The hero is gone, the city smolders, and the only sound is your wicked laughter echoing through the ruins. That’s not hyperbole; that’s the thrill these best games where you are the villain deliver. Forget noble quests and moral obligations; here, you write the rules, shape destiny, and decide exactly how much havoc to unleash.
- Set in a quarantined New York, it blends brutal combat, parkour, and stealth with a personal revenge story.
The Best Games Where You Are the Villain
Playing as the villain isn’t just about destruction (though that’s undeniably fun). It’s about freedom: moral, strategic, and narrative. You might be a criminal mastermind in a sharp suit, an alien invader flattening suburbia, or a charming anti-hero making questionable choices “for the greater good.” And yes, some games let you decide just how black your digital heart becomes.
1. Criteria for the Best Villain Games
Not every title where you can behave badly deserves a spot. For this list, I looked for games that:
– Make villainy part of the core experience, not a side gag.
– Give you evil-specific abilities or systems designed for domination.
– Tell a story that works from the bad guy’s perspective.
You might ask, “What counts as being the villain in a game?” For me, it’s when the narrative, mechanics, and setting all frame you as the antagonist to someone else’s story, whether that’s a virtuous hero or an entire civilization. Anti-heroes count too, because sometimes the most interesting villain is one who thinks they’re the good guy.
2. The Grand Strategists of Evil
Sometimes villainy isn’t about swinging swords; it’s about running the perfect operation.
- It mixes dungeon crawling, puzzle-solving, and morally dubious choices in a twisted fantasy world.
1. Overlord (2007, Triumph Studios), among the best games where you are the villain, makes you the dark lord with a horde of sharp-toothed gremlin minions ready to loot, burn, and smash on command. The pure joy of sending minions to wreak havoc while you survey from your dark throne never fades.
- It updates the original’s humorous villainy with improved graphics, new characters, and expanded base-building options.
2. Evil Genius 2: World Domination (2021, Rebellion Developments) is a strategy-sim gem. You’re setting up traps, managing henchmen, and building the kind of base the smoothest Bond villain would envy. It’s a thinking villain’s playground.
- It combines base management, creature control, and dark humor in a twisted take on the dungeon-crawling genre.
3. Dungeon Keeper (1997, Bullfrog Productions) flipped the hero-dungeon raid on its head by letting you run the lair. You recruit monsters, set defenses, and punish disloyal underlings; all in service of destroying those annoying “heroes” who pop by to interfere.
If you’ve ever wondered whether a game lets you actually win against the world’s heroes, these three prove you can.
3. Villainy in Open Worlds
These games let you cut loose in sprawling environments, testing just how far your reign of mayhem can stretch.
- It blends fast-paced parkour, brutal combat, and mystery as Mercer uncovers the truth behind the virus and his past.
4. Prototype (2009, Radical Entertainment) turns you into Alex Mercer, part-man, part-bioweapon; consuming enemies for biomass, leaping skyscrapers, and turning your arms into massive blades. The moral compass? Completely absent.
- It mixes open-world chaos, mind powers, and satirical takes on Cold War-era culture.
5. Destroy All Humans! (2005, Pandemic Studios / THQ Nordic remake 2020), one of the best games where you are the villain, is gleefully campy alien-invasion fun. As Crypto, your job is to abduct citizens, zap soldiers, and generally make humanity regret ever evolving.
- It combines superpowers, absurd humor, and chaotic sandbox gameplay in a simulated city.
6. Saints Row IV (2013, Volition) dials the absurdity up, letting you rule over a simulated city with superpowers: flying, stomping, freezing enemies mid-chase. It’s a parody, but one that lets your villain’s ego run wild.
- Each game follows the rise and fall of gangsters navigating loyalty, betrayal, and power in different eras of organized crime.
7. Mafia series (2002–2020, Illusion Softworks/Hangar 13) fills the morally grey lane. You’re the mob boss (or enforcer rising through the ranks), making decisions that cement your power even if the cost is… well, people’s lives.
And yes, in the better-designed worlds, like Prototype’s chaotic New York, NPCs do respond to your evil antics, making the destruction all the more satisfying.
4. Role-Playing the Bad Guy
Sometimes the thrill comes from slowly becoming the villain.
- It’s renowned for its branching choices, deep character relationships, and blend of shooter combat with rich storytelling.
8. Mass Effect trilogy (2007–2012, BioWare) offers the Renegade path; sharp-tongued, ruthless, and willing to wipe out entire species if it serves the mission.
