Video games have had their fair share of infamous villains, from Far Cry‘s absolutely terrifying Vaas Montenegro to the constantly outwitted Dr Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s important that every video game with a villain gets it right, as an adventure is only as compelling as its primary antagonist. Fortunately, while there have been a few duds here and there, for the most part, there are some truly iconic and memorable baddies throughout video game history.
Naturally, the list is incredibly long and not every villain will earn a spot. So, while iconic villains like General Shepherd, Ridley, Pyramid Head, and the ever irresistible Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil 8 might not make the cut, they’re absolutely worth mentioning. Fortunately, those that are considered the very best villains in all gaming absolutely deserve their spot.
10
Dr. Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)
A Rotten Egg Of A Villain
Dr. Robotnik, also known as Dr. Eggman, feels as timeless as his blue-haired arch nemesis, Sonic. From his iconic bulbous design to his laughably long mustache, Dr. Eggman has easily cemented himself as one of gaming’s greats, at least when it comes to bumbling baddies. His appearances in other forms of Sonic the Hedgehog media, such as the films, have pushed him further into the zeitgeist, making him all the more memorable.
Perhaps what really cemented his status as a legendary villain is Mike Pollock’s portrayal of him. Dr. Eggman has one of the most recognizable voices in gaming, perhaps outside Geralt and Sonic himself, and that’s largely all thanks to Pollock’s incredible talent. While Sonic may never have reached quite the same heights as Mario, Dr. Robotnik will still be remembered as one of the best villains in gaming history.
9
Bowser (Super Mario)
The Best Comic Relief Villain
Bowser really needs no introduction, having appeared as Mario’s greatest foe in the majority of his games, and appearing as a playable character in multiple spin-offs. There is something uniquely special about Bowser, with his cuddly design, bizarre family that pop up from time to time, and love of kidnapping Peach, to no avail, giving him so much charm and personality. It really feels like no one else has ever come close to matching Bowser in all of his glory.
Bowser has naturally appeared in some of the best Mario games ever made, being a highlight of each and every one of them. Whether it’s as a playable racer in Mario Kart or as the main villain in Super Mario Odyssey, Bowser brings something special to the table every time he pops up. There’s a good reason why fans don’t tire of seeing Bowser.
8
Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)
The Most Feared JRPG Villain
Sephiroth is a villain that, unlike Bowser and Dr. Robotnik, genuinely manages to instill fear into every player’s heart the moment he appears on-screen. The moment his blood-curdling theme song “One-Winged Angel” begins playing, fans know that things are about to get extremely messy. Sephiroth was just as terrifying in the original Final Fantasy 7 as he has been in the remakes, with his menacing appearance being one of the best parts of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
He is also responsible for one of the most heartbreaking deaths in all video game history, although, frankly, the less said about that the better. Sephiroth is also a phenomenal villain thanks to the sheer amount of effort that went into fleshing out his incredible backstory and relationship with Cloud, which was further expanded upon in the remakes. While Final Fantasy has had plenty of great bad guys, none has come even remotely close to beating Sephiroth’s excellence.
7
Dutch Van Der Linde (Red Dead Redemption)
A Complex Modern Villain
Dutch van der Linde is one of the many antagonists of the first Red Dead Redemption game, and proves to be a formidable foe for John Marston to face. However, it is his appearance in Red Dead Redemption 2 and his incredibly complex descent into becoming a truly terrifying villain that he is best remembered for. Red Dead Redemption 2 makes the most of being a prequel to really solidify Dutch as one of the biggest and baddest villains in all video games.
Dutch is not the main antagonist of the first Red Dead Redemption game, but does play a big role in John Marston’s story. Marston is tasked with hunting him down, and it ends with a confrontation between the two on a cliffside before Dutch commits suicide.
It also helps that Dutch has some of the best quotes in all of Red Dead Redemption 2, with several of his lines becoming incredibly iconic and memorable to this day. These, and the rest of his well-written dialogue in Red Dead Redemption 2, are all excellently portrayed by Benjamin Byron Davis, who brings a certain charm and gravitas to the role that helps make Dutch’s shift from friend to foe all the more heartbreaking. Dutch proves that video game villains can be far more complex than goofy dinosaurs and egg-shaped men.
6
Handsome Jack (Borderlands)
The Peak Of Borderlands Villains
The Borderlands franchise has always had its fair share of memorable characters, from the playable Vault Hunters to the notorious Claptrap, but by far its biggest and best character is Handsome Jack. This conniving, manipulative, charming, and endlessly funny bad guy is one of the best aspects of Borderlands 2, and is likely a huge reason why it remains a classic FPS title to this day. Everything about him oozes villainy, from his creepy character design to his overall attitude toward the player.
