For a spoiler-aware first playthrough, begin the Batman campaign, play each Catwoman episode when the game hands control to her, finish Batman’s main story, and then play Harley Quinn’s Revenge. Nightwing, Robin, skin packs and other challenge-map DLC can be played whenever you like because they are not narrative chapters. Side missions are flexible: take them as they appear or postpone them, with no single official sequence required.
The recommended order at a glance
- Start the Batman campaign. Follow the main story through Arkham City.
- Play Catwoman’s four episodes at their prompted transitions. They are interludes built into the campaign, not a separate post-game storyline.
- Complete the Batman main story. You may mix in side missions as they unlock or save them for later.
- Play Harley Quinn’s Revenge. It is a separate story chapter set two weeks after the main story’s events.
- Play Nightwing and Robin challenge content whenever convenient. These bundles add playable characters, gadgets and challenge maps rather than required story missions.
- Use skins and other challenge packs as optional extras. They do not change the chronology.
This order follows the descriptions in the Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition manual and the way the downloadable content is catalogued. The original game is an open-world action-adventure developed by Rocksteady Studios; DC lists its original on-sale date as October 18, 2011. The age of the game does not change the campaign relationships between its DLC episodes.
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Where every story-related piece belongs
1. Begin with Batman’s main campaign
The Batman campaign is the spine of Arkham City. Start a new game and follow its objectives normally. The game’s open-world structure lets you investigate optional problems between major objectives, but you do not need to create a special DLC save or finish every activity before moving to the next main mission.
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When the game switches perspective to another character, treat that sequence as part of the campaign rather than as a separate expansion. The most important example is Catwoman.
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2. Play Catwoman’s missions during the campaign
The four Catwoman episodes are integrated into the main story. The official Game of the Year Edition manual states: “Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition contains four Catwoman missions, included in the main story.” In practical terms, play an episode when the game gives you control of Catwoman or prompts her next segment, then return to Batman when the transition ends.
Do not wait until the credits to create a Catwoman-only block. Postponing all four episodes makes the character’s appearances feel disconnected from the moments they were designed to accompany. It is also unnecessary to interrupt Batman manually: the game supplies the intended hand-offs.
Catwoman’s episodes are useful context for her role, but the walkthrough guidance commonly used for the game describes them as segues and notes that they are not critical to understanding Batman’s central plot. If you are rushing the Batman campaign, you can still follow the prompted transitions without treating the episodes as a second full campaign.
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Complete the main Batman ending before launching Harley Quinn’s Revenge. The manual describes this DLC as “an entirely new story to the main campaign, featuring additional areas and enemies” and explicitly places the adventure “two weeks after the events of the main story.” That makes it the post-game story chapter, not a mission to insert before the finale.
If your edition presents several DLC tiles on the title screen, choose the Harley Quinn story only after you have seen the Batman campaign’s ending. Starting it earlier would put a sequel-like episode ahead of the event it follows.
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4. Fit Nightwing and Robin around your own schedule
The Nightwing Bundle and Robin Bundle are not chronological chapters in Batman’s campaign. The manual describes Nightwing as playable in challenge maps, while the Robin bundle adds Robin, his gadgets and his own challenge maps. Steam lists both bundles separately from Harley Quinn’s Revenge.
You can play these maps before the ending, after the ending or between side missions without creating a story contradiction. If you want a clean narrative run, leave them until after the campaign and Harley’s expansion; if you want to learn their gadgets early, start their challenge maps as soon as they are available.
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The Arkham City Skins Pack changes character appearance rather than adding a chapter. Steam lists it as a separate item and notes that the skins can be used in storyline mode after the main story and challenge maps are completed. Other challenge-map packs follow the same principle: play them for combat, stealth or leaderboard practice, not to advance the plot.
Do I play Catwoman’s missions during the story or after it?
Play them during the story, at the in-game transitions. There are four episodes, and the Game of the Year manual identifies them as part of the main story. The game’s perspective changes are the intended timing cues, so you do not need a calendar, a mission-number chart or a separate save file.
- When the game gives you Catwoman: play that episode before continuing Batman’s next prompted sequence.
- When control returns to Batman: resume the main campaign normally.
- If you skipped an episode or stopped early: use the campaign’s available mission or DLC selection to return to it before treating the story as complete, where your platform’s edition permits that option.
Catwoman is an additional playable character, not a replacement for Batman’s campaign. Her episodes add perspective and gameplay variety while remaining inside the campaign’s overall time frame.
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When should I play Harley Quinn’s Revenge?
Play Harley Quinn’s Revenge after the Arkham City ending. Its official description places it two weeks after the main story and calls it an entirely new story with additional areas and enemies. It therefore belongs immediately after the campaign in a story-focused order.
You can postpone optional cleanup until after Harley’s expansion if you prefer, but do not use the DLC as a pre-finale mission. Its premise assumes that the main story has already happened, so playing it early removes the intended chronological separation.
Do Nightwing and Robin DLC fit into the story?
They fit beside the story rather than inside its sequence. Both bundles are character-and-challenge additions: they provide a playable hero, distinctive gadgets and challenge maps. Neither is identified as a campaign chapter that must be placed before or after a particular Batman mission.
| DLC | Story relevance | Chronological placement | Playable character | New areas or missions | Included in Game of the Year Edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catwoman Bundle / four Catwoman episodes | Integrated campaign content | At the in-game Catwoman transitions | Catwoman | Four story episodes | Yes, according to the Game of the Year Edition manual |
| Harley Quinn’s Revenge | Post-game story expansion | Two weeks after the main story; play after the ending | Story content associated with Harley Quinn’s aftermath | Additional areas and enemies | Yes, according to the Game of the Year Edition manual |
| Nightwing Bundle | Challenge-focused character DLC | Any convenient time | Nightwing | Challenge maps and unique gadgets | Listed as DLC; check your edition and region |
| Robin Bundle | Challenge-focused character DLC | Any convenient time | Robin | Challenge maps and unique gadgets | Listed as DLC; check your edition and region |
| Arkham City Skins Pack | Cosmetic extra | No story placement | Costume variants | No story missions | Availability depends on edition and platform |
The table separates narrative placement from ownership. A bundle can be available for purchase without being a chapter, and a cosmetic pack can affect how a character looks without changing what happens in the story.
