FPS Games Where You’re the Anti-Hero

We usually imagine heroes as people who follow the rules and have strong morals, but video games frequently feature characters who break those boundaries to get what they want.

In fast-paced action games, players usually control incredibly strong characters who defeat countless enemies. We don’t often think about what those actions mean in a broader sense, beyond just the game itself.

But some stories acknowledge this, featuring characters who realize – whether they intend to or not – that they aren’t simply the heroes. They might not be acting out of pure goodness, or might not even see themselves as ‘the good guys’.

If you enjoy games with complex characters who aren’t clearly good or evil, I recommend these ten first-person shooter games where you play as the anti-hero.

10. Shadow Warrior

Not Everyone Achieves Redemption

Lo Wang, the skilled assassin from Shadow Warrior, is a classic antihero – his background and actions speak for themselves.

Despite facing his own hardships, he ultimately helps others, but his involvement in the apocalypse blurs the line between whether he’s a hero or a villain.

He enjoys violence, tells crude jokes, and associates with criminals and demons – acting like a typical villain. However, he’s ultimately on the side of good because he battles truly evil, monstrous forces.

Lo Wang has a personal history that shows his human side, making him more relatable than the Yokai. However, within the Shadow Warrior games, he consistently acts as a classic antihero.

9. Wolfenstein: The New Order

Desperate Measures for Desperate Times

It seems odd to call someone who dedicates their life to killing Nazis a hero, but the intensely violent actions of the popular character William “B.J.” Blazkowicz in Wolfenstein: The New Order are hard to overlook.

If you think about what a traditional hero is—someone who always tries to do what’s right and avoid doing wrong—it’s easy to see that this spy doesn’t quite fit that image.

The amount of violent action – shootings, limb removals, and even internal organ damage – that BJ Blazkowicz endures is rare in video games, and that’s remarkable considering how many games there are.

After that point, he becomes a clear hero, determined to break the pattern of family hatred his father created. He eliminates so many Nazi agents that the exact number is impossible to track, and this might be a big reason why Wolfenstein: The New Order is such an enjoyable game.

8. Metal: Hellsinger

Demons Against Demons

As a big fan of games with demonic themes, I’ve noticed a pattern: most of the time, the main character starts off as someone flawed or even a bit of a bad guy. But the reason they included The Unknown from Metal: Hellsinger felt different – it wasn’t just about following that typical trope.

She’s incredibly powerful, fueled by a relentless desire for revenge. She’d happily empty Hell of everyone inside, just to regain her voice.

The story’s villain is undoubtedly more evil – the Red Judge is a cruel tyrant who enslaves and tortures everyone she conquers. However, someone with that much power, driven only by a desire for revenge, fits the profile of an anti-hero perfectly.

Considering its interdimensional demon-summoning and the personal story of its main character, it’s clear why we’re including Metal: Hellsinger in this piece.

7. RAGE 2

Survival Has No Morality

Discussing right and wrong after a disaster is complicated. When the basic rules of society break down – as happens in games like RAGE 2 – it challenges our understanding of morality because the agreements that hold communities together are gone.

However, we have the unique opportunity to examine this game while some rules and expectations still apply, and it’s clear that the actions Walker takes would be deeply disturbing – even shocking – to someone experienced with the law.

The desire for revenge fuels our journey through the game’s harsh world, and simply staying alive requires making difficult, even terrible, choices. It’s a struggle for survival that demands we do whatever it takes.

We consistently face truly terrible enemies, but this isn’t about comparing their crimes to our own. It’s about whether our main character is a flawed hero—and RAGE 2 definitely delivers on that front.

6. Borderlands 2

Interplanetary Greed

Borderlands 2 creates a world that feels genuinely devoid of goodness. On the planet Pandora, you won’t find a single kind-hearted character – everyone is self-serving and ruthless.

The main characters are always motivated by personal gain – they’re after the Vaults for wealth, recognition, and a good time at Moxxi’s bar, often to the point of losing themselves in the game world.

Okay, so these guys aren’t your typical heroes. Usually, in other games, they’d be the villains – bounty hunters you’d be taking down. But in this game? They’re actually the ones fighting against this seriously evil dude, Handsome Jack, who’s basically trying to wipe out entire planets on a whim. They’re the good guys, even if they’re a little rough around the edges!

