Adventure Games Where You’re the Anti-Hero

Sometimes, Alfred's "Some men just want to watch the world burn" from The Dark Knight really hits you for a moment, because when you think about it, what if we do want to set it all ablaze? Okay, well, not literally, but in the context of video games, sometimes you just want to kick back and play as a guy who likes to cause some chaos... While still being the "hero," of course.

Or rather, someone who's morally questionable yet still trying to do the right thing, even despite their unlawfully good actions. And when you imagine the idea of an adventure game or even a movie of that genre, you (mainly) think of the "hero" and their journey rather than any other character or villain, right?

But what if you just want to experience an adventure where you can be morally corrupt, cynical, yet trustful, or just ignore the two sides of the coin altogether? Well, strap in because this list of adventure games focuses on entries where you can play as an anti-hero, letting you blur the lines between that overly condensed good-versus-evil element of most media.

10 Deponia

An Underhanded Means to Paradise

Deponia is one of the more unusual modern point-and-click adventures, because it comically flips the genre's formula. Instead of playing as a noble hero trying to save the world, you play as Rufus, a lazy dreamer who desperately wants to escape to Elysium and leave his homeworld of Deponia behind.

Sure, Rufus is an incompetent, lazy, and selfish little guy, but could you blame him for trying to leave a junkyard place like Deponia? Even when a woman from Elysium named Goal falls from the sky, Rufus sees helping her return home not as a heroic act, but as an opportunity to hitch a free ride to paradise.

Combine that with the game's overall sarcastic writing and slapstick humor in the gameplay, and it almost feels like an absurdist comedy, but one that's fairly lighthearted, short, and will make you want to play the sequel games if this first one entertains you enough.

9 Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition

The Ballad of Ray McCoy

You must be thinking, "Great, another PnC game," but trust me when I say this is also worth your time, and if you're a fan of the Blade Runner universe in general, you're missing out if you haven't ever played or heard of this entry.

The 1997 Bladerunner game by Westwood Studios wasn't a copy-paste adaptation or follow-up to the movie series; this was an entirely new story that focused on Ray McCoy, an elite detective tasked with hunting down missing Replicants. And unlike most adventure games, you can freely choose to take a ruthless approach with how you handle each Replicant's confrontation.

Despite some of the mildly aged components in the gameplay, the overall game works as an anti-hero title because it places players in the morally gray role of a Blade Runner, where investigation, empathy, and violence constantly collide, forcing them to question whether they’re protecting humanity or destroying it.

8 Dishonored

Tilting the Chaos System

Dishonored is easily one of the most quintessential anti-hero video games out there, mainly because of how Arkane Studios managed to integrate the Chaos system, allowing you to turn Corvo's moral compass in either direction.

Instead of casting you as a traditional hero, it places you in the shoes of someone seeking revenge in a corrupt world and constantly asks whether your actions make you a savior or something far worse.

If you choose to kill enemies frequently, the world becomes darker and more hostile. But if you take a non-lethal and stealth approach–knocking out guards, finding alternate ways to eliminate targets–then the city of Dunwall becomes slightly more hopeful.

Despite its stealth and action elements, Dishonored strongly fits the adventure genre because it encourages exploration and discovery throughout its open-ended, sandbox-like missions; a particular element I love that is expanded in the sequel.

7 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

The World Itself Fears You

Take a trip down memory lane with me on Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Often remembered as one of the most atmospheric and narratively ambitious adventure games of the late 1990s, it would focus on a revenge tale of betrayal, identity, and fate.

Now, while the atmosphere and world-building are fantastic on their own, the gameplay can feel a bit repetitive after a while. But what I really want to touch on is how Soul Reaver truly excels: its narrative.

The exceptional writing for the series, at least until Defiance, is largely credited to everyone's GOAT, Amy Hennig. It's stellar, especially considering how philosophical and unusually mature it was for an action-adventure game of that time period.

Throughout Nosgoth, Raziel is seen as an abomination by both humans and vampires. But the deeper he digs into Kain’s actions and the corruption spreading across the world, the clearer it becomes that things aren’t as simple. This evolution makes Raziel a tragic anti-hero, a character whose journey begins with vengeance but slowly shifts into something deeper.

6 Spec Ops: The Line

Do You Feel Like a Hero Yet?

Teenagers like me initially went into Spec Ops: The Line expecting it to be another run-of-the-mill military shooter. And oh boy, that was the worst assumption anyone can make about this game. What starts as your typical band of heroic soldiers trying to execute a rescue operation gradually crumbles, with your actions becoming increasingly questionable with every mission.

One of the most notorious moments in the game showcases the use of white phosphorus against enemy forces. At first, this mechanic seems like a tactical necessity. But when that realization hits Cap'n Walker's face in the aftermath, that's when you truly know that this game's taken a one-way trip to becoming an existential horror.

