer Motive has streamlined the campaign, axing some of that repetitive design. The team also added a new audio system, which makes Dead Space sound better than ever, adding even more to the horrifying environments.

One thing that might put some fans off is that Isaac has a voice, which Motive used to add a few more snippets of story into Dead Space. Those aren’t bad additions, but some purists might be annoyed. Either way, this is the way to play Dead Space in 2025.

1) Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 built upon the foundation laid out by the original and improved it in nearly every way. The gameplay was a near-perfect mix of survival horror and action spectacle. There are a few big setpieces, but those don’t overshadow Dead Space 2‘s horror. The enemy variety is larger, and the level design is a bit more complex than the original.

Like the remake, Isaac speaks in Dead Space 2, giving Visceral’s story more weight. And the developers use the main character well, as they explore his mental state after the events of the first game. Add in the always-solid sound design and one of the most disturbing scenes in video game history, and you have a sequel worthy of following one of the all-time greats.

Sure, the Dead Space remake is better on a technical front, but Dead Space 2 is the pinnacle of the series. Just don’t bother with the Severed DLC campaign, which takes players down the action-focused highway that led to Dead Space 3‘s demise.

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