Sometimes you do things in Borderlands 2 that help people, but the game is mostly filled with characters who only care about themselves. It’s hard to find any genuinely selfless acts because of this.

5. Dishonored

Dunwall Doesn’t Accept Heroes

I often find morality systems in video games uninteresting because they usually present choices as simply good or evil, feeling forced and unrealistic. Dishonored avoids this problem.

The game lets you express yourself through what you do, not just what you say. As a silent character, your choices have a real and lasting effect on the city of Dunwall.

The game really wants you to feel like you’re trapped in a hopeless city, where even well-intentioned choices often lead to unexpectedly bad results.

Despite Corvo—and the player’s—best efforts, the city is overrun with wrongdoing, and our actions seem to only exacerbate the problems. While we don’t intend to cause harm, even when playing without violence, it’s clear our choices aren’t exactly heroic.

4. BioShock Infinite

Paying Off Debt is Expensive

BioShock Infinite stands out as one of the best first-person shooter games due to its compelling story, largely thanks to the intricate and fascinating character of Booker DeWitt.

Given his history as a Pinkerton agent known for brutally suppressing protests, and his involvement in the Wounded Knee Massacre, it’s clear this person was deeply objectionable.

Honestly, even just looking at what happens in the game, it’s pretty rough. This guy is just completely stuck in a terrible cycle – he’s miserable, battling alcoholism and a gambling problem, and then constantly resorts to violence because he doesn’t see any other way to fix things. It’s just… a really sad and destructive pattern.

Considering the game’s big reveal, Booker DeWitt is a deeply troubled but fascinating character. We feel for him due to the hardships he faces, but he’s certainly not someone to look up to.

3. The Darkness 2

Giving Shelter to the Forces of Evil

When it comes to characters who aren’t good examples for kids, Jackie Estacado from The Darkness 2 definitely fits the bill. He’s a gangster with special abilities, so it’s no surprise he’s on this list.

Haunted by personal tragedy and relentlessly pursued by a sinister secret society called The Brotherhood, the main character in this often-overlooked game actually becomes the very essence of the Darkness.

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Jackie isn’t a hero by nature; he’s only the protagonist because the player controls him. He lacks any real positive traits and is actually being used and strengthened by an ancient creature that gains power by consuming souls.

He’s violent, focused only on himself, and seems controlled by a truly terrible force. It’s challenging to find anything heroic about him, given how much of a villain he is.

2. Cyberpunk 2077

Greatness Isn’t a Common Good

Even though Cyberpunk 2077 lets you shape your character and make choices as a mercenary, the core reality is that you’re operating outside the law and without a strong moral compass.

Night City is also struggling, pushing its people to change just to get by. This has led to a new way of life that’s ultimately become deeply problematic.

If we truly listed and examined all the awful things our characters do in this game – things like stealing, killing, blackmailing, and invading privacy – we’d be horrified. It would make us feel like we needed to cleanse ourselves after every time we play.

One of the most compelling aspects of Cyberpunk 2077 is its immersive, bleak setting. The game places you in a future where humanity has lost its way, and powerful corporations rule everything. To survive, you have to play by their rules.

1. Far Cry 3

Violence is Your Hobby

Before Ubisoft started facing challenges, it was known for making some of the most innovative and engaging open-world games available. For me, the game that best embodies this era is Far Cry 3.

The game feels like an independent title, and it centers around a powerful critique of violence. Players experience this through the journey of Jason Brody, who copes with a deeply traumatic experience by giving in to his darker impulses and turning his reality into a space for unrestrained behavior.

Driven by a desperate need to survive, a young man transforms into a ruthless instrument of violence, justifying his actions – including killing and stealing – along the way. He stops feeling fear and simply operates as a cold, efficient force.

Working with shady characters, rescuing friends, and getting off the island all serve as convenient reasons to indulge in the character—and the player’s—real desires: shooting everything in sight and destroying as many marijuana farms as possible.

Honestly, playing Far Cry 3 really made me think. It’s not about some noble sacrifice when I’m causing chaos – it’s just… fun. The game kind of exposes how we, as players, actually enjoy being the bad guy, and that’s what makes it so good. It’s a surprisingly honest look at our obsession with video game violence.

2026-02-25 21:42