Can I save the side missions for the end?
Yes. The side-mission structure is flexible, and the available walkthrough guidance states that you can accept side missions when they appear or hold them until later. There is no documented official order that requires every optional investigation to be interleaved at one exact point.
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A practical first-playthrough policy
- Accept missions when they unlock. Taking an objective records it without forcing you to complete it immediately.
- Resolve investigations that feel time-sensitive before the finale. This preserves the sense that Batman is responding to active threats, even though the game generally lets you return later.
- Leave collectibles and map cleanup for post-game. Exploration tasks are ideal for a free-roam session after the central plot.
- Keep Catwoman’s prompted episodes in their campaign slots. Optional Batman side missions can move; the four Catwoman transitions are the notable exception.
The first possible side mission
Watcher in the Wings is identified in the walkthrough material as the first possible side mission after Joker attempts to assassinate Catwoman. You may begin it when it becomes available or defer it while pursuing the main objective. Its early availability does not make it a mandatory opening mission, and it does not establish a required order for every later side quest.
Why there is no single side-mission sequence
Arkham City is built as an open-world campaign. Multiple optional investigations can be active at once, and the game allows you to switch between them. A suggested order can improve pacing, but it is a player preference rather than a canonical timeline documented by the game’s official materials. Guides that present one rigid list are offering convenience, not a rule you must follow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Three reliable ways to structure a playthrough
The story-first route
- Follow Batman’s main objectives.
- Play each Catwoman episode at its transition.
- Complete the Batman ending.
- Play Harley Quinn’s Revenge.
- Return for side missions, collectibles, challenge maps, Nightwing, Robin and skins.
Choose this route if you want the fewest interruptions and the clearest separation between campaign chapters and optional content.
The integrated-completion route
- Advance the Batman campaign until side missions appear.
- Accept optional investigations and complete selected ones between major objectives.
- Play Catwoman whenever her episodes are prompted.
- Finish remaining urgent-feeling investigations before the ending.
- Complete the Batman story, then play Harley Quinn’s Revenge.
- Use post-game free roam for collectibles and challenge DLC.
This route keeps optional characters and investigations visible without pretending that every side mission has a fixed canonical slot.
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- Play the campaign and Catwoman episodes in their intended transitions.
- Work through side missions as they unlock, returning to the main objective when you want a change of pace.
- Finish the Batman ending.
- Play Harley Quinn’s Revenge as the final story chapter.
- Clean up collectibles and replay challenge maps with Batman, Nightwing and Robin.
- Apply skins after the relevant story and challenge-map restrictions on your platform have cleared.
This is the best fit if you want to see nearly all available content while still keeping the two narrative rules intact: Catwoman during the campaign and Harley Quinn afterward.
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Edition and purchase considerations
The Game of the Year Edition is the most direct way to obtain the core game together with the principal story DLC, subject to current regional availability. Its manual specifically includes the four Catwoman missions and describes Harley Quinn’s Revenge; platform listings may present the character bundles and cosmetic packs separately.
| What you want to play | Content that matters | What does not affect story order |
|---|---|---|
| Batman’s complete narrative arc | Main campaign, Catwoman’s four integrated episodes, then Harley Quinn’s Revenge | Nightwing, Robin and skins can wait |
| Extra playable heroes | Nightwing Bundle and Robin Bundle | No need to place either bundle between Batman missions |
| Combat and stealth practice | Nightwing, Robin and other challenge maps | Challenge scores do not advance the campaign plot |
| Visual customization | Arkham City Skins Pack and other cosmetic options | Skins do not add story missions |
Because storefront contents and regional editions can change, verify the exact package listed for your platform. Ownership questions are separate from chronology: even when a bundle is sold alongside the game, only the Catwoman episodes and Harley expansion require a specific story position.
Common ordering mistakes
Saving Catwoman for after the credits
This turns integrated interludes into a detached epilogue. The manual’s wording is explicit that the four episodes are included in the main story, so use the game’s prompts as your timing guide.
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The expansion is set two weeks after the main story. Launching it before the finale reverses that relationship and undermines its status as a continuation.
Searching for a required Nightwing or Robin slot
These are challenge-focused character bundles. They are not missing campaign chapters, and there is no required point at which Batman must stop so you can play them.
Assuming every side mission has a canonical position
The open-world design permits postponement. A guide’s suggested side-quest order may be convenient, but it is not an official sequence that overrides your campaign choices.
Confusing a skin pack with a story expansion
Cosmetic DLC changes appearance only. It should never be listed between Catwoman’s episodes and the Batman ending as though it were a chapter.
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The spoiler-aware final checklist
- Batman campaign started and followed normally.
- All four Catwoman episodes played at their prompted transitions.
- Optional side missions either completed when available or deliberately saved for later.
- Batman’s main ending completed.
- Harley Quinn’s Revenge played afterward, recognizing its two-week time jump.
- Nightwing and Robin challenge maps played whenever convenient.
- Skins and other challenge-map packs treated as optional extras.
That checklist preserves the only essential narrative order while leaving the open-world content flexible.
Quick Recap
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