Top 10 Most Evil Video Game Characters of All Time

“Manhunt” (2003)



Rockstar is not exactly known for shying away from morally repugnant characters, but “Manhunt’s” villain makes “Grand Theft Auto V’s” Trevor Phillips look like a boy scout. Considering the protagonist is a made man responsible for various violent crimes, “Manhunt’s” antagonist needs to scrape the bottom of the most disgusting barrel to measure up. Once upon a time, Lionel Starkweather worked in Hollywood; nowadays, the shunned film director makes a living creating tasteless underground films that instigate, document, and capitalize on the pain of others. This goes beyond just meeting a disturbing niche, as Starkweather loves to make and watch people suffer.

“Resident Evil” series (1996-)



With a long black coat, sunglasses super-glued to his face, and a god complex, every part of Albert Wesker screams "bad guy." World domination is a rather cliche goal for supervillains; that said, Wesker is just so unabashedly power-hungry and gloriously evil, the former Umbrella Corporation scientist is always entertaining. Wesker plans to ingest a strain of the t-virus and become a sort of super mutant, providing the necessary power to reshape humanity while positioning himself as a god. Wesker was essentially cultivated to be an unrelenting and merciless monster by the Umbrella Corps, but the villain exceeded the evil corporation's wildest expectations.

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#8: Vaas Montenegro

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Trevor Philips Vs Vaas Montenegro

“Far Cry 3” (2012)



A villain so memorable, it is easy to forget that Vaas was not even "Far Cry 3's" main antagonist. The Rook Islands are beautiful but dangers; along with the rampant wildlife, natives and visitors have to worry about a group of pirates run by the enthusiastically violent albeit charismatic Vaas. Turning the Rakyat island into his playground, Vaas does not show any restraint and seems primarily driven by a desire to spread chaos as a way to exert control over the island. Even as part of a group largely filled with psychopaths, Vaas stands out as the most unhinged of the lot.

“System Shock” series (1994-)

If "2001: A Space Odyssey" has taught us anything, all-seeing AI supercomputers should be feared. As the network in control of a space station, SHODAN was mostly fine until a hacker removed the program's ethical commands, causing the AI to revalue its relationship with humanity. For a super-advanced computer, SHODAN's motives are not particularly complex: The AI believes itself to be superior to humans, ergo mankind no longer needs to exist. It would be one thing if SHODAN just had a warped sense of logic, but "System Shock's" antagonist shows all the signs of a narcissist who enjoys inducing a touch of species extermination.

“Undertale” (2015)



"Undertale" is all about bucking expectations, so, of course, a golden flower is the personification of evil. Originally a kind monster who was resurrected without a soul, Flowey learns how to reset time, a skill primarily used to repeatedly eliminate monsters as a way to quench the boredom. Putting aside the "True Pacifist Run," Flowey's goals tend to revolve around mayhem and destruction, with the flower either trying to drag the protagonist down to its level or use them as a means to grow even more powerful. Flowey was once a gentle and kind soul, but the inability to feel love or empathy led the character down a dark and tragic path.

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#5: Ganon/Ganondorf

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“The Legend of Zelda” series (1986-)



Ganon has been trying to take over Hyrule since 1986, occasionally succeeding and leaving the continent as little more than a barren wasteland. Be it his boar or Gerudo form, Ganon is willing to do pretty much anything to acquire the Triforce, including almost eradicating a couple of cultures. Ganon's beast form often comes across as mindless, a being utterly consumed by rage, but Ganondorf's villainy tends to take a more vindictive and hateful tone. Even in timelines where Ganondorf is slightly more introspective, the villain still cannot help but crave Hyrule's subjugation.

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#4: Diablo

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Video Game Classics: Diablo

“Diablo” series (1996-)



Names can be deceiving, but there is nothing subtle about Diablo. Starting as one of the Great Evils before being promoted to the Prime Evil in the third game, Diablo is the personification of terror. When it comes to a tangible purpose, Diablo seeks to conquer the heavens and by extension, the human world. However, the villain's true wish is to instill an everlasting fear in the hearts of those who know the name Diablo. The villain is far from only a brute, as the Great Evil often manipulates humans from the shadows, even once creating a fake alter ego to trick people into worshiping him.

“Mother” series (1989-2006)



In 1989's "Mother," Giygas is a powerful alien who is charged with conquering Earth after his foster human parents steal the secrets to psychic powers and gift them to mankind. While an instrument that spreads corruption, Giygas himself is not irredeemable or pure evil. In "Mother 2" or "EarthBound," Giygas becomes corruption incarnate, an entity beyond form or reason. Growing so powerful as to lose any sense of self-control, Giygas is not driven by any understandable motive and merely exists to spread evil across the planet. Giygas is evil distilled into its purest form.

“Wolfenstein: The New Order” (2014)



Largely responsible for changing the course of history and directing the Third Reich to victory during World War II, Deathshead more than lives up to his nickname and nightmarish facial features. Obsessed with creating the Nazi equivalent of Captain America through human experimentation and advanced weaponry, Strasse stands out from other insane villains due to the fact the scientist succeeds in taking over and reshaping the world, at least in MachineGames' 2014 reboot. While partly driven by science, Strasse's primary reason for waking up in the morning is to watch some unfortunate soul scream in pain while being subjected to vile experimentation.







Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



Needles Kane

“Twisted Metal” franchise (1995-)



Gul’dan

“Warcraft” franchise (1994-)





Dr. Bumby

“Alice: Madness Returns” (2011)





Oryx, the Taken King

“Destiny: The Taken King” (2015)





Shao Kahn

“Mortal Kombat” franchise (1992-)

“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)

In a franchise packed to the brim with sinister villains, Sephiroth and Kuja can only look on as a laughing Kefka stands unchallenged at the top of the mountain. Driven insane after being infused with Magitek, Kefka feels no regard for human life, rarely hesitating to take out soldiers of his army. This is the guy who poisons a river to destroy a castle's entire population, throws the world into chaos in search of unlimited power, and – after basically becoming a god – tries to eradicate all life because that just seems like the natural thing to do.