- Each game blends lighthearted charm with epic quests, letting players shape their hero’s fate and legacy in Albion.
9. Fable series (2004–2010, Lionhead Studios) reflects your morality physically: go full evil and watch your character grow horns, attract swarms of flies, or watch NPCs run in fear when you approach.
- Its branching story, memorable companions, and impactful moral choices made it a beloved Star Wars classic.
10. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003, BioWare), one of the best games where you are the villain, gives you the ultimate Sith fantasy. Choose cruelty, manipulation, and domination over mercy, and see allies grow wary… or eager to follow your shadowed path.
If you’re asking if you can switch between good and evil, in these, yes, but the fun of watching the narrative twist when you commit to villainy is worth sticking with the dark side.
5. Power Fantasies and Pure Destruction
When subtlety is overrated, these games deliver unapologetic chaos.
- It’s infamous for its graphic violence, tense atmosphere, and gritty commentary on media exploitation.
11. Manhunt (2003, Rockstar North) is raw, violent, and puts you in brutal survival scenarios where you’re not the savior; you’re the nightmare.
- It’s notorious for its over-the-top humor, player freedom, and extreme controversy over its violent content.
12. Postal 2 (2003, Running With Scissors) is infamous for letting you decide exactly how far you’ll push antisocial behavior, or how weirdly mundane you can make a day in a villain’s shoes.
- It sparked major controversy for its nihilistic tone, extreme violence, and lack of moral justification.
13. Hatred (2015, Destructive Creations) sparks controversy for its relentless nihilism. It’s not a power fantasy for everyone, but it’s undeniably committed to its premise of being evil from start to finish.
- Your choices shape the fate of the oppressed world, blending moral ambiguity with deep, choice-driven storytelling.
14. Tyranny (2016, Obsidian Entertainment), among the best games where you are the villain, is a clever twist: the war is already over, and evil won. You’re part of the ruling faction, deciding whether to enforce tyranny or twist it to your advantage.
If you’ve been wondering whether games exist where you’re bad from the first frame to the credits, yes, and these examples barely let you take a breath from doing wrong.
6. Villainy with a Comedic Twist
Not all bad guys are brooding megalomaniacs.
- It charms players with its simple premise, playful humor, and delightfully silly goose antics.
15. Untitled Goose Game (2019, House House) turns you into a small, honking, feathered menace with one goal: make life inconvenient for humans.
- It amps up the slapstick physics, ridiculous stunts, and bizarre secrets for pure comedic chaos.
16. Goat Simulator 3 (2022, Coffee Stain North) is absolute chaos with horns: ragdoll physics, slapstick destruction, and a goat that may or may not be dabbling in world domination.
17. Evil Genius (again) lands here too; it’s dripping with 1960s spy-movie parody, making your villainy feel almost wholesome if world domination can be wholesome.
If you’ve ever asked, “Do I always have to be violent to be the bad guy?”, these prove that mischief, pranks, and absurdity still count.
7. Why Playing the Villain Works So Well
The appeal is more than just “being bad.” It’s about switching perspectives, stepping outside the hero’s moral guardrails, and asking “what if?”. Some players crave the freedom to make risky or selfish choices they’d never consider in real life; others just enjoy the novelty of watching the world react to their darker impulses.
And yes, villain roles can make stories richer. A tight villain narrative often delivers more tension, more memorable set-pieces, and more personal stakes than a “save the world” plot.
8. Closing Up: Time to Claim Your Throne of Evil
You now have the tools, the games, and the deliciously immoral mindset to embrace villainhood fully. Whether you want to manage a lair, lead a criminal syndicate, terrorize a city from above, or simply honk and steal sandwiches, your reign of terror awaits. So… why follow the hero’s path when you can dive into the best games where you are the villain and write your own legend of infamy? The city lights are dimming, the pawns are in place; all that’s left is your first cruel move.
FAQs
1. Are there multiplayer games where everyone plays as villains?
Yes. Games like Among Us flip the script, with each player potentially being the traitor, sabotaging the group.
2. Which villain game has the most freedom of approach?
Prototype offers extreme mobility, shapeshifting combat, and sandbox chaos without a rigid mission structure.
3. What’s a non-violent villain game I can play casually?
Untitled Goose Game is perfect; 100% mischief, 0% bloodshed, and pure comedic timing.
4. Are there games where you can redeem your villain character?
Yes, series like Mass Effect and Fable allow late-game pivots toward redemption, though the ending changes depending on when and how you make that choice.
