Top 20 Greatest Video Game Villains Of All Time

We already wanted to win, but these great video game villains made us want to succeed even more! For this list, we’ll be looking at iconic gaming antagonists and their heinous actions that made us want to defeat them. Since we’ll be talking openly about game storylines, we’re issuing a spoiler warning. Our countdown includes Zeus from the “God of War” Series (2005-), Shao Kahn from the “Mortal Kombat” Series (1992-2019), Frau Engel from the “Wolfenstein” Series (1981-), Flowey from “Undertale” (2015), and more! Which video game villain tops your list? Let us know in the comments!

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[presL]

Not having dutch or Micah is crime at its finest

[tobiasriismoore]

This definitely feels more like top 20 “most iconic” than 20 “best, ” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing… there are just a lot of video game villains that are a lot better written and more interesting but not as well known outside of gaming.

[jamesdeadlocked]

Vergil is my favorite. He never gives up on his quest to obtain power. He embraces his demon side, his always serious, and he has good taunts like " Where Your Motivation".

[lawrence]

My honorable mention:
Joker (Batman Arkham series)
He is such a memorable villain for all Batman Arkham fans, as he is menacingly evil and always creates new plans to torment both Gotham and the Dark Knight.
Ghetis (Pokémon Black and White series)
He is probably my favorite Pokémon villain as he always puts a great threat to the player and the Unova region. I was surprised to see how dark Ghetis' storyline was, specifically when he revealed the truth about N. Definitely an impressive villain for a Pokémon game.

[BigFella]

“Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?”
- Vaas Montenegro

[a.jthomas]

Here are a few honorable mentions:
Shang Tsung (Mortal Kombat)
Alma Wade (F.E.A.R)
M. Bison (Street Fighter)
GLaDOS (Portal)
The Lich King (World of Warcraft)
Vladimir Makarov (Call of Duty Modern Warfare Trilogy)
Andross (Star Fox franchise)
Wonder Woman (Injustice series)
Dr Nefarious (Rachet & Clank)
Joker (Batman Arkham)

[gupworld]

Sephiroth is the most uncomfortably menacing villain I’ve ever seen in a video game. He doesn’t even look like he’s trying to be evil

[mas]

I’m glad to see Handsome Jack on the list, but bummed that Doctor Nefarious didn’t make the cut. The crazy mad man was able to turn a couple of planets filled with squishy living creatures into robots (and several other fun tidbits that involve space, time, and reality).

[EndlessInfinity]

Honourable mention: Emet Selch (ffxiv). Charming, manipulative. Yes, he plots to kill you and everyone you hold dear, but he's so passionate about his ideals that you can't help but respect him.

[robtastic]

Ganon has been stabbed in the head/stomach and sealed away many times by gods with the help from Link, but over time, no matter what they do he breaks out. Ganon really is the definition of the triforce of power.

[Kahlafia]

Handsome Jack prolly has to be one of my all time favs. Hes incredibly funny while simultaneously being downright ruthless and even evil at times. He was so memorable with so many great lines like “oh god these pretzels suck” 😂👏🏻

[kish]

Really hope Wind Waker and Twilight Princess get announced for the switch even if the release date is sometime in the spring or summer of next year. Cause it would be a crime for both those games to be the only main console Zelda games to not be on the switch.

[a.jthomas]

I do not care what people said but Nintendo needs to consider the Age of Calamity timeline canon. We have seen how time can be split into two through The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Sot it's very oblivious that time travel has become a part of the Legend of Zelda lore/mythology.
Depending on which time frame the player chooses, it would be fun to explore infinite possibilities like see the Champions of Hyrule are alive in the AoC timeline.
I can hope we get a side quest in BOTW2 where we fight fight alongside with the current Champions (Riju, Teba, Sidon and Yunobo) to protect their respective villages / domains from monsters and share their memories from events of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

[OZooboy]

I’m surprised to not see Andrew Ryan on here. Such a memorable character

[jimmymurphy]

I would put Micah Bell on here. The things he does are incredibly fucked up but he knows exactly what he is doing and is a complete psychopath and enjoys. Also, the way that he manipulates and gaslights Dutch into not trusting Arthur anymore and into taking on riskier jobs is ultimately what led to the downfall of the game. He used Dutch as his puppet to emotionally manipulate and I though that was really fucked up and interesting. A great villain that has no redeeming qualities but is really fascinating and well developed nonetheless. Oh and yes of course his racism and the creepy way in which he treats women are yet another layer that show just how much of a monster Micah truly is.

[lordschnitzel]

My favorite videogame Villain is „The crooked Man“ from Wolf among us. So cold and manipulative

[Tiajuan]

Honestly, I feel like JRPGs need their own villain list.

[JBDude]

Top 3 (In my opinion)
1. Bowser
2. Dr Eggman
3. Dr Neo Cortex
While there are many great video game villains and deserve a mention, but these three villains were the most iconic to me growing up playing video games.

[BlazerK]

My Favorites are:
• Heihachi Mishima
• Kazuya Mishima
• Bison
• Akuma
• Shang Tsung
• Quan Chi
• Shao Kahn
• Lazarevic from Uncharted 2
• Senator Armstrong
• Albert Wesker 😎
• Vergil
• Sephiroth
• Dr Nefarious
• Emperor Nefarious

[DannyMcWiggle]

Giovanni from Pokemon should have made the list. Certainly not the toughest villain to beat but he is certainly iconic.