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Handsome Jack ended up being a curse on the Borderlands franchise though, as he was so memorable and so compelling, that the subsequent villains struggled to live up to him. Much like the Far Cry series, Handsome Jack became such a defining part of the franchise, that it struggled to go on without him. That’s not to say that Borderlands 3’s villains were bad, but more a testament to just how good Handsome Jack is.
5
Diablo (Diablo)
It’s So Terrifying The Series Is Named After It
Unlike the other great villains in gaming history, Diablo has an entire series named after him, which qualifies him as one of the best villains by default. However, even outside of that, Diablo has proven himself to be a genuinely menacing foe across the first three Dibalo games, as well as his appearances in other Blizzard titles. The various boss fights against him, as well as his overall arcs in each game are what make the Diablo franchise and its ever evolving lore so fascinating.
Diablo’s calm and cunning nature makes him a far more complex villain than some of Diablo’s other enemies. Similarly, his constantly shifting design, largely thanks to his various hosts, keep him feeling fresh and unique with each entry. While the Diablo games have a plethora of amazing villains, it has to be its titular bad guy that takes the cake.
4
Ganondorf (The Legend Of Zelda)
A Truly Legendary Bad Guy
Ganondorf, not to be confused with Ganon, his beast form, is one of the many villains at the heart of The Legend of Zelda franchise. While his design has shifted slightly across the series’ history, as well as his varying levels of intensity, Ganondorf has proven time and time again to be an incredible antagonist for Link to face. Unlike Bowser and Mario, who share a far more lighthearted rivalry, Link and Ganondorf’s decades-long feud in the Zelda games is as frightening and intense as it is compelling.
His appearance in Tears of the Kingdom proves how menacing Ganondorf is, showcasing a side of the legendary villain fans had not yet seen. The fact that Ganondorf is constantly evolving and changing between games while retaining a lot of what makes him so special is largely what makes him such a memorable villain. Suffice it to say, The Legend of Zelda would not be the same if Ganondorf was entirely absent.
3
Andrew Ryan (BioShock)
The Villainous Mastermind Behind Rapture
Much like Dutch, Andrew Ryan is one of the more complex villains in video game history, having created Rapture and watched its downfall before dealing with Jack and all the messy consequences that came with that. While he might not be responsible for one of the most quoted lines from BioShock, he does use it to the most sickening degree in his final moments in the game. His dominating presence in the first BioShock, as well as his appearances throughout the rest of the series, is largely what makes the horror franchise so memorable in the first place.
Much like all of BioShock’s incredibly in-depth lore, Andrew Ryan has a long and storied history. It has been fleshed out through both his story in the games, his audio diaries, and appearances in the novelizations. He’s a hard act to follow, and while the other BioShock games continued the series’ captivating lore with new villains and twists on old ones, Andrew Ryan remained a constant reminder of why BioShock became such a beloved series in the first place.
2
GlaDOS (Portal)
The Most Evil Robot In All Of Gaming
GLaDOS is unequivocably one of the best villains in video game history, coming extremely close to being the very best one. Her overall chillingly detached attitude lends itself brilliantly to both moments of horrifying tension and hilarious humor, and the lore surrounding her and the Aperture facility is incredibly fascinating. However, it is easily Ellen McLain’s voice work as GLaDOS which cements her as an incredibly memorable bad guy.
Ellen McLain also sang a number of songs for the Portal series, including Portal’s incredible and catchy ending song, “Still Alive.” She also somewhat reprised her role as GLaDOS in Cyberpunk 2077, albeit as one of the rogue Delamain AIs.
While Portal 2’s Wheatley did a pretty phenomenal job of following in GLaDOS’ footsteps, there’s simply no comparison to the manipulative AI. Valve have a near flawless track record of making memorable characters, and GLaDOS is at the very top of that list. Surprisingly, GLaDOS almost didn’t appear in Portal, which would have made the game an entirely different, and ultimately less compelling experience overall.
1
Vaas (Far Cry 3)
Ubisoft’s Most Quotable Villain
What best villain list would be complete without a mention to perhaps the very greatest: Vaas Montenegro. Performed flawlessly by Michael Mando, Vaas is the endlessly quotable pirate antagonist that sends Jason Brody down a path of self-destruction and death in Far Cry 3. His wonderfully delivered monologues and genuinely intimidating moments of horror are what made Vaas such a compelling villain to begin with.
Naturally, Ubisoft has done its very best to emulate the brilliance of Vaas, but only really Joseph Seed from Far Cy 5 has come close, and even then he’s miles off being as engrossing as Vaas. Fortunately, Vaas returned as a bad guy in Far Cry 6‘s DLC, proving once again how brilliant he is. Vaas makes Far Cry 3 not just one of the best open world FPS games of all time, but also one of the most memorable Ubisoft experiences ever, with all of its subsequent villains never managing to live up to the high bar he set.
