Games Where You’re the Apocalypse

Many games center around a hero overcoming impossible challenges to prevent a global catastrophe. This storyline is popular because people enjoy the feeling of being the one who saves the world, and game developers often build on that appeal.

But some games take a different approach. Instead of playing the hero, you’re the one causing trouble – the villain the world needs to be saved from. Sometimes the game is upfront about this, letting you enjoy being destructive. Other times, it’s a secret revealed at the very end, with a shocking twist that completely changes how you see the story.

Furi

The Harbinger of Death

The Stranger is the mysterious main character in the game Furi. He’s driven by a single purpose: to break free from his prison, no matter who he has to defeat. However, once he escapes, he discovers a terrible truth: his very existence is causing the land to wither and die, corrupting everything around him. Desperate for answers, he flees into orbit and encounters The Star, an AI controlling a massive mothership. The Star reveals that the Stranger wasn’t a natural being, but a creation of the ship itself – a scout sent to determine if the planet was fit to be taken over.

The Stranger faces a difficult decision: help The Star conquer the world, achieving what he was originally created for and causing total destruction, or rebel against The Star and his own people. However, The Star cautions him that even if he defeats it, his own flawed nature won’t change, and other invaders will inevitably follow.

Elden Ring

The Lord of Chaos

In the world of Elden Ring, the Tarnished hold the power to decide the Lands Between’s future. They can choose to preserve the existing world, forge a completely new path, or destroy everything altogether.

The “Lord of the Frenzied Flame” ending in Elden Ring sees the player character become a destructive force, unleashing fire and chaos to obliterate not just the Greater Will, but the entire world. Another ending, “Blessing of Despair,” results in a different kind of apocalypse – a slow, inevitable decay. In this scenario, the Elden Ring itself is corrupted by a terrible curse, dooming all life in the Lands Between to suffer endlessly, with no hope of escape, even after death.

Plague Inc.

Design the Perfect Apocalypse

Okay, so in Plague Inc., the objective is pretty clear from the start: wipe out humanity. You play as the plague itself, and it’s up to you to evolve it – choosing how it spreads and what changes will help it dodge everything humans throw at it. If you play your cards right, you can take it from a simple flu-like illness to a total extinction event in just a few months. Basically, you’re trying to make the plague stronger and more adaptable, all while making sure doctors and scientists can’t find a cure or vaccine to stop you.

What’s really exciting is that you decide what causes the end of the world. You can choose classic options like a disease evolving from bacteria, a virus, fungus, or parasite. But things get even more interesting with unique plagues: the Necroa Virus creates zombies, the Neurax Worm turns people into mind-controlled slaves, the Simian Flu gives apes intelligence (like in Planet of the Apes), and the Shadow Plague leads to a vampire apocalypse.

Destroy All Humans!

Slapstick Human Extinction

In the open-world action game Destroy All Humans!, you play as an alien named Crypto. Set in 1950s America, Crypto’s mission is to collect human brain stems to extract DNA that will save his species. He uses a variety of tools – alien weapons, psychic powers, and even UFOs equipped with powerful Death Rays – to cause chaos and eliminate anyone who gets in his way.

Playing Destroy All Humans! is a blast – it’s full of over-the-top violence, silly humor, and cheeky alien jokes. But if you’re one of the humans facing off against the alien Crypto, it’s a total disaster!

Prototype 1 & 2

Biological Weapon of Mass Destruction

In the first Prototype game, Alex Mercer is a classic anti-hero. He’s brutal and violent, and doesn’t always prioritize human life as he fights to survive and uncover the truth. However, he’s not purely evil. With both the military attempting to destroy Manhattan and dangerous super-mutants running wild, Mercer appears to be doing what he needs to in a terrible situation. Ultimately, he even prevents a virus outbreak that would have wiped out the city, saving countless lives.

In Prototype 2, Alex Mercer transforms from a conflicted anti-hero into a full-blown villain, hardened by the cruelty he’s witnessed. After being betrayed by someone he loved, he comes to believe humanity is beyond saving and deserves to be wiped out. He plans to turn people into raw material – biomass – to create a single, unified being that he believes will finally end all suffering.

InFAMOUS

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

The game InFAMOUS reveals a surprising twist: Kessler, the villain, is actually Cole MacGrath from a different future. In this alternate timeline, the powerful Conduit known as the Beast killed Cole’s family, and Kessler traveled back in time hoping to prevent that tragedy. His plan was to prepare the current Cole to defeat the Beast himself. The ending players receive in InFAMOUS depends on the choices they made throughout the game, specifically the Karma they earned.

If Cole follows Kessler’s warning, he embraces his role as Empire City’s hero and prepares to fight the Beast, leading to a positive outcome. However, if he lets arrogance take over and dismisses Kessler’s fears, Empire City is destroyed. It transforms from a vibrant city into a lawless ruin where only the powerful survive, and the weak are oppressed.

Spec Ops: The Line

What Was It All For?

Man, playing as Martin Walker in Spec Ops: The Line really messed with my head. It hit me hard that I was actually the bad guy the whole time. I genuinely started believing I was the only one who understood what was going on in Dubai, and I made some truly awful decisions. I remember unleashing White Phosphorus on those soldiers – wiping them all out. Then I just started shooting anyone I thought was the enemy, and even destroyed the city’s water supply, basically sentencing everyone to die. It was brutal realizing I was the one causing all the destruction.

The game’s ending reveals that Walker was experiencing severe hallucinations, leading him to believe he was communicating with Konrad and justifying his horrific actions. In reality, Konrad had been dead for quite some time. Walker also falsely believed his own battalion had betrayed him, when it was actually the CIA operating secretly to eliminate everyone in Dubai and cover up American involvement in the region. It’s only at the very end of Spec Ops: The Line that Walker fully understands the gravity of his errors. However, at that point, he’s left with a single, difficult choice: confront his mistakes or, as he’s always done, avoid responsibility by blaming others.

Shadow of the Colossus

A Deal With the Devil

In the game Shadow of the Colossus, you play as Wander, a warrior with an ancient sword on a mission to bring a sacrificed girl named Mono back to life. He meets Dormin, a mysterious being who offers to revive Mono if Wander defeats sixteen massive colossi wandering a desolate land. Dormin warns Wander that this will come at a great cost, but Wander accepts the challenge regardless.

Dormin isn’t entirely honest with Wander. Players discover, after defeating all sixteen colossi and attempting to revive Mono, that the colossi weren’t just monsters – they were actually magical seals holding Dormin captive within the Shrine of Worship. By destroying the colossi, Wander unintentionally freed Dormin. While another character manages to reseal Dormin at the end, Wander’s entire journey may have inadvertently served a being capable of causing immense destruction if fully unleashed.

2026-01-21 11:36