10 Dark Fantasy Video Games That Are Perfect From Start to Finish

4 weeks ago 25

Published Jul 25, 2026, 8:02 AM EDT

Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.

A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated.

Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point.

Several of the greatest video games ever made belong to the fantasy genre. But dark fantasy isn't like your good ol' regular fantasy, oh no. These are video games where morality is far more grey, where hope and clear-cut heroism are in short supply, where the atmosphere is grim and even scary, and where the characters' goal is pure survival rather than just triumphing over evil.

Indeed, this is a genre that has produced several of the most beloved video games in history. It's one thing for a game to be great, however, and a whole other thing for it to be downright perfect. From classics like The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to modern gems like Elden Ring, there are only a handful of dark fantasy game masterpieces out there which could reasonably be said to be flawless.

10 'Fear & Hunger' (2018)

The iconic indie game Fear & Hunger was practically a one-man project. It was Finnish developer Miro Haverinen who created the entirety of this survival horror masterpiece, from the writing to the music to the programming. Set in a Medieval dark fantasy setting as atmospheric as it is creepy, it's nothing short of one of the best dark fantasy video games of all time.

It's a dungeon crawler unlike any other, one whose grueling difficulty and disturbingly morbid tone feel like they could have only possibly been the product of an indie development. The game is utterly uncompromising in both its gameplay loop and the grimness of its atmosphere, and that's precisely why it's a must-play for adult dark fantasy fans.

9 'Diablo II' (2000)

Blizzard's Diablo series was born with the original game all the way back in 1997, instantly establishing itself as an action RPG franchise to look out for going forward. Its sequel, Diablo II, came only three years later, and fans still widely consider it the best of the bunch. It improved the gameplay and story progression of its already-phenomenal predecessor in substantial ways, and it's still one of the best 2000s video games worth playing over and over.

Where does that infinite replayability come from? Perhaps from the game's legendary randomization and tremendously deep character customization, features that fans of dark fantasy RPGs are pretty much guaranteed to appreciate. Some core mechanics definitely feel a bit dated nowadays, but they only add to the timeless charm of this wonderfully immersive experience.

8 'Shadow of the Colossus' (2005)

A warrior fighting a massive titan in Shadow of the Colossus

As a gorgeously-built game that has often been interpreted as one of the most profound character studies gaming has ever offered, Shadow of the Colossus is usually part of any conversation about why video games deserve to be considered an art form. Originally conceived as an online multiplayer experience, the game eventually transformed into the single-player masterpiece that fans know and love today.

It's one of the best video game masterpieces of the last 50 years, a massively influential gem whose clunky controls never get in the way of the emotionally stirring story, the jaw-dropping visuals, or the addictive gameplay loop. With a dark setting whose tone blends poignancy and the wonder of discovery in perfectly equal measure, Shadow of the Colossus has aged as one of the most groundbreaking games of the 2000s.

7 'Dragon's Dogma' (2012)

Dragon breathing fire in 'Dragon's Dogma'

Capcom's action RPG Dragon's Dogma is set in the dark high fantasy world of Gransys, heavily inspired by Sicily. It's the perfect setting for this wonderfully diverse, uniquely inventive, and satisfyingly challenging gaming experience, one of the most fun that the 2010s ever had to offer. As far as open-world games from the era go, it doesn't get much better than this.

It's a cult classic full of groundbreaking action, side missions that make the world feel incredibly alive and vibrant, and a level of tactical depth that few modern RPGs have ever been capable of replicating. All in all, it's one of the best RPG game masterpieces of all time, an incredibly addictive fantasy experience that refuses to ever hold the player's hand and is all the more rewarding as a result.

6 'Dragon Age: Origins' (2009)

It's rare for a video game series' very first installment to be the one that ages the best, but in the case of the groundbreaking BioWare franchise Dragon Age, that's precisely the case. When fans rank the Dragon Age games, Origins is typically right up there, and for good reason. Heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, this dark high fantasy masterpiece is one that every fan of the genre should play at least once.

That's because with its incredibly deep tactical combat and fantasy world, its impeccably written story, and its fascinating lore and world-building, this is undoubtedly one of the best fantasy video games of the 2000s. Player choices feel incredibly meaningful here, and that's pretty much the main thing that anyone should want out of an RPG.

