By Ben Veress Published Jul 27, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT Ben Veress is a Contributing Features Writer at DualShockers based in Melbourne, Australia. He has been covering games professionally since 2021, with experience writing features, lists, reviews, and news across gaming, tech, culture, and entertainment. Before joining DualShockers, Ben wrote for Kotaku AU , Gizmodo AU , Vice AU , Pedestrian.TV , Quest Daily , Blunt Magazine , Impulse Gamer , and Inkl . At Pedestrian.TV, he served as the publication’s sole tech and gaming writer, leading coverage of major gaming releases and events for one of Australia’s major youth publications. He holds a Bachelor of Communications in Media from RMIT University and was nominated for Best Branded Content Journalist at the Australian Samsung IT Awards in 2025. Sign in to your DualShockers account Who doesn't like playing as the villain sometimes? It's an archetype in games that is surprisingly rare. Sure, we'll get the occasional "evil ending" or the option to be a jerk, but rarely do we get the chance to play an actual irredeemable villain. Thankfully, there are a number of standout adventure games that put us in the villainous driver's seat and let us follow our main character down their path of becoming a monster . What's so unique about the villain's perspective in an adventure game is that we get to see the world actively change to reflect the choices we make. That's not to say that all of these villains are intentionally doing the wrong thing. Oftentimes, it's their own naivety or ego that sets them down a tragic path, with no way to return after committing too many evil deeds. Here are our picks for the best adventure games that let you play as the villain. 10 Assassin's Creed: Rogue Betray the Assassins & Become A Templar Assassin's Creed Rogue Action Open-World Released November 11, 2014 ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Ubisoft Genre(s) Action , Open-World Powered by Expand Collapse Have you ever wanted to get a peek inside the Templar's organization? Well, Assassin's Creed: Rogue gives you that option. Mostly. You play as Shay Cormac, a young loyal Assassin to the Colonial Brotherhood. During a mission tied to an ancient Isu artifact, the first race of man, Shay witnesses thousands of people die due to the Assassin's recklessness with said artifacts. Naturally, this leads to him defecting from the order, leading him to join his greatest rivals, the Templars. Throughout the game, you'll start to hunt down your previous comrades, using the Brotherhood's own methods against him. The game itself doesn't go the full length of villainizing Shay, and rather portrays him as a tragic defector instead. Regardless, he does end up joining the super evil organization we've spent several games trying to take down, and eventually, become the ultimate boogeymen in the modern-day era. So, whatever good deed Shay believes he's doing ends up being undone by later generations of Templar scheming. 9 Prototype More Monster Than Hero Prototype Action Open-World Released June 9, 2009 Developer(s) Radical Entertainment Publisher(s) Activision Genre(s) Action , Open-World Powered by Expand Collapse If you've ever wanted to play a full game as the Spider-Man villain Venom, then Prototype is likely your best bet. You play as Alex Mercer, a man who, after waking up with amnesia, suddenly has the power to shapeshift and consume the people around him. Naturally, this alerts the military, who seem to know more than they let on. Throughout the game, we learn that Alex is actually a carrier of a unique virus called Blacklight. Even more, the original Alex barely exists anymore, whose body has just become a host to the virus, which has stolen the original Alex's memories. To learn more about this mysterious plot, we assimilate key figures in the Blackwatch group, uncovering vital information about the virus and the experiments that created it. The original game does frame Alex in a sympathetic light, but at the end of the day, we are painfully and violently consuming people for their memories, going so far as to wear their skin too. Far from heroic behavior. While we do end up saving the city of Manhattan from nuclear destruction, Alex becomes the main villain in Prototype 2, making this game his villain origin story. 