Open-World RPGs With Villains Who Have A Point

It can be enjoyable to dislike video game villains who are completely evil. Take Kefka from Final Fantasy 6, for instance – he’s utterly devoid of compassion. Driven solely by a desire for power, he unleashes a terrible disaster until the heroes finally defeat him.

While it’s enjoyable to play against purely evil villains, it’s often more compelling when game developers create villains with depth and complexity. Perhaps these characters have a sad past, or maybe their motives for doing wrong are rooted in something beyond our understanding. The open-world games below feature villains who might actually make you question their actions, though we’ll only provide a short overview of each game’s story, as they all have intricate plots.

That said, there will still be spoilers.

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Sephiroth

A Grand Plan For The World

In the original Final Fantasy 7, Sephiroth aimed to conquer the planet, believing it rightfully belonged to him. However, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second game in the remake series, introduces a multiverse. This means the new Sephiroth doesn’t just want to rule a single planet – he wants to be the ultimate judge of the entire universe.

We don’t know all the details yet, but Sephiroth’s desire to connect different worlds and protect the planet from exploitation isn’t inherently bad. It’s his plan to achieve this through widespread killing that’s completely misguided.

Lilith

Grace In The Devil

In Diablo 4, Lilith is the main antagonist, but she’s unlike the typical demons seen in previous Diablo games. While those demons often reveled in suffering, Lilith took a different path, presenting herself as a nurturing figure to humanity and offering them a sense of purpose and value.

Giving in to her control meant people would no longer experience pain or hardship in their everyday lives. It seemed like a good idea, and it likely helped some communities she governed, but things changed later on. It eventually became less about helping people and more about ritualistic sacrifice.

The Institute

Submit Or Die

Unlike many games, Fallout 4 doesn’t have a single main villain. Instead, the story revolves around The Institute, a group based in the Boston area. They were focused on collecting all knowledge and technology, and their efforts were greatly aided when they found Shaun, the player character’s son.

Shaun was kidnapped while in cryo-sleep, causing him to age much quicker than his parents. This rapid development leads him to become a leader at The Institute. Both Shaun and The Institute act as antagonists in the game, as they control and harm the people on the surface. Their quest for knowledge and power, supposedly for the benefit of everyone, really only helps those living underground.

Higgs Monaghan

Should We Have Connected?

Troy Baker reprises his role as Higgs in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, returning as the main villain. Driven by a desire for revenge, Higgs was trapped on a Beach, which caused him to lose his sanity. He warns Sam and his team against reconnecting the world, claiming it will allow dangerous individuals like himself to cause widespread destruction.

Completely shattered mentally, he now seeks to cause another catastrophe, hoping to either restart the world or end it completely. It’s understandable that endless suffering would lead anyone to believe life is meaningless. What’s the point of continuing to live if humanity is forced to exist in cramped, underground shelters?

Pagan Min

Sit Down And Relax

Pagan Min is a character voiced by Troy Baker, but he’s very different from the dictator seen in Far Cry 4. The game puts you in the shoes of Ajay, who travels back to his homeland to scatter his mother’s ashes. When he arrives, he’s greeted warmly by Pagan Min, who briefly excuses himself during their first meeting.

Depending on how players respond to Pagan Min, the game offers different outcomes. If they support him, they’ll see a conclusion highlighting his positive qualities as a leader. However, even if players rebel and destroy his outposts, Pagan Min doesn’t immediately become hostile. He primarily wants to maintain control, which can make the player character, Ajay, appear to be the one causing trouble.

The Tantas

Suppressing A Bigger Threat

Forspoken is a fantasy adventure where Frey, a regular woman struggling in New York City, suddenly finds herself in a magical world. This world is a harsh wasteland ruled by powerful, cruel mages known as The Tantas, who terrorize the people.

As you progress through the game, things start to get really weird – the Tantas are clearly losing it. Turns out, ages ago they locked away something way more dangerous, this entity called Susurrus, and it drove them a little crazy. Honestly, even though the Tantas are pretty brutal now, it’s still better than what Susurrus would have done if he’d stayed free. It’s like we’re dealing with the least bad option here.

Eredin

Kill One To Save Millions

In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the fearsome Wild Hunt is commanded by Eredin. They originate from a dying world, and Ciri is the key to saving millions. Eredin, seeing her as a chosen warrior, will stop at nothing to ensure his world’s survival – a classic story setup of conflicting morals.

Imagine you could save many lives, but only by sacrificing one person – even someone you deeply care about. It seems like a simple choice, but when Geralt is faced with the possibility of losing Ciri, the daughter he raised, he can’t bring himself to let his enemy, Eredin, succeed. While Eredin’s victory would mean an invasion of Geralt’s world, his goal is still presented as a righteous one.

Luxaar

Defending His Turf

Unlike many sci-fi stories, Xenoblade Chronicles X flips the script: humans are the ones arriving on an already inhabited planet. When they land on Mira, they quickly discover it’s home to intelligent alien life. As they try to build a new life and establish connections, humanity finds itself under attack by a diverse alien coalition, similar to the Covenant from Halo.

Luxaar leads his people and, despite the possibility of peaceful talks with humans, chooses to destroy them instead. Although his actions are undeniably cruel, he believes he’s protecting his planet, justifying his empire’s aggression. Ultimately, while understandable from his perspective, prioritizing diplomacy and compassion would have been a better path.

Akechi Mitsuhide

Returning Order To The Shogunate

The story of Assassin’s Creed Shadows starts with Naoe witnessing the destruction of her ninja clan by mysterious masked attackers. Believing Lord Nobunaga was responsible, she dedicates herself to taking him down. As she gets closer to her goal, Naoe finds an ally in Akechi Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide provided Naoe with everything she needed, but it was all part of a scheme to seize power. He was secretly the masked leader who orchestrated the destruction of Naoe’s village. Mitsuhide believed Nobunaga’s leadership was leading Japan to ruin, and he wasn’t entirely wrong. Although destroying the village and staging a coup were terrible acts, Mitsuhide might have been a kinder ruler if he’d been given the opportunity.

Karen Travers

If I Could Turn Back Time

In the post-apocalyptic world of Scarlet Nexus, most of humanity lives safely within a single city, while soldiers venture out to fight dangerous monsters. The game features two separate story campaigns, played as either Yuito or Kasane, that ultimately converge on the same objective: stopping their former commander, Karen. Karen is responsible for a surge in dangerous anomalies, as he attempts to use ancient technology to travel back in time.

I’m totally invested in this story! It’s about a guy desperately trying to save Alice, a woman he feels responsible for losing. It’s awesome that he’s trying to fix things, especially since discovering some really messed up secrets about the government. But honestly, his attempts to save her have created these crazy distortions in time and space, and it’s led to a lot of other people suffering. And the biggest twist? Karen, who I thought was a good guy, turns out to be the villain, but she actually ends up making the right decision. It’s so complex!

2026-02-14 08:36