5 'Bloodborne' (2015)

FromSoftware's Dark Souls became such a massively influential groundbreaker that it led the gaming community to coin a new game genre: the "soulslike," any game sharing Dark Souls' unique DNA. Unsurprisingly, it has been FromSoft themselves who have dominated the soulslike space throughout the years, and few of their games have ever achieved the kind of cult status that Bloodborne still holds to this day.

Inspired by the works of dark fantasy and horror masters like Bram Stoker and H. P. Lovecraft, Bloodborne is the ultimate Victorian video game out there. Gothic to the core and unapologetically difficult from beginning to end, it's simply one of those fantasy video games that are perfect throughout.

4 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' (2015)

Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher books were quite popular in their native Poland from day one, but it wouldn't be until CD Projekt Red released the 2007 game of the same title that the franchise would be catapulted straight into the mainstream. From that trajectory came what many would confidently refer to as the greatest piece of Witcher media ever: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards and widely regarded as one of the greatest action RPGs in history, this dark fantasy masterpiece is easily one of the best story-driven video games of all time. You can get hundreds upon hundreds of hours of everlasting fun out of Wild Hunt, thanks to the balance between the engrossing narrative and the richness of the open world.

3 'Hollow Knight' (2017)

Saying that Hollow Knight is one of the best Metroidvania video games of all time would be an understatement. Thanks to its dark yet charming art style and its lack of graphic content (especially compared to many of its dark fantasy peers), this modern classic may look kid-friendly on the surface, but make no mistake: At its most challenging, Hollow Knight can be gleefully punishing beyond comparison.

But just like the best hyper-difficult video games, Hollow Knight always knows how to best balance that level of challenge with satisfying rewards that make blasting through the immersive Hallownest map a blast from start to finish. The bosses are legendary, the Metroidvania elements are perfectly balanced, and the whole experience is as addictive as it is replayable.

Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek

Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🚀Star Wars

💍Lord of the Rings

🧙Harry Potter

👑Game of Thrones

🖖Star Trek

FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →

What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.

ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.

NEXT QUESTION →

Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.

AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.

AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.

NEXT QUESTION →

Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.

AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.

AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.

NEXT QUESTION →

How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.

AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.

NEXT QUESTION →

What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?

AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.

NEXT QUESTION →

What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.

AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.

REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →

Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

Star Wars

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.

Lord of the Rings

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.

Harry Potter

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.

Game of Thrones

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.

Star Trek

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

2 'The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask' (2000)

There are those who may argue that Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise is the single biggest and most important fantasy video game series in history, and it would be hard to argue against them. There is only one Legend of Zelda game, however, that truly fits into the dark fantasy box. Fittingly, it happens to be many fans' favorite installment: Majora's Mask.

When fans rank the 3D Legend of Zelda games, Majora's Mask almost always gravitates around the top, and that's because it truly is one of the most perfect video games ever created. Its unique "save the world in three days" time loop mechanic makes for one of the most enthralling gaming experiences the dark fantasy genre has ever had to offer, and the depth of the mechanics and world make this a top-tier Zelda masterpiece.

1 'Elden Ring' (2022)

A warrior about to fight a giant enemy holding an axe in Elden Ring

Co-written by George R. R. Martin of "everything but finishing A Song of Ice and Fire" fame, Elden Ring has given gamers four years to allow any kind of recency bias accusations to die down. And yet, they haven't. That's because at this point, it's almost a universal truth that this is not only FromSoftware's best and biggest game to date, but also one of the best video game masterpieces of the last 50 years.

As far as dark fantasy gaming goes, it doesn't get much more essential than this flawless open-world RPG. The unparalleled sense of discovery, the depth of the combat mechanics, the sheer density of it all—everything in Elden Ring comes together perfectly to offer one of the most irresistibly entertaining gaming experiences anyone could ever possibly have, regardless of what genres they usually gravitate to. The soulslike difficulty that fans of the series know and love is there for those who crave it, but the gargantuan openness of the experience also makes this the perfect gateway point for those who have never played a FromSoft game.