8 Grand Theft Auto 5 Everyone Sucks, But This Guy Sucks The Most Grand Theft Auto 5 Open-World Action Released September 17, 2013 ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol Developer(s) Rockstar North Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Genre(s) Open-World , Action Powered by Expand Collapse It's not a stretch to say that everyone in Grand Theft Auto 5 kinda sucks. But for this list, I'm declaring Michael the worst of the lot. After betraying his entire crew, Michael comfortably retires from his life of crime, settling down with a wife, two kids, and a massive, lavish house in Los Santos. Eventually, once Trevor discovers that Michael is, in fact, alive and living under a different alias, Trevor, Michael, and a budding Franklin are pulled into a whirling life of crime once more. What cements Michael's villain status is how you can choose to end the game. Depending on your actions, Michael can end up turning on his allies once again to protect himself from any consequences. Sure, there's no doubt that Trevor and the shady organizations looking to exploit Michael's skills are framed as the overall antagonist of the game. But Michael's actions and continued selfish choices are what cause the most damage to everyone who enters his orbit. 7 Overlord Becoming a Tyrant Never Looked So Fun Overlord Action-Adventure Strategy Action RPG Fighting Released June 26, 2007 Developer(s) Triumph Studios Publisher(s) Codemasters Genre(s) Action-Adventure, Strategy , Action RPG , Fighting Powered by Expand Collapse Have you ever wanted to play Pikmin , but instead of cute aliens, you control goblins as part of your massive medieval army? Then Overlord is the game for you. You play as a newly risen dark lord, and as you'd expect of someone with that name, you get to crush rival powers, command dark minions, and destroy villages whose only crime is existing without your permission. Rather than treat the evil path negatively, the game actively encourages your heinous actions, rewarding you more and more for your wicked acts. Much like a certain Dark Lord from Middle-earth, you'll even get to restore your very own dark tower to rule from. While the game's tone is lighthearted and playful, your acts are far from it. Depending on how you play, you can also end up being a more whimsical tyrant or a ruthless warlord if you'd prefer some grit and edge. 6 Spec Ops: The Line Commit War Crimes: The Game Spec Ops: The Line Third-Person Shooter Released June 26, 2012 Developer(s) Yager Development Publisher(s) 2K Games Genre(s) Third-Person Shooter Powered by Expand Collapse Spec Ops: The Line is a dark subversion of your standard military shooter. You play as Captain Martin Walker, a special ops leader in command of the Delta Force team who is assigned to locate a fellow soldier in a ruined Dubai. As you play and witness the city spiraling into chaos, you'll also witness Walker's judgment deteriorating, as he continues to make calls that only escalate the violent conflict. Eventually, this culminates in a tragic sequence that results in Walker killing several innocent civilians and scorching the land, leading to his very own psychological collapse. It's a plot twist that has stayed in gamers' minds to this day. In an era where military shooters were simple wish fulfillment, this game goes in the other direction, critiquing such fantasies, damning the first-person shooter hero, and those who appreciate them. 5 Fable 3 An Inverse of The Hero's Journey Fable 3 Action RPG Released October 26, 2010 Developer(s) Lionhead Studios Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios Genre(s) Action RPG Powered by Expand Collapse The Fable franchise isn't new to letting you play the villain, but it's the series' third iteration that I think nails this premise the best. In Fable 3 , you play as the child of the previous ruler, rising from exile to challenge your brother for the throne of Albion. This starts out as a regular fantasy story about overthrowing authority as a rebellious figure, but halfway through the game, you'll actually achieve your mission. With the throne yours , now you'll need to actively rule over your people, and this is where the villainous twist comes in. To survive an oncoming threat, it is up to you to collect enough money, resources, and political support. Of course, you can also choose to become a greedy, neglectful, or authoritarian ruler, steamrolling over what could be political allies to get what you want. Quickly, you can lose your idealistic ambitions once the reality of compromising for resources kicks in. Which can also make the appeal of becoming a tyrant all the more lucrative. 