10 games that reward you for being evil

Aren't you tired of always being nice? Do you want to be a bit wild? Maybe even evil? Most games let you play as the good guy, whatever 'good' means to most people. And being good is a good thing, but games are fiction, and sometimes it's nice to be a bit mischievous.

And if you can be rewarded for it? Then that's even better. This applies not only to games where it's thematically different to be evil, but also when you're specifically rewarded with something you would never otherwise see if you're hindered by things like 'morality' or 'ethics'.

10 Crusader Kings

We tend to perceive the medieval period in Europe, especially for those who were isolated from Europe, as a time of somber colors, serious conversations, and devoid of humor. That is hardly the case, and Crusader Kings is a great demonstration that the Middle Ages were characterized by many colorful and eccentric personalities.

Crusader Kings is also very honest in this regard. There is no real goal, but one desires to expand their boundaries. And what is more fun: building a long lineage and hoping that land falls into your hands, or killing a foreign lord after fabricating a claim on their land so that it belongs to you? No empire was built on bloodless deeds.

9 Papers, Please

Papers, Please is a game about the world. While it adopts a Soviet aesthetic, the game depicts a situation that exists worldwide, especially in times of conflict. You manage the border of Arstotzka as an immigration inspector and are the final authority on who is deemed worthy to enter your glorious nation.

When did the law last define morality? Papers, Please puts you in the position of reconciling these vexing concepts. Is it worth helping someone who is simply seeking peace in a new home if it means your own family will suffer? Or perhaps you simply don't care, and the allure of that fancy new apartment closer to work is worth the shattered lives.

8 Vampyr

Dontnod has developed a variety of games in different genres, but they usually share a commonality - morality. What makes a person a good individual, and is it sometimes moral to do the wrong thing? Vampyr encapsulates this at its core, as the fate of the people in London lies in your skilled, bloody hands.

As a doctor, you are indispensable for the health of London. However, as a vampire, you urgently need blood to survive. This landlord is a nuisance, why not taste his blood? No one will miss him. Ah, but fresh blood tastes so good. Why not have another one? You are a doctor, you should be able to decide who is worth living. Or does that make you a monster?

7 Tyranny

Tyranny is a game that openly displays its politics. It's already evident in the title. You play as a Fatebinder, tasked with restoring and maintaining the order of Terratus, the land ruled by the mysterious figure known as Kyros. This fact cannot be changed. You are a Fatebinder, and Kyros rules.

In Tyranny, there is no possibility to be "good," only varying degrees of lesser evil. You can choose to rebel against Kyros, but the system is fundamentally flawed. Perhaps this is better, but who are you, as an enforcer of their rule, to decide? It would be much easier to simply do your job and enjoy a quiet, controlled life under Kyros.

6 Call of Duty

Are you a fan of war crimes? Hopefully, the answer to this question is no, otherwise there is no hope left for you. Of course, war crimes are evil, but there is a certain desensitization to the actual concept. How often have you played a game like Call of Duty and detonated a nuclear bomb to end the game, without feeling genuine horror and dismay about what you have done? Probably not very often.

Of course, Call of Duty doesn't really give you the opportunity to be "good," does it? Real war crimes are altered in a way that they are caused by another one of those evil nations, not the one you play as. No, you are the good guy. Remember that next time you drop white phosphorus on the people you're told are the enemy.

5 Untitled Goose Game

If there were a creature on this Earth most inclined towards villainous deeds, you might feel morally obligated to say that it would be humans. But you would be wrong. It's geese. Geese are beings of pure malevolence and deceit, and Untitled Goose Game proves it.

The game puts you in the role of a goose whose sole objective is to harass people. You could try to handle your devious acts with kindness, but that would be like playing GTA and following traffic rules - extremely boring. "Untitled Goose Game" allows you to express a kind of malevolence that doesn't involve killing people. So, you can enjoy it guilt-free. You even get a golden egg as a reward for it.

4 Baldur's Gate 3

This contribution from Larian comes from one of the most prestigious CRPGs and one of the biggest media franchises in D&D. It is an overwhelming success and one that is not afraid to openly address its content.

Dark desire is precisely that—a marvelous urge that is hard to resist. Honestly, does that annoying person you're talking to really need to be alive? Wouldn't it be amusing to give in to the impulsive thought of consuming that corpse? Who even decides what is truly evil, anyway? That hand you've taken will likely prove very useful sooner or later.

3 Infamous

There are two types of good and evil when portrayed in games - Absurdist and Deadly Serious. "Infamous" falls into the latter category and becomes increasingly deadly serious throughout the games. The first two games can be occasionally humorous, but they still deal with what it means to wield such power and bear the responsibility that comes with it.

"Second Son," on the other hand, manifests it in a very interesting way. Your powers become more brutal, aiming for instant killing and numerous explosions. What is sometimes defined as evil tries to be so deadly serious that it twists back into the absurd. For instance, sex is reserved for evil people, and that seems like a pretty good incentive for killing.

2 Dishonored

"Dishonored" is a series that manages to blend the ideas of good and evil in a way that is simultaneously exaggerated and thematically grounded. The game makes it very clear to you that killing people is bad. Even the other evil individuals can be held accountable in a poetically fitting manner without death, although this non-lethal fate can sometimes be worse than death.

Pestilence is at the core of Dishonored. If you refrain from killing, the plague subsides. People are healthier, there are fewer rats, and fewer security forces. But where's the thrill in that? It's only fair to witness a swarm of rats devouring the city guard considering what they've done to you. With all the power you possess, you deserve to toy with people. It's much more enjoyable than hiding.

1 Fable

Deep on the absurdity scale, we have Fable. Fable is a true delight because it knows that morality is a precarious structure when viewed through the lens of society. In response, the game has created stereotypes. Did you kick a chicken? Despicable behavior, now wear horns befitting a demon. Did you help a cat get down from a tree? A saint walks among us, wear a halo to proclaim your divinity.

Fable 2 makes this even more entertaining by introducing the concepts of purity and corruption. Did you provide a nice home for a family? How kind of you, here's a radiant aura around you. Ah, you demand exorbitant rents from them to line your own pockets. Black hair and a poor complexion bear witness to your corruption.