Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 16 playedEvery main Armored Core entry in release order, which matches the generation groups. Start with Fires of Rubicon, then work backward if you want the classics.
Original generation
- 1 Armored Core
- 2 Armored Core: Project Phantasma Japan 1997, West 1998.
- 3 Armored Core: Master of Arena Closes the first story arc; expanded Arena mode.
Second generation
- 4 Armored Core 2 Moves the setting to Mars.
- 5 Armored Core 2: Another Age
Third generation
- 6 Armored Core 3 Rebooted setting after nuclear war.
- 7 Silent Line: Armored Core Direct sequel with AI companions.
- 8 Armored Core: Nexus Systems reboot within the same era.
- 9 Armored Core: Nine Breaker Arena focused training disc, light on story.
- 10 Armored Core: Formula Front AI squad tactics entry on PSP and PS2.
- 11 Armored Core: Last Raven Concludes the third generation arc.
Fourth generation
- 12 Armored Core 4 Faster, high mobility combat.
- 13 Armored Core: For Answer
Fifth generation
- 14 Armored Core V Smaller mechs, multiplayer focus.
- 15 Armored Core: Verdict Day
Reboot
- 16 Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Standalone story, no link to earlier entries. Start here.
About Armored Core
Armored Core is FromSoftware's long running mech action series. Each numbered generation tells a self contained story, so release order is the recommended play order. Newcomers should start with Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, the 2023 entry with modern controls and a standalone plot.
The list below runs through all 16 main entries, from the 1997 PlayStation original to Fires of Rubicon. Arena focused entries like Nine Breaker and the tactics styled Formula Front sit in release position. No sequel to Fires of Rubicon had been announced as of September 2026.
Good to know
Project Phantasma launched in Japan in 1997 and in the West in 1998; 1997 is used here. Armored Core 4 launched in Japan in December 2006 and in the West in 2007. Nine Breaker is an arena training disc rather than a story sequel. Portable ports of Silent Line (2009) and Last Raven (2010) are folded into their original entries. Reports of a codenamed FromSoftware project (FMC) remain unconfirmed rumors.
