Being the bad guy in a video game is an especially good time. Without the repercussions of real life, being the villain in a game can be a great way to go wild and let off some steam. Playing the virtuous hero who saves the day game after game gets stale, so it’s always interesting when a game lets the player take control of the bad guy.
For some of these games it’s easy to tell when you are the villain, while other games obscure your vision of this fact until later in the game. Here are 15 games that let you play as the bad guy.
Updated December 26th, 2020 by Thomas Bowen: The video game industry is full of fantastic protagonists and wonderful villains. Sometimes, however, the line that separates them can be a little blurry. Within this gray area can be found some surprisingly compelling antiheroes whose personalities and actions can make them incredibly likable, even in spite of their often evil tendencies. Controlling these characters can be a real treat for players and a welcome change from the traditional good guy tropes that feature in most modern video games.
15 God Of War – Kratos
Kratos is one of the most complicated protagonists in all of gaming. While he’s certainly been on the receiving end of some pretty despicable acts, some of the things that he has done are truly unforgivable. He’s killed more family members than can be counted on a single hand and has unleashed his wrath and rage on many mortals and gods alike.
The most recent entry in the God of War series saw some big changes to Kratos’ character, both in terms of his appearance and personality. As well as being redesigned to look a bit less intimidating, players were shown a different side to the bloodthirsty brute as well as a genuine desire to change his ways. As the game unfolds, however, it becomes clear to both Kratos and the player that he can’t escape his true nature.
14 Dead By Daylight – Various
The dramatic rise in the popularity of asymmetrical multiplayer games over the past decade has led to some fantastic titles. Few have had quite the same impact as Dead by Daylight though. Four players must work together in order to escape from a crazed killer who just so happens to be controlled by another player.
Despite releasing more than four years ago, the game is still going strong and continues to add new characters to its roster as time goes by. Having launched with just three killers, there are now 22 of them; many of whom are licensed from movies, television shows and other video games.
13 Hitman – Agent 47
Likable though he may be, it’s hard to argue that Hitman‘s Agent 47 isn’t a bad guy. Throughout his career as a professional assassin he has racked up quite the body count and it doesn’t look like he’s planning his retirement anytime soon. He’s proficient with an arsenal of weapons and isn’t afraid to improvise in order to get the job done.
For all his flaws, however, there’s just something incredibly satisfying about taking control of this cold-blooded killer. The level of fluidity with which he works is fascinating to behold, as too is his ability to change his plans at a moment’s notice. He may be bad to the bone, but sometimes it feels good to be bad.
12 Maneater – Bull Shark
Games like Goat Simulator and Untitled Goose Game opened the door to a whole new genre of games that allow players to control a host of misbehaving animals. While the aforementioned Goat and Goose were merely mischievous though, the bull shark that players take control of in Maneater is out for blood.
While the game’s evolution mechanic can at times border on ridiculous, it can greatly improve the proficiency with which this bloodthirsty bull shark can cause carnage and chaos. It could certainly be argued that it’s in her nature to kill, but that doesn’t make it any easier for her many innocent victims.
11 Carrion – The Monster
Most horror games are filled with fearsome foes and jump scares that are designed to petrify their players with fear. In Carrion, however, players are the jump scare. The amorphous monster that they control throughout the game is absolutely terrifying and becomes even more so as the game progresses.
Few monsters are as adept at causing death and destruction and the prospect of it roaming free of the lab’s confinements really doesn’t bode well for humanity. There is no gray area here; only a large red tentacled blob that kills indiscriminately and incredibly proficiently to boot.
10 Destroy All Humans – Crypto
Destroy All Humans is one of the most classic examples of a video game letting you play as the bad guy. The game takes place in 1959, as gamers get to take control of the alien Cryptosporidium, or Crypto for short. He is a Furon warrior who enjoys destroying and torturing the inhabitants of Earth. The comedic tone of the game makes ravaging Earth feel a lot less terrible than it should, making this game incredibly unique and fun to experience.
9 Prototype – Alex Mercer
Prototype lets players unleash their unnatural powers on the civilians of New York City long before the final twist seals their fate as the villain. Alex Mercer is the playable character of the first Prototype game and has shape shifting powers that can turn him into a deadly weapon. Alex thought he was fighting for the right side and against the virus that was plaguing the city, but once his memory was restored, he realized he was the one who unleashed the virus in the first place.
8 Shadow Of The Colossus – Wander
Before the ending even occurs, most fans are already completely hooked on the incredible story and gameplay of Shadow of the Colossus. Gamers were left with their mouths open when it was revealed that the players has been doing the deeds of an evil entity called Dormin the entire time. The innocent beasts the player has been slaughtering on their quest to save their friend, Mono, were actually slowing turning the player into Dormin. Shadow of the Colossus is one of the best games to star a villain.
7 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Starkiller
The legendary Star Wars franchise has seen an increase in content over the past few years, which is exciting. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed did a great job of offering fans some Star Wars fun when hype about the franchise wasn’t as high as it is now. Playing as the bad guy is the main draw of The Force Unleashed, given you start off playing as Vader before switching control to his apprentice.
6 InFAMOUS 2 – Cole MacGrath
Multiple endings are something that more video games should try and incorporate into the medium. This is a great feature that adds a large amount of replay-ability and is something that is prevalent in the inFamous series. Cole MacGrath is the main character of inFamous 2 and while one of the endings explicitly paints him as the villain of the game, the player can choose to do evil deeds way before the credits roll at the end of the story.
5 Grand Theft Auto V – Michael, Trevor & Franklin
The Grand Theft Auto franchise shows that video games based around playing as the bad guy resonate with a wide audience of gamers around the world. Despite players growing to like the characters of the fifth installment, Grand Theft Auto V, all three of the playable protagonists are hardened criminals.
The three go to high heights at the cost of many lives to in order to make money, but that’s exactly what made Michael, Trevor, and Franklin such compelling characters in the end.
4 The Last Of Us Part 2 – Abby
The Last of Us Part II kicks off Ellie’s story of revenge with Abby killing the beloved Joel pretty early on in the game, instantly making her the villain of the story. Control switches over from Ellie to Abby roughly midway through, and despite the game doing its best to make her an admirable characters, many fans of franchise were not interested in playing as Abby after her intense killing of Joel.
3 Batman: Arkham City – Joker
Most of Batman: Arkham City is spent as Batman cleaning up the streets of Gotham City. However, near the end of the game, the player is injected with Scarecrow’s fear toxins which sends Batman into a hallucinogenic state.
Control switches from Batman to that of his arch-nemesis, The Joker, resulting in some of the best gameplay in the franchise. Not only do you get to roam the halls shooting things with Joker’s weapons, players get to drive a Joker inspired Batmobile that looks incredibly cool.
2 Mafia 2 – Vito Scaletta
There have been a few different playable protagonists throughout the Mafia trilogy. The name of the franchise speaks for itself, as crime life is heavily apparent across all of the games. Vito Scaletta is a former soldier turned up & coming gangster, who is hoping to rise up in the ranks of the Falcone crime family. In order to do this, Vito works as a typical mobster, rising the ranks and taking on increasingly dirty jobs.
1 Spec Ops: The Line – Martin Walker
Spec Ops: The Line was a third-person shooter that was released in 2012 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The player takes control of Martin Walker, a soldier in a war-torn city of Dubai controlled by oppressors who is tasked with finding a fellow soldier who has gone insane. Walker becomes more & more unstable throughout the game, and it turns out you were behind all of the tyranny that was engulfing Dubai.
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