Most games put you in the hero’s shoes; saving the day, making the tough choices, and doing the right thing. But sometimes, you just want to break the rules instead of follow them. You want to be the one that everyone runs from, the one causing the chaos and making a mess of things. With video games, they’re the perfect place to let that “dark side” come out to play with no judgement, no jail time, just pure virtual villainy.
No moral choices. No consequences. Just pure chaos.
So, without further ado, I’m making an expanding list here in this post of games of various genres (but mostly horror) where YOU, my friend, can take on the role of the big bad! I’ll be adding more in the future as I stumble upon games like this but if you do have a favourite one or two that I missed out, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list when I’m updating it.
This list, my friend, is arranged alphabetically because I can’t possibly rank them from good to best. It’s too subjective.
1. Among Us
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
When I first looked at Among Us, I thought it was a pretty innocent game but truly, it’s a rather deceitful game. It’s a multiplayer game with a group of survivors in a confined space in…well, space. They have to work together to keep the broken base operational. Lo and behold, among them is an imposter who’s looking at every chance to sabotage their efforts and killing them off one by one. Relying on a team you can’t trust is difficult. Paranoia, on the plus side, is a good basis for suspense and thrill. So, do you have what it takes to be cunning to lie to everyone in your team?
2. Backrooms: Apprehension
Platforms: PC
In Backrooms: Apprehension is like Among Us, but in full 3D and way more “murdery”, leaning into the horror genre. You don’t just play the monster, you are the Skin Stealer. This shapeshifting menace has one goal: hunt down nine unsuspecting players and make them regret their life choices. Charging in like a maniac might get you shot in the face, so you’ll need to be sneaky; blend in, pretend you’re just another survivor, and then strike when they least expect it. And unlike Among Us, your targets can fight back.
3. Dead by Daylight (Killer Mode)
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
In most horror games, you’re one of the survivors. In Dead by Daylight, you can flip the script and play as one of the killers each with their own backstory, special powers, and style of murder. Whether you’re phasing through walls as The Spirit or setting traps as The Trapper, your goal is simple: hunt down the survivors and sacrifice them to a malevolent force. Bonus points for the fact that your victims are real players.
4. Carrion
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS
In this delightfully twisted “reverse horror” game, you control a red, toothy meat-blob escaping from a science facility. As you grow and evolve, you devour humans, fling bodies across the screen, and worm your way through tight vents like a true eldritch horror. Carrion is as much about grotesque movement as it is about gore, and it never lets you forget: you are the monster.
5. In Silence
Platforms: PC, macOS
In Silence places a heavy emphasis on sound. As you stalk and search for survivors as the Rake, a terrifyingly fast monster whose vision is dependent on how much sound is being made, you could be inches away from a survivor just one step away from certain death.
The game features proximity voice chat, so listen closely for players plotting their escape. If you do manage to take one of the survivors out, just remember they can still play as a mouse to help their fellow survivors distract you or find useful items.
6. Lucius
Platforms: PC
Have you watched the movie The Omen? If yes, Lucius is sort of like The Omen in video game. You play as a six-year-old boy who just happens to be the son of the devil. You cause “accidents” around your mansion, using supernatural powers and Rube Goldberg-style setups to eliminate those around you.
7. Manhunt
Platforms: PC, PS2, Xbox
I’m not really sure if you can really play this where you’re from because Manhunt is banned in several countries for its violence and gore. You’re a death row inmate forced into a snuff film but you’re the one doing the killing. The stealth-based gameplay emphasizes brutal executions, and while the game positions you as a reluctant participant, the sheer brutality makes you the terror in the eyes of your enemies.
8. Postal: Brain Damaged
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Linux
This game series is like a mass murder simulation so of course you’re the villain here. The postal dude thinks that everyone is insane so he goes on this killing spree but really he’s the insane one, a walking disaster of chaos and ultraviolence. It’s controversial, satirical, and often absurd, but there’s no denying you are the threat here, armed to the teeth and ready to incite mayhem.
9. Project: Playtime
Platforms: PC
Project: Playtime throws you into a creepy game of hide-and-scream, where six poor souls try to survive while one player gets to be a nightmare-fueled monster. It’s 7-player chaos, free-to-play, and you get to pick your monster by choosing between Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, or Boxy Boo (cute names though). Each monster comes with their own weird quirks and murdery flair, so it’s worth testing them all to see which flavour of terror suits you best.
Once you’ve spent some time on the maps, you’ll start learning the best ambush spots, sneaky shortcuts, and just how to split the group like a horror movie pro. Whether you’re stalking from the shadows or just charging in like a maniac, there’s always a creative way to make the survivors scream.
10. Hatred
Platforms: PC
Hatred is essentially a mass-murder simulator. You play a misanthropic killer on a spree, indiscriminately wiping out civilians. The game sparked massive controversy on release, and while it’s undeniably disturbing, it’s an unflinching example of a horror game where you are the evil. Not for the faint of heart.
