10 Video Game Villains We Love To Hate

Life is tough as a video game villain. No matter what you do, you’re doomed to fail, and the hero gets the glory. The bad guys are dealt a miserable hand, but a few standouts embrace the chaos.

If you want a shortlist of baddies that outshine the heroes, here’s our list of the best video game villains we love to hate.

10 Pagan Min – Far Cry 4

May His Light Shine Upon You All

Say what you like about Ubisoft games, but they sure know how to make a good villain.

Pagan Min is the main antagonist in Far Cry 4. He’s dangerous, powerful, and bizarrely well-spoken.

He also has a unique fashion sense and knows the value of good hospitality. Within the first few minutes of Far Cry 4, he’s treating you to a feast, although he excuses himself to torture a poor soul in the other room!

You never know what Pagan Min will do next, and the story is all the more enjoyable because of him.

Pagan Min may fall short of Vaas’s infamy in the prequel, but he’s a top-tier villain all the same.

9 Jeremy – The First Descendant

A Human Motive

We cover many motives with our villains in this list, but Jeremy has one that’s far more relatable: Jealousy.

Players in The First Descendant are all Descendants who can communicate with a mysterious AI construct known as “The Guide.”

Jeremy is an exception to this rule. He doesn’t share this link, and he hates it! No matter what you do, he takes his frustrations out on the player and other Descendants before going rogue and taking matters into his own hands.

I won’t spoil his fate here, but he’s picked up quite a fanbase despite his behavior.

Jeremy may seem like an odd choice, but he’s unanimously hated by every TFD player when they meet him. If that’s not the staple of a good villain, I don’t know what is.

While Jeremy isn’t a playable character in The First Descendant, plenty of other Descendants are worth your time.

8 GLaDOS – Portal

Will There Be Cake?

Valve’s legendary puzzle masterpiece, Portal, wouldn’t be nearly as memorable without GLaDOS running the show.

When you first arrive at the Aperture Science Labs, you would be forgiven for thinking GLaDOS is a friend or at least a guide. GLaDOS helps you through the grueling Aperture Science Test Chambers, but the facade takes a dramatic U-turn when you outlive your usefulness.

GLaDOS’ maniacal ramblings when you escape the Chambers are pure gold. As the player, you look forward to her contacting you, and much of her dialog is memeable and iconic.

Valve builds on GLaDOS’ AI even further in the sequal, and she’s an irreplaceable element in these exceptional puzzle-based shooters.

7 Dr. Neo Cortex – Crash Bandicoot

Are We Sure He’s A Genius?

Most iconic video game villains are stern and severe, but there’s plenty of room for goofballs, too. Dr. Neo Cortex is Crash Bandicoot’s arch-rival, and the funniest part is that it shouldn’t even be a contest.

Crash Bandicoot is agile and athletic, but Dr. Neo Cortex is (supposedly) a genius with an army of henchmen. Regardless, Cortex is utterly incapable of dealing with Crash, and his plans get increasingly more ridiculous as you play through the series.

Dr. Neo Cortex should have the power to vaporize Crash and his friends from orbit. As he’s blissfully unaware of how flammable bandicoots are, it’s a treat to see his plans foiled time and again.

Hell Had No Vacancies

Vamp’s introduction in Metal Gear Solid 2 is stylish and horrifying in a way only Hideo Kojima could manage.

He’s a wizard with knives and sucks his victims dry after he kills them. Vamp is fascinating because you never really know what he’s capable of.

Unlike the other members of Dead Cell, the antagonists in MGS2, Vamp can survive a bullet to the head and dodge bullets. He can even walk on water!

He’s such a badass they even brought him back in Metal Gear Solid 4. Vamp is an enigmatic, ice-cold killer and a great addition to the MGS roster of unique villains.

5 Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil: Village

You Stupid Man Thing!

The Resident Evil series has its fair share of iconic villains, but few are as memorable as Lady Dimitrescu.

Lady Dimetrescu soared in popularity for a few reasons (if you know, you know) during the Resident Evil: Village reveal.

Standing at an imposing 9 feet tall, she relentlessly pursues you around her grand castle. If she doesn’t get you, her psychotic daughters will.

Sadly, Lady Dimitrescu isn’t the main antagonist for Resident Evil: Village, and the game never quite manages to reach the same highs after her time in the story concludes.

4 Lilith – Diablo 4

The Daughter Of Hatred

Lilith is the main antagonist in Diablo 4, and she’s arguably the most evil character on this list. Her intentions are left purposely vague, but it’s clear she wants to overthrow both Heaven and Hell.

The Daughter of Hatred’s words are poison, and you can see the effects of her influence throughout the entire game. Lilith promises things like power and knowledge, and any takers quickly meet an untimely end.

Beyond anything, Lilith is just cruel. She turns a young man into a demon for you to face, all so she can watch the father fall apart as you deal the killing blows.

Sanctuary has never been a nice place, and that’s not about to change in the latest installment.

If you’ve played through Diablo 4 but are unhappy with the conclusion, the developers have hinted that the best is still to come.

3 Zenos – Final Fantasy XIV

A Test Of Your Reflexes

I already alluded to the fact that a good hero needs a powerful villain in a story. Those roles are switched with Zenos in Final Fantasy XIV.

Zenos is the antagonist from the Stormblood Expansion and has an insatiable hunger for power. He’s relentlessly battled tougher foes until there’s nobody left standing. Now, he comes after you as who’s more powerful than the fabled Warrior of Light?

Zenos is a divisive antagonist, as his motives seem crudely simple for the longest time. His character is a little more fleshed out during the Endwalker expansion, but he’s definitely not a complex villain.

The community seems split down the middle when it comes to Zenos. Some love his simplicity, some despise it, and others just fancy him.

2 Vaas Montenegro – Far Cry 3

Far Cry’s Finest Antagonist

Vaas is a superb, unpredictable villain from Far Cry 3. His antics are deranged, but his insanity is oddly intriguing.

You spend a large portion of Far Cry 3 being hunted by this lunatic, who steals the show in every cutscene he’s in.

Several villains on this list are enigmatic and well-spoken. Vaas is the polar opposite. He’s thuggish, crazy, and puts you through the wringer at every opportunity.

The Far Cry games have a pretty strong lineup of antagonists and villains, but the series has never topped the legendary Vaas Montenegro.

1 Handsome Jack – Borderlands 2

Rich And Ruthless

Handsome Jack is the finest villain to come out of the Borderlands franchise and arguably one of the best in the FPS genre.

Jack is the president of Hyperion, and with that title comes near infinite money, influence, and firepower. He’s always one step ahead of the player and sometimes contacts you just to brag.

Handsome Jack is like a loose cannon and is wildly unpredictable. He’s as evil as they come, yet you hang on to his every word.

As twisted as he is, Jack is hellbent on ridding Pandora of the Vault Hunters. He’s utterly convinced he’s in the right, and his character is strong enough to carry multiple play-throughs.

It takes exceptional writing to make a character as foul as Handsome Jack, and he steals the show every time he shows up.

Oh, and if you’re still not impressed, he has a pony made of diamonds called Butt Stallion.

If you heard about the movie’s disastrous performance, it’s not the only video-game tie-in you should avoid.