Ahh, the boss battle. Video games wouldn't be what they are today without them, as they offered us bigger challenges and more memorable moments than any others. With that in mind we have compiled the 20 Best Video Game Boss Battles Ever.

Note that this isn’t a list of best final bosses, or the hardest bosses of all time. These are the boss battles that have stuck with us, offering us something truly special and unique, which is really all you can ask for in a boss.

The Tyrant (Resident Evil)

After enduring zombies, giant snakes, ravens, hunters, sharks, and all manner of things that wish you dead, your reward at the end of the first Resident Evil was to face the Tyrant. This biological nightmare has an obvious weak spot- its heart beats outside its body- but that’s easily countered by the gigantic claw it has in lieu of a hand.

That claw can kill you in one swipe, so the first time you face the Tyrant you’ll do a lot of running and screaming. If you do manage to take him down you still aren’t done, as he will explode out of the ground as you attempt to flee via helicopter, reminding you that there's more work to be done. He'll chase you around the helipad until one of your buddies throws down a rocket launcher, which makes good work out of him once and for all.

Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong)

Without Donkey Kong, Mario was just some guy hanging out in the sewers jumping on turtles.

We will likely know what led the lesser Kong to kidnap poor Pauline and drag her to the top of this very rickety structure, but his plan in Donkey Kong is actually pretty foolproof. Consider this: every dang level in Donkey Kong is a boss battle, and the game is almost impossible because of it. He will throw barrels down at you that have to be dodged by jumping at the last minute, and he’s apparently made friends with living flames. He’s a bit weak against a frontal attack but it’s unlikely you’ll ever knock him off his perch more than a couple of times. This is his jungle.

Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)

By far the most imaginative boss on this list, Psycho Mantis seems impossible in the first Metal Gear Solid. He appears after having taken control of your companion Meryl and almost having you kill her, and then he starts to mess with your mind. He taunts you by telling you you play too many games, actually letting you know what games you’ve been playing (at least, what Konami games) by reading the contents of the memory card. He then tells you to place your controller down on the floor to show you how powerful he is, and proceeds to rattle it around "psychically."

And then the battle begins in earnest and you will likely die a few times, as he’s almost invulnerable. Eventually you’ll figure out that you have to unplug your controller from Port 1 and place it in Port 2, effectively making it impossible for him to read your mind.

From that point on he’ll be easy to take out. It was a frustrating moment for most but that “ah-ha!” revelation has never been topped, even by later Metal Gear installments.

Mike Tyson (Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!)

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is not an easy game, but it isn’t until the very last fight that you begin to know real pain. Digital Mike Tyson appears throughout the game, taunting you and smiling his iconic, gap-toothed smile, but once he’s in the ring with you, you’ll realize he backs up his words.

Soon into the bout you will see that each of Mike’s regular punches can almost knock you out, but then when he flashes, you better be prepared. Only the most nimble of gamers will be able to dodge each and every punch of his barrage, which culminates in his trademark uppercut that can KO you right away. He’s one of the hardest video game bosses for this, and it doesn't help that you can be knocked out so very quickly, leaving you to play through the entire thing again in order to try and learn his patterns.

At least he stays away from your ears...

The Archdemon (Dragon Age: Origins)

For a game called Dragon Age, you don’t see an awful lot of dragons. In fact, the first one you see arrives at the very end. Fortunately this final battle against the massive beast is as memorable as you could have ever hoped for.

You will genuinely feel like you’re fighting a large-scale battle (no pun intended) against this demon dragon, and your choice of companions and enchantments is absolutely crucial for this fight. Depending on the allies and partnerships you’ve made over the course of the game you have many different strategies you can employ, and it makes for the most epic battle in the game by far.

Of course, the giant beast isn't the only enemy you'll face, as you'll also be overwhelmed with darkspawn forces to keep things interesting. Prepare for a long fight.

Hitler (Wolfenstein 3D)

Not only was Wolfenstein 3D one of the first first-person shooters ever made, kicking off a genre that’s still among the most popular today, it also offered one of the most satisfying final bosses to this date: Adolf Hitler himself.

You’ll play through the game as BJ Blazkowicz, an American soldier in World War II who’s tasked with battling hundreds of Nazi soldiers, so who better to face as a final boss than Hitler himself? Well, how about Mecha-Hitler? Yes after defeating the moustachioed goose-stepper a few times he will disappear, only to reappear in an armored mech suit, shooting quad-chainguns right at your face.

Destroy him and you not only save the world but are rewarded with the sight of him dissolving into a bloody pile of body parts, perhaps the most satisfying death of Hitler until Eli Roth slaughtered a movie theater full of Nazis in Inglourious Basterds. After, the screen will flash "Let's See That Again!" and play back the gnarly death animation in slow motion, just so you can relish it. Get psyched.

The Master (Fallout)

The creator of the Super Mutants that terrorize you through each Fallout game, The Master has decided that his best role in saving humanity is to turn the entire species into mutated beasts via a virus. Showcasing how amazing the game really is, you can choose to fight the Master as expected at the end, even though he's quite a hard fight. He can attack twice a round, has respawning Super Mutant bodyguards and has a ton of hit points, but you can also choose to simply blow up his entire building with a nuke or just forces with him and become a Super Mutant yourself.

But perhaps the best part of this boss battle is that you can completely avoid it. Depending on the skills you’ve upgraded, you may be able to convince him that everything he’s done is terrible and get him so depressed that he chooses to take his own life rather than face you. Can you think of another game that offers that?

Bebop and Rocksteady (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

The 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game is notoriously difficult. As an arcade game, it was designed to separate you from your quarters, after all. Cheesy enemies could whittle your health down to nothing within seconds, leaving you shell-shocked and pizza-less.

In a game full of memorable villains, however, the tag-team duo of Bebop and Rocksteady made for one of the toughest battles. and you had better hope you had a full four-player roster ready for the fight, because it’s incredibly easy to get tagged by one villain as you try to hit the other. Both come equipped with guns, and while it’s smart to try and separate the two, they can knock you out with a strong kick or barrage of bullets. Pray for luck… or a pocketful of quarters.

Colossus Of Rhodes (God Of War II)

“How can they possibly make this game more epic?” many gamers wondered after the first God of War, which sees its protagonist, Kratos, become the titular character and sit down on a throne in Mount Olympus.

SCE Santa Monica chuckled knowingly, and started you off in God of War II fighting the Colossus of Rhodes, which Zeus brings to life in order to destroy Kratos. You're a mere ant to this giant bronze statue and so have to fight this epic battle crawling over and inside this automaton as he destroys an entire city. It only gets even more epic from there, but it still reigns as one of the most stunning opening sequences in an action game.

Bowser (Super Mario 64)

Bowser is a mainstay in every Mario Bros game, but his appearance in Super Mario 64 may be his most memorable. Time after time he appears in a special level where you have to grab his tail and spin him around to toss him into a number of bombs lining the arena and take him out, and every single time he keeps crawling back for more. The stages themselves are both incredibly satisfying and a wonderful demonstration of the power of the 3D platformer, which this game effectively kicked off as a genre.

Bowser in the Sky, the final battle level, sees Mario trying to face a Bowser that's learned a ton of tricks, like how to break the ground, breathe fire, and send shock waves by smashing down. Defeat him and you’ll rescue Princess Peach, even though you know that he’ll just rise up again and again and again in future games.