Power fantasies in games often cast players as noble leaders or saviors. Yet some of the most compelling experiences explore the darker side of authority, where cruelty, manipulation, and absolute control define the path, allowing players to embrace villainy not as a narrative twist, but as a core part of the game.
Whether through tyranny, corruption, or domination, many games offer unique ways to rule with malice, revealing how open systems and moral choices can turn leadership into an exploration of power's destructive potential. By giving you the freedom to rule without restrictions, these games allow players to embody the ultimate dark fantasy of becoming an evil ruler who never holds back.
Total War: Warhammer III
Commanding Armies In The Name Of Darkness
Total War: Warhammer III gives players the chance to rule as some of fantasy's most infamous factions, from the demonic hosts of Chaos to the tyrannical legions of the undead. Each faction is built around domination, corruption, and conquest, so villainy isn't just an option, it's a central theme.
The game really rewards cruelty and aggression when it comes to strategic decision-making, while the battlefield offers countless ways to crush the opposition until there's nothing left. Embracing dark forces, players can quickly spread corruption across the map and reshape empires through sheer unrelenting evil.
Tropico 6
Rule With Authority And Oppression
Tropico 6 allows players to don the persona of “El Presidente,” a ruler whose methods may lean toward benevolence or authoritarian control. Choosing the second option will turn governance into a dictatorship where citizens become tools that the player can use and control to achieve their evil goals.
Maintaining power requires surveillance, propaganda, and the occasional crushing of dissent. While players can mask tyranny with magic, ruling as an evil despot provides endless opportunities to exploit citizens, and the game gives players all the power to rule with as much force and fury as they want.
Crusader Kings 3
Bloodlines become ruthless dynasties
In Crusader Kings III, players lead a medieval dynasty, but they are not required to rule justly. Leadership can take many forms, with the path of evil being both a viable and rewarding path that takes the player through arcs of betrayal, assassination, blackmail and more.
Open-ended systems can often reward cunning over compassion. Through manipulation and cruelty, players can create legacies defined by fear, demonstrating that in grand strategy evil is not only permissible, but sometimes the most effective path to dominance.
Evil Genius 2: World Domination
Building the Empire of Villiana
Evil Genius 2 puts the player in the role of a cartoonish supervillain bent on world domination. From a secret island lair, every decision reinforces the fantasy of rule through fear, manipulation and ruthless efficiency, as minions carry out devious orders while elaborate traps keep intruders at bay.
The core of the loop thrives on experimentation with tyranny. Expanding the lair, managing minions and organizing global plans all reinforce the image of an evil ruler wielding absolute power. It's a modern strategy experience that unapologetically embraces villainy and turns domination into both an art and a science.
Stellaris
Domination On A Galactic Scale
IN Stellarisplayers create entire empires across planets and shape the ideologies and policies that define the galactic presence. Adopting authoritarian or xenophobic ways turns governance into an interstellar tyranny, and the wrong approach can lead to oppression, slavery, and purges, all in the name of progress.
Experimenting with ruling styles shows how cruelty can reshape entire civilizations. The game rewards tough politicians with unique perks that make Tyranny not only thematically effective but also mechanically effective, giving players an alternate path to take that can lead to more conquest than ever before.
Frostpunk
Authority Cold As A Setting
Frostpunk challenges players to lead a frozen city where survival requires harsh rule. Laws can enforce child labor, brutal punishments, or totalitarian rule, and choosing cruelty ensures order but erodes humanity, creating an interesting balance that players can tilt either way.
The moral weight of the decision defines the experience. The rule of evil is not only permitted, but often practical, making tyranny an attractive path to survival. It highlights how authoritarian power can flourish in desperation and how evil is sometimes inevitable when faced with difficult decisions.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Become The Ultimate Warlord
IN Bannerlordplayers will rise from mercenary to monarch and shape kingdoms through conquest and diplomacy. Adopting ruthless strategies turns leadership into tyranny, with villages leveled, rivals executed, and subjects ruled by fear.
The sandbox design makes the villain a natural expression of power. Experimenting with cruelty provides tangible rewards and cements the evil overlord's role as a legitimate path to dominance in a way that few open-world games have been able to emulate.