4 Destroy All Humans! Vaporize Humans & Abduct Local Wilfdlife Destroy All Humans! Action Adventure Open-World Released July 28, 2020 Developer(s) Black Forest Games , Pandemic Studios Publisher(s) THQ Nordic Genre(s) Action , Adventure , Open-World Powered by Expand Collapse In a game where your goal is to destroy all humans, it shouldn't be a surprise to learn that you're the villain. You play as Crypto, an alien invader sent to Earth to harvest human DNA and abduct sheep. As you fulfill your mission, you'll destroy Earth's military, kidnap civilians, and spread chaos all over the world. Because it isn't enough to just wipe us out. No, you'll even get to humiliate humanity with your various advanced technologies. Like Overlord, Destroy All Humans! 's comical tone does undercut the brutality of your actions throughout the game, but make no mistake, they are absolutely evil. You could argue Crypto's goal is slightly altruistic, as he's seeking to recover DNA to help his dying species. But at the same time, we probably didn't need to blow up Area 52 with a nuclear bomb. Probably. 3 Tyranny Cruelty Before Morality Tyranny RPG Adventure Strategy Released November 10, 2016 Developer(s) Obsidian Entertainment Publisher(s) Paradox Interactive Genre(s) RPG , Adventure , Strategy Powered by Expand Collapse It should come as no surprise to gamers that an Obsidian game would have a delightful and nuanced take on an adventure game from the perspective of a villain. In Tyranny , you play as a Fatebinder, an enforcer for the evil overlord Kyros. You come into the game well after its main conflict has taken place, and Kyros has won. Our job now is to enforce Kyros' rule and stomp out any rival factions struggling to survive and recruit numbers. If you feel more kind to these alliances, you can choose to oppress certain factions a little less than others, but ultimately, you still remain a cog in a tyrannical regime. Your kindness is barely an act of rebellion, as your acts of compassion still have you stay as a willing agent in the service of a dark lord. 2 V Rising Become A Vampire Overlord V Rising MMORPG Survival Released May 8, 2024 Developer(s) Stunlock Studios Publisher(s) Stunlock Studios Genre(s) MMORPG , Survival Powered by Expand Collapse V Rising is a vampire fan's greatest dream come true. You play as a frail, recently awakened vampire lord who is suddenly thrust into a world overrun by humans and rival monster factions. You'll start off the game fending off local wildlife, building a passable gothic castle, and slowly increasing your power so you can eventually take on more serious threats. These eventually include iconic vampire slayers, undead monsters, demons, and, of course, other vampires. After slaying a powerful boss, you'll get to unlock new powers and designs to build stronger, fancier-looking castles on top of powerful equipment. You'll also unlock the power to enthral weaker subjects, turning them into unwilling slaves , or a resource to drain blood from whenever you need a top-up. Could you argue that you're just trying to survive? Maybe. But after enthralling your fourth 95% Worker and turning him into a keg you can drain to make mining stone faster, are you really that much of a tragic villain? Or are you just the villain? 1 Braid You're The Problem: The Game Braid, Anniversary Edition Platformer Released May 14, 2024 Developer(s) Thekla Inc. Publisher(s) Thekla Inc. Genre(s) Platformer Powered by Expand Collapse Braid is a game that isn't mentioned enough these days, which is quite tragic, as it's one of the finest indie games I've ever played. You play as Tim, a strange-looking man who embarks on a quest to save a princess while also inheriting the power to turn back time. If that sounds like Super Mario, then that's the point. We all know how a Mario game goes. Bowser kidnaps the princess, we chase him to his castle, learn she's in another castle, rinse and repeat until we eventually face off against the fire-breathing villain to get a kiss from Peach. But what if your extreme quest to save the princess ends up actually being a creepy venture to pursue a woman who is not only disinterested in your feelings for them, but actively fears you? That's what Braid is about. Instead of this usual journey of self-sacrifice and love prevailing, Braid warps this trope into a haunting tale of obsession and delusion that'll honestly have you feeling a little icky by the end. Close
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