The most corrupt and evil governments in video game history

There is no trope like that corrupt government. They're easy to hate, you're guaranteed to root against them, and their downfall is both satisfying and inspiring. It's a thing that people have been writing about for centuries, and video games have picked up that torch and continued the tradition.

Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.

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Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.

Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)Start

In today's world, we can see this kind of corruption at all levels of government, no matter where we live. Some receive more media attention than others and some are far more repressive, but no country is completely safe from corrupt leadership. If you want a glimpse of how bad things can get but don't want to doomscroll for it, these other games include some of the worst governments what have we ever seen. Hopefully by playing them you can cause them to fall.

Arstotzka – Papers, please

The other one is dangerous, but we'll keep you safe

Perhaps the most famous of all the governments on this list, Arstotzka is a communist dictatorship where forced labor is commonplace. Citizens of Arstotzky are not even allowed to work unless they start a family, as they are expected to continue growing the land in order to live there.

Working as an inspector at the border crossing between Arstotzka and Kolechia, you will see first hand the tyrannical overreach of the government, all done under the guise of protecting the homeland. Racial profiling, invasive searches, and independent cruelty are all job expectations. People will come to your stall begging for help, desperate and hungry, but if you help them, your paycheck will be docked, which means your family will suffer. You have no rights in this country. Follow the line, follow orders and don't trust strangers. Glory to Arstotzka.

Shinra – Final Fantasy 7

Society and government are one and the same

You might be looking at this and thinking, “Wait, Shinra is a corporation, not a government.” While you're technically correct, the corporation controls the electricity for all of Midgar, putting them in a position of power that controls the “official” politicians, including Mayor Domino. President Shinra, head of Shinra Electric Power Company, is also a politician (sound familiar?) and his plans for Midgar and Mako, which reside in local politics, have no room for him to win under her. Republic of Junon, conquers the country and subjugates its population by forcing them to live beneath his new megacity without food or water.

The resistance group Avalanche (or terrorist group, according to Shinra) has already caught it and v Final Fantasy VII we captured their first foray into the fight against the megacorporation. Just look at what Shinra throws back at them. Private militias, super soldiers, giant security robots, dangerous experiments and more. Shinra may be “only” a corporation in name, but its actions show that it has far more control than any actual government, and uses that control to further President Shinra's ambitions and nothing more.

Conglomerate – Mirror's Edge

Knowledge is dangerous

Conglomerate is another mega-corporation that has turned into a ruling power, but in this case, that's not the point. Several powerful and wealthy families, known as Corporate Houses, gradually took control of the city and then expanded to conquer all of Cascadia, overthrowing the ruling communist regime. People rose up in an event known as the November Riots, but these were considered violent and were suppressed by the city's security. Today, automated security systems monitor all activity on the streets, and personalized tracking bracelets store everyone's identity and financial information.

This surveillance is largely designed to suppress the spread of information. If the Conglomerate controls what information its people have access to, it can control their understanding of their own subjugation. This is where runners like Faith, the main character mirror's edge, operate. They take to rooftops where visibility is poor and run across the city to deliver illicit information to residents. Just look at what Runners have to accomplish to get their job done and you begin to understand how oppressive the regime is on the ground, even if you never see it yourself.

The Combine – Half-Life 2

Surrender to your alien overlords

Most people don't even realize it after playing half life 2, but Combine they're not the soldiers we see patrolling City 17. They're the people already subjugated by the Combine; the rulers themselves are something bigger, more insidious and almost completely unknowable. They are an interdimensional alien force composed of many alien races, some allied and others enslaved. Their only goal is expansion and perfection across space and dimensions.

The Combine conquered humanity in what is known as the Seven Hour War, and the name tells you how futile Earth's resistance against them was. Dr. Wallace Breen was nominated as the representative of humanity, arguing that humans are more valuable alive than eradicated. This is the only reason the human race still exists Half-Life 2. The Combine is ruthless in its subjugation, eradicating human identity through experimentation and invasive surgery in an attempt to forcibly assimilate an entire race. There is no local rationale behind the Combine rule, false or otherwise; they simply dominate, assimilate and continue their constant quest for total power and control.

Alpha Section – Beyond Good & Evil

Join your liberators, protect Hillys, become a hero

Alpha section is a classic totalitarian government that presents itself as a hero and liberator to quell any dissent among the populace about its actions. During the failed war against the DomZ, a parasitic alien race, a group of mercenaries called the Alpha Section were hired to reinforce the Hillyan army. This eventually turned the tide of the war. However, it was later revealed that the Alpha Section had not so much reinforced the Hillyan forces as taken command of them.

Once they curbed the military's influence, the Alpha Section quickly took control of the Hillyan government and began a massive propaganda campaign, claiming to be war heroes and undertaking a massive recruitment effort. It was later revealed that their recruits were then subjected to bioengineering experiments using DomZ technology. Alpha Section also engaged in kidnapping and human trafficking to further expand its ranks. In the final Beyond good and evil, Jade discovers that Alpha Section was actually working with DomZ in an attempt to overthrow Hillyan's rule. After Jade and IRIS broadcast this information to the people of the Hillys, the military turns on Alpha Section, expelling them from their moon base and resuming government control for the time being.