Summary
Without the repercussions of real life, being placed into the shoes of a bad guy in a video 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 can get stale pretty quickly, after all, so it’s always interesting when a game lets the player take control of the villain instead.
In many of these games, it’s easy to tell when the protagonist is actually the villain, but some instead choose to obscure the player’s vision of this fact until much later on in the story. For those looking to experience the joys of being bad for themselves,the best games that let you play as the bad guyare well worth checking out.
Updated June 27, 2025, by C.M Edwards:The majority of video games allow players a chance to be the hero who saves the day. Set in a world on the brink of destruction, it is the player’s duty to be the shining protagonist who rights wrongs and protects the innocent. There have been hundreds of games that let players wield the hero’s sword or control a mystical power bestowed by the gods. However, there are also a genre of games that do just the opposite.Players can step into the stories of thousands of versatile characters with varying causes, motivations, and ideals. While most games lean toward making players the heroes of their own stories, there are many titles that do the opposite. Some games put the players in more sinister roles that allow them to be the thing that goes bump in the night. As a very exhilarating experience, being the villain gives players a new perspective on how bad guys become bad guys. From destroying entire worlds to wreaking havoc on a single city, sometimes being the bad guy can be better than being a goodie-two-shoes. Here are some of the best games that let you play as the bad guy.
Deadshotis one of the most deadly assassins in DC Comics and has recently crossed over into film and video games. In the recently releasedSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, players can take control of a number of iconic DC villains, one of which is Deadshot. Deadshot’s particular skill comes from his inhuman accuracy.
He is able to pinpoint a shot from hundreds of meters away and hit a target through unreasonable obstacles. Deadshot can ricochet projectiles off the edge of surfaces and make contact with targets with a precision that is unmatched throughout most of the comic book universe. Deadshot is a cold and calculating villain who only just recently began leaning toward a more anti-hero persona.
Harley Quinnhas become one of the most popular characters in DC Comics, who was not originally a character in the comics. First appearing in theBatman: The Animated Series, Harley was attached to the hip of the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. As the Joker’s sidekick, she facilitated monstrous acts and endured even more at the hands of her villainous boyfriend.
However, as her comic mythos evolved, she separated from the Joker and gained her own identity. InLEGO DC Super-Villains, players can play as Harley Quinn in the open-world environment of the game, and take it straight to the Justice Syndicate playing as the hammer-wielding hellion.
The story ofThe Darknesscomes from theWitchbladeuniverse, which belongs to TopCow productions. In this universe, The Darkness is a primordial entity that embodies one of the most powerful forces in that universe. The Darkness is handed down through a particular bloodline of men and bestows upon them great power at a great cost.
InThe Darknessvideo game from the mid-2000s, players take control ofJackie Estacadowho, on his 21st birthday, becomes the current wielder of The Darkness. Jackie is an assassin for the mob, but after they betray him, Jackie’s power awakens, and he goes on a mission to completely annihilate those who wronged him. Jackie has otherworldly powers that allow him to teleport, summon demons, and create almost any weapon he wishes, similar to Spawn’s armor. The Darkness powers make for some of the most unique first-person shooter gameplay of the era.
Fablewas a highly innovative fantasy game that gave players the ability to make real decisions and an enormous amount of freedom in how they approached the game. Starting out, players were free to choose how they progressed in the game, but making it further and further into the story, players could decide what kind of hero they become or if they became a hero at all.
Players could become an absolute menace to the game world by killing villagers, purposely making negative decisions during quests, and wreaking havoc on entire towns. A consequence of making evil decisions in the game resulted in the player’s character gaining a more sinister-looking appearance, like horns and glowing red eyes.
The argument thatAgent 47is a lesser evil in a sea of devils is a valid one to take. However, with the entire legacy of Agent 47 being endless amounts of bodies in his wake, there is too much red in his ledger to ignore. Hitman puts players in control of Agent 47 and follows him as he brutally carves a path through anyone in his way to his goal, guilty or not.
While Agent 47 has a strong understanding that he is just the tool that completes a contract, it is still his hand on the gun, knife, or whatever else he deems useful at the time.Hitman 3does an excellent job of allowing players to connect with the main character, giving him more depth than just a heartless gun-for-hire. But in all right, Agent 47 is a bad guy who kills for money.
Shay Cormacstarts off as a budding member of the Brotherhood of Assassins who is slighted by the Brotherhood’s ideals as he gains a peek behind the curtains after a catastrophic event that kills thousands. Cormac turns his back on his own blood and decides to join up with the Templars, believing that the Brotherhood must be stopped at all costs. This is the setup forAssassin’s Creed Rogue.
Unfortunately, Cormac has decided to be on the wrong side of history. While the Brotherhood does do questionable things for the greater good, the Templar movement is primarily based on the lust for more power at any cost, depending on the leader of the movement at the time.
Most ofBatman: Arkham Knightis spent playing as Batman cleaning up the streets of Gotham City as one might expect. Near the end of the game though, the Caped Crusader is injected with a dose of Scarecrow’s fear toxins, which sends Batman into a hallucinogenic state.
Control then switches abruptly from Batman to his arch-nemesis,The Joker, resulting in some of the very best gameplay in the franchise. Not only do players get to roam the halls shooting things with Joker’s weapons, but they also get to drive a Joker-inspired Batmobile that looks incredibly cool.
With its fantastictime manipulation mechanics,Braidis one of the most innovative games of the early 21st Century and played a huge role in the rise in popularity of the indie game genre. At a glance, it appears to tell the story of a time-bending man namedTimas he struggles to save a princess from an evil knight. However, as the game progresses, it becomes clear that nothing is quite as it seems.
It’s revealed that Tim is actually the bad guy, with the princess running away from him the entire time. What’s more, the knight that players had been conditioned to hate turns out to be one of the good guys, doing everything in his power to prevent Tim from getting his hands on the princess. This big reveal makes not only for a shocking twist but also an excellent conclusion to an already incredible game.
Most horror games arefilled with fearsome foes and jump scaresthat are designed to petrify their players with fear. InCarrion, 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 breaking out 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 is incredibly proficient at doing so.
The dramatic rise in the popularity of asymmetrical multiplayer games over the past decade or so has led to some fantastic titles.Few have had quite the same impact asDead by Daylightthough. Four players must work together in order to escape from a crazed killer, who just so happens to be controlled by another player.
Despite having been released more than half a decade ago now, 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 considerably more of them; many of whom are licensed from movies, television shows, and other video games.
