The study revises the classification of *Cordyceps* and the Clavicipitaceae based on phylogenetic analyses of 162 taxa using multiple gene loci. The results support the existence of three monophyletic clades within the clavicipitaceous fungi, rejecting the monophyly of both *Cordyceps* and the Clavicipitaceae. Diagnostic characters used in current classifications, such as perithecial arrangement and ascospore morphology, are not phylogenetically informative. Instead, texture, pigmentation, and stromatal morphology are more consistent with the phylogeny. The authors propose new taxonomic revisions, including the validation of the family *Cordycepitaceae* and the establishment of the new families *Ophiocordycepitaceae* and *Metacordyceps*. They also introduce the new genus *Elaphocordyceps* for species parasitizing *Elaphomyces*. The study provides a comprehensive phylogenetic framework for the taxonomic revision of *Cordyceps* and the Clavicipitaceae, highlighting the need for reassessment of diagnostic characters in infrageneric classifications.The study revises the classification of *Cordyceps* and the Clavicipitaceae based on phylogenetic analyses of 162 taxa using multiple gene loci. The results support the existence of three monophyletic clades within the clavicipitaceous fungi, rejecting the monophyly of both *Cordyceps* and the Clavicipitaceae. Diagnostic characters used in current classifications, such as perithecial arrangement and ascospore morphology, are not phylogenetically informative. Instead, texture, pigmentation, and stromatal morphology are more consistent with the phylogeny. The authors propose new taxonomic revisions, including the validation of the family *Cordycepitaceae* and the establishment of the new families *Ophiocordycepitaceae* and *Metacordyceps*. They also introduce the new genus *Elaphocordyceps* for species parasitizing *Elaphomyces*. The study provides a comprehensive phylogenetic framework for the taxonomic revision of *Cordyceps* and the Clavicipitaceae, highlighting the need for reassessment of diagnostic characters in infrageneric classifications.