The game intentionally reflects the themes of the novella Heart of Darkness and its film adaptation, Apocalypse Now. In both, a soldier travels deeper into a war zone and faces the darkness inside himself. And by the endgame chapters, Walker is no longer trying to save anyone. The guy gets thrown off the deep-end so much that he's now simply trying to justify everything he has already done.

5 God of War

The Gods of Olympus have Abandoned Me

Before Kratos decided to settle down and become a "calm and reasonable person," there was the fabled yet buried story of a deceived Spartan warrior who would soon go to hell and back in his pursuit of revenge with the Greek Pantheon of Gods.

Inspired by Capcom's Onimusha and DMC, the original God of War is an action game that helped pave the way for many other PlayStation household franchises. Despite some of the questionable design choices here, the bottom line was how visceral the combat was. Whether it be a ton of enemies or your final clash against Ares, it never stopped with the extreme spectacles.

Throughout the game and in later entries, Kratos' thirst for vengeance and power makes him someone you almost feel sorry for. He lays waste to anyone in his way, whether it be friend or foe, just to seek freedom or a bit of solace from his violent nature. And when it all comes to a head with GOW3, that's when you'll truly understand why his revelations in the reboot entries hit so hard for veteran fans.

4 Bully

Jimmy Hopkins vs The World

One of the games that defined the Xbox 360 era of my life (alongside AC4: Black Flag) was Bully. I know this game was also widely featured on the PS2, but thankfully, I was lucky enough to play the definitive experience: The Scholarship Edition.

With that said, Jimmy Hopkins was also one of my earliest experiences of what an anti-hero protagonist is in a video game. A hot-headed, foul-mouthed delinquent who quickly takes over the reins of Bullworth Academy by his intimidation, quick-witted pranks, and manipulation—only to be backstabbed by that two-timing greaseball, Gary.

Jimmy isn't a villain per se, but neither is he any kind of morally upright teenager. The game perfectly balances his growth as he slowly takes over the various cliques around campus, not to gain their power hierarchy but to reform it. Kind of makes you think you'd do the same to survive, or at least try to, in a dysfunctional school or town like Bullworth.

3 Red Dead Redemption 2

May I Stand Unshaken

The gaming world was set ablaze by the arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, instantly becoming one of the most beloved open-world games of all time. Amidst all the showering praise for its rich fidelity and attention to detail, one of the most captivating aspects of RDR2 for almost every player was Arthur Morgan and his journey among the Van Der Linde gang.

Arthur is not some kind of gunslinging hero. At the core, he's always been an outlaw who's spent his whole life doing bad things and piling up regrets. He steals from people, scares them, and even kills them. However, he's also someone who thinks deeply about his life and is very loyal to the people he cares about. This moral tension in his character is also backed up by the honor system, which quietly shifts how characters react to Arthur and how the story frames his actions.

From the highs of the game, they showcase the camaraderie of the Van Der Linde gang when they're backed against the wall; at their lowest, it shows their downfall through desperation. And you get to see that all unfold through the tragic and heartbreaking adventure of Arthur. Well, until the game hands over those reins to John Marston.

2 Prototype

Unleashing Your Inner Monster

Before he became a full-blown antagonist in the sequel, Alex Mercer from Prototype was the crown jewel example of an anti-hero protagonist, one whose character blurs the line between being a hero, a monster, and a victim.

Without trying to spoil that big twist, there are several moments in the main story where you'll question Mercer's humanity or just the fact that he's rampaging across Manhattan in pursuit of the ones who possibly plagued him with this viral entity.

Mercer’s abilities revolve around devouring other humans to gain information and power. From a gameplay perspective, this replaces typical quest mechanics, but from a narrative perspective?

It reinforces that Mercer is literally feeding on living people to uncover a scattered truth. It sounds a bit vague when I explain it, but I implore you to give it a shot, especially to see that faint yet obvious twist. Besides, it's always a darn fun time to just cycle between the various abilities in your arsenal to wreak havoc on the armed goons from Black Watch in New York.

1 inFAMOUS

Can we PLEASE Get Remasters?

It seemed only right to conclude this list with a game that merits a remastered version or just a modernized port. That's because inFAMOUS is one of the coolest power fantasy games that's unfortunately still stuck on the PS3.

One of inFAMOUS' biggest strengths is how it turns its setting into a playground for experimentation. Cole can use his electrical powers to grind along power lines, glide across the sky, or just channel devastating AOE attacks against enemies. But what truly defines inFAMOUS as an anti-hero adventure is its morality mechanics, AKA the Karma System.

It constantly presents choices that shape Cole’s identity. Acting heroically might mean restraining his powers to protect civilians, while the darker path encourages ruthless efficiency from his abilities.

On the Hero path, Cole becomes a reluctant protector of the city, while on the inFAMOUS path, he evolves into something far closer to a superpowered tyrant. Oh, and bonus points if you happen to see the changes of both paths in visual details as well, such as the color of the powers changing or NPCs reacting to you in public.