Shooters Where You're Actually the Villain

Shooters are one of those genres that started really simply and have evolved in fascinating ways over the years. My first example of a shooter was Castle Wolfenstein, shooting Nazi abominations in the face and running through pixelated castles. And while it's satisfying playing as a wholesome and well-meaning hero, sometimes it's more interesting playing the bad guy.

I don't know if villains have more fun, but they definitely can be more exciting to play. Which is why we've put together this list of shooters where you actually play as the villain. And while morals can be somewhat subjective, most players would probably agree this group of main characters is more than a bit sinister.

The entries on this list range from far-flung futures to Wild West nightmares, black and white tales of vengeance, and everything else in between. For simplicity, they're ranked according to overall reception as opposed to something more arbitrary. So let's get ready to root for the villain in this list of baddies!

8 Hatred

Perhaps the Most Obvious Inclusion Ever

There's a lot of talk these days about political correctness, which I won't weigh in on. But I do think we can agree that the overreaction to it is generally worse. Take a shooter called Hatred, which was developed as a reaction to political correctness and has a mass killer going on a "genocide crusade" to kill as many humans as possible.

Hatred is a black-and-white tale with an isometric perspective. By executing people, you'll actually replenish your health, in case there was any question whether the character you played was a hero or not. So, while their name might officially be "Not Important", the violence and bloodshed are the goal of this shooter.

Sometimes it's fun to be the bad guy, but maybe not so much here. Thankfully, we have much more nuanced and interesting villains on this list.

7 Saints Row (2022)

That Outlaw Life

Sometimes, being an outlaw is more of an outside perception than anything. Take Robin Hood, for example, who steals from the rich to give to the needy. But in the 2022 reboot of Saints Row, you're not that kind of outlaw. Instead, you're a gang of criminal hoodlums trying to carve out a swathe of power by destroying all your competitors.

Santo Illeso is ripe for the taking, if you're strong and brutal enough to do it. And your group of four friends, known as the Saints, are eager to take the crown. The game itself plays out as a third-person, open-world shooter adventure. You'll drive around, pop caps, and call in gang members to do your dirty work.

In a way, Saints Row is sort of like an overdramatized version of Grand Theft Auto, and that definitely makes it a fun time. Bad guys or not, it can be very satisfying to use violence as your first resort to take care of business.

6 Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

On Parole from Death Row

Nicknames can occasionally be cute reversals; calling a short guy Tall Boy, or a bald guy Curly. But other times, names are just a clear window into someone's depravity. Take Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. A story of two people on death row who get released by other criminals who want their money back.

As you might imagine, the leverage forcing Kane and Lynch to take action is family. So these criminals, who were on the verge of death, are suddenly doling out violence to others. Could they find a way to fight back and be heroic? Probably. Do they? Well, this isn't a list about heroes, so I'll let you be the judge.

It's definitely an interesting premise for a shooter, and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men did well enough to launch a mobile version, a sequel, and even some DLC.

5 Cyberpunk 2077

Legendary Mercenary

While many of us know CD Projekt Red for the Witcher series, they took on science fiction in a big way in Cyberpunk 2077. And let's set aside the awkward first iteration of the game. Eventually, it proved itself to be a worthwhile shooter. And it all centers around a violent mercenary named V, whose brain is being overridden by the bio-chip of a legendary terrorist named Johnny Silverhand.

This first-person ARPG is one where you have a lot of control over how V looks and plays. Not only can you customize V's appearance, but you'll choose from the life paths of Nomad, Street Kid, or Corpo, which influences how you fight and interact with this futuristic world. Heck, you can even pick between Netrunner to hack or Solo to focus more on combat.

Cyberpunk 2077's Night City is a vast metropolis, and it's as beautiful as it is horribly twisted by human greed. So perhaps in a world this edgy, only a villain has any chance of saving the day.

4 Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour

Hail to the King

While I've been known to enjoy fanservice on occasion, there's a difference between that and the sexist drivel you'll find coming out of Duke Nukem's mouth. Is he entertaining? Sometimes, but in the way a grandfather going on a tirade can get a chuckle of discomfort out of his family.

Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is perhaps the perfect version of the game, mixing classic gameplay with improved visuals such as dynamic lighting, as well as new levels and bombastic secrets. There are even horrifying new foes and bosses like the monstrous Cycloid Incinerator.

So long as you can set aside what a flawed and ridiculous human being he is, then you'll find some enjoyment in Duke Nukem. But anybody who's offended by caveman nonsense will find that Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is more of a villain gunning down other villains, all things considered.

3 Payday 2

Heist Together

I think it's safe to say that bank robbers aren't usually heroes, and that trend continues with Payday 2. The Payday gang, consisting this time of Dallas, Wolf, Chains, and Bain, set out for a simple score and got roped into an increasingly complex series of heists courtesy of the Dentist.

Gameplay is a mix of cunning, stealth, and violence. Though you'll never want to be so violent that you trigger alarms and raise alerts, since if your entire crew gets taken down, it's game over. You'll want to be a smooth criminal instead of a hulking neanderthal with a gun.

Payday 2 features a variety of distinct heists, ranging from diamond thefts to bank robberies, and even looting a hidden vault beneath the White House. Best of all, you'll acquire experience that lets you level up and tweak your bank robbers the way you prefer via the skill tree.

2 Helldivers 2

Conquer the Galaxy

Humans tend to have an exaggerated sense of their importance on a global scale. But even then, we haven't gone so far in real life as to rename our planet Super Earth. But that's exactly what happens in Helldivers 2, which builds upon the events of the first as things spiral out of control.

Terminids rampage along with Automatons, all while Super Earth tries to survive the madness of the Meridian Singularity. Only the elite task force of the Helldivers has any chance to repel such threats, and you'll do so with extreme violence. You'll drop into procedurally generated levels from your orbiting Super Destroyer, and paint a bloody swathe across entire planets.

Helldivers 2 is a bit like Starship Troopers on steroids, and is fun so long as you don't look too hard in the mirror and realize you're essentially fighting for a fascist regime.

1 Red Dead Redemption

Cycle of Violence

Let's just be clear — John Marston is not a good man. He's an outlaw for a reason, after all. The trick is, sometimes bad people have people they care about, too. And in his case, that's his family, who are taken by the Bureau of Investigation to force John to work for them. What they want is for him to hunt down his former allies and take them down.

We've all watched plenty of Westerns, but there aren't many that have you taking the reins in such faithful fashion. Rockstar Games really proved they can handle different types of adventures in Red Dead Redemption. You'll be riding on horseback, jumping on trains, and even hunting wild animals. Mostly, though, you'll be trading hot lead with desperados and former friends.

Red Dead Redemption even has an Honor system, where your actions determine how the citizens react to you. And while it might make more sense to find your moral compass and do good deeds, it's a lot more fun to be a murderous outlaw in the Wild West.