11. The Darkness II
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
You’re a mafia hitman with demonic powers that let you eviscerate enemies with shadow tentacles. Oh, and you can still dual-wield guns while doing it. The Darkness II blends horror with action, but there’s something deliciously monstrous about summoning dark powers to devour enemy hearts mid-fight. You’re not just a killer, you’re the embodiment of supernatural wrath. Yeesh.
12. Predator: Hunting Grounds
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox
I gotta say that Dead by Daylight definitely opened the floodgates for horror copycats, and Predator: Hunting Grounds is one of them. The Predator movies are basically the hide-and-hunt with alien wrecking a bunch of heavily armed humans in a jungle maze? That’s literally this game. Like before, it’s a deadly game of cat and mouse, but this time the “mice” are four elite spec ops soldiers doing typical military things—recon, target takedowns, all that tactical jazz. The “cat”? One player gets to be the Predator, equipped with stealth tech, and alien firepower.
13. Plague Inc: Evolved
Platforms: PC, Mobile, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
In this game, you play as a virus. What more can I say about this one? Your goal is obviously to evolve and spread until the world is wiped out. In your defense, you’re just trying to survive like everyone else, right? So, get ready to infect away….one human at a time!
14. Terminator: Resistance
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox
Terminator: Resistance drops you right into that mess as one of the unlucky survivors in the war between human and machines.Going up against those killer robots isn’t a walk in the park. Between their bulletproof bodies and sniper-level aim, every fight feels like you’re swatting a tank with a fly swatter. But what about us being the villain hey? Well, you don’t always have to be the underdog. Enter the Infiltrator Mode DLC, where the tables turn and you get to play as one of Skynet’s finest. You’re not just any Terminator either, you’re the infiltration unit sent to hunt down a Resistance commander. Your mission? Wreck LA, tear through Tech-Com strongholds, and casually annihilate any humans dumb enough to cross your path.
15. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox
It’s pretty fitting that one of the earliest horror game tie-ins came from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a movie that practically invented “bad road trip turns into nightmare.” Now, you’d think that kind of nightmare fuel would be too much for something as ancient as an Atari game. But nope. The original tie-in actually puts you in Leatherface’s boots. You chase down helpless civilians with your chainsaw and, once you catch them, it’s decapitations galore. Super basic, super bloody—exactly what it says on the tin.
16. The Happyhills Homicide
Platforms: PC
The Happyhills Homicide is a low-poly horror vibes that throws us into a pixelated indie bloodbath with a twisted little plot. You play as John Wade, a school janitor who’s been bullied, burned (literally), and tossed aside like a garbage. After a fire leaves him scarred and homeless, he decides it’s payback time and yeah, the game makes you root for the killer. But this isn’t just a “stab everything that moves” kind of game. It’s a side-scrolling puzzle-slash-revenge simulator where you sneak into your victims’ homes, case the joint, and use whatever’s lying around to execute your plan. You’ll need patience, clever thinking, and just the right amount of creative cruelty.
17. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch
Ever wanted to play as the zombie? Stubbs the Zombie is a cult classic that lets you turn the tables. Set in a retro-futuristic 1950s city, you munch on brains, control the undead, and weaponize your own guts. It’s campy, funny, and deeply satisfying in a B-movie kind of way.
18. Vampyr
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Vampyr drops you into 1918 London, where a nasty plague is tearing through the city. You play a doctor trying to stop the outbreak but you’re also a vampire. So, whether you want to go all out on the killer vibe or only feed when you have to, it’s really up to you. It’s an RPG story-driven game so you can take the high road and try to save everyone or take the easier path and just give in to your vampiric desire. Your patients may look like innocent townsfolk, but to you, they’re walking blood bags. Feeding on them boosts your powers and helps you level up, fast. But there’s a catch though. People tend to notice when their neighborhood doctor starts leaving a trail of corpses.
No Longer Available on Steam but Worth Mentioning
Friday the 13th
It’s Friday the 13th so you obviously get to live out your slasher villain dreams as Jason Voorhees, while the rest are camp counselors just trying not to die horribly in the woods. Classic. So you as Jason, got all the fun stuff: teleport-y powers, creepy sense of where everyone is, and the general vibe of “you can’t touch this.” You’re basically built to be a walking nightmare.
Prop Night
At first glance, PropNight looks like Dead by Daylight. Same multiplayer horror setup, same “fix machines or die trying” gameplay loop. But, PropNight lets survivors morph into random objects like lamps, chairs, maybe even a suspiciously out-of-place toilet (anybody wanna take a dump?) That one mechanic flips the mood entirely. If Dead by Daylight feels like a panic attack in a foggy cornfield, PropNight is more like a chaotic game of hide-and-seek with jump scares and furniture-related trust issues. Perfect if you want your horror with a side of ridiculous.
Well, I hope the list I’ve compiled so far give you a brief insights into each game mentioned. Being the killer or the villain in a game is about more than gore or violence. It’s about perspective. These games invite us to look at horror from the other side of the mirror where you’re not hiding from the monster, you are the monster. Whether that makes you feel powerful, curious, or just plain uncomfortable… well, that’s part of the thrill. Which of these games let you live out your inner nightmare? Or did one of them disturb you a little too much?