The 10 Best Video Game Antiheroes of All Time, Ranked

3 weeks ago 39

Booker DeWitt falls through Columbia with Elizabeth in 'BioShock Infinite'

Published Aug 2, 2026, 8:21 AM EDT

Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.

Everyone loves a good anti-hero who can blur the lines between good and evil. These characters aren't just sympathetic villains, but individuals who lack specific heroic traits, like Link from The Legend of Zelda, yet still move the plot forward through individual goals that can sometimes be considered good. They also aren't heroes who bend the rules sometimes, like Leon from Resident Evil.

Fans love these types of characters because they are complicated, messy, and more relatable, with everything they do shaping the good or bad inside them. That is why this list will rank the ten greatest video game anti-heroes of all time based on writing, characterization, development, moral ambiguity, flaws, relatability, and overall quality.

10 Geralt of Rivia

'The Witcher' Games (2007–Present)

Fantasy games take one of two approaches: either a whimsical world full of adventure, or a dark and bleak existence. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is part of the latter, meaning there are many anti-heroes, including the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia. As a Witcher, he faces constant discrimination, yet he continues to do whatever job he is paid to do, simply existing for monster hunting and coin.

However, his motives and goals evolve far beyond monster hunting and coin later in the series, with him trying to protect Ciri and needing to choose lesser evils. His personality and cynical views shaped by the bleak world can't help but steer his decisions even if he wants to do the right thing, making him a fantastic protagonist in one of the best video games of the past century.

9 Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi)

'Mortal Kombat' Games (1992–Present)

Scorpion launching a chain in Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat is one of the greatest fighting game franchises of all time, and any good fighting game needs a roster of engaging characters. Mortal Kombat has a lot of brutal personalities, but the one who sticks out the most is Scorpion. After his family was murdered by Sub-Zero, he spends the rest of his life and afterlife hunting him down until he can drag Sub-Zero into hell.

Scorpion used to just be a badass video game character who said "get over here," but the modern reboot has evolved him into an anti-hero. He doesn't give up on killing or his revenge, but it is a sort of noble vengeance that drives him. By the end of the games, he has restored his clan, come to terms with his past atrocities, and made peace with the younger version of Sub-Zero.

8 Wario

'Super Mario' Games (1985–Present)

Most anti-heroes are meant to be taken seriously, as they are deeply flawed, compelling, and they work best in a mature setting. However, Wario proves that even silly characters can be anti-heroes. He doesn't have too big of a focus on many narratives, but his greed drives every instinct in his body, whether that makes him an enemy or an ally of Mario and friends.

Maybe Wario is still villainous, but that is just because of his unwavering greed, which can also make him do good, even if he doesn't mean it. He is the definition of a selfish video game character whose goals only lie in personal motivation. Wario is a fun parody and too stubborn to lose, proving why he is a beloved video game character.

7 Kazuma Kiryu

'Yakuza' Games (2005–Present)

Kazuma Kiryu with a cigarette in his mouth walking down the street in the intro to 'Yakuza 0'

The Yakuza franchise is one of the most bizarre, but players can't help but get sucked into its world and characters, such as the anti-hero Kazuma Kiryu. He is a yakuza enforcer who operates outside the law, which doesn't sound too anti-hero-like until fans learn about his moral code and the fact that he doesn't even want to be a yakuza member.

Despite surrounding himself with yakuza and a villainous life, Kiryu aims to free himself of these shackles, deconstructing the glorification of organized crime. He is a bright anomaly inside the underworld, trying his best to do the right thing when he is forced to be the bad guy, highlighting his character arc and unwavering good inside him.

6 Max Payne

'Max Payne' Games (2001–2012)

Rockstar Games is known for making morally ambiguous games with anti-hero protagonists, with a couple on this list, starting with Max Payne. After a group of junkies murders his wife and child, Max has nothing else to live for and decides to go on a killing spree. His rampage takes him through the underworld of New York City, getting back on anyone who is even remotely evil.

If "Woe Is Me" were a character, it would be Max Payne, who constantly suffers in his own grief and despair. Killing hundreds of people isn't exactly a good thing, but at least none of them are considered good people. His suicidal mission is driven completely by revenge, grief, and depression, which results in one of the best action video games of all time.

Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky

Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🏜️Paul Atreides

🖖Capt. Kirk

✊Princess Leia

🔦Ellen Ripley

🔥Max Rockatansky

FIND YOUR HERO →

How do you lead when the stakes couldn't be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.

AI absorb everything — every variable, every pattern — and move only when I know the path forward. BI read the room, make the call, and own the consequences. Hesitation costs more than mistakes. CI rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction. DI assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission. EI don't lead. I act. Others can follow or not — I'm already moving.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.

APrescience — the ability to see further ahead than anyone else and plan accordingly. BImprovisation — I'm at my best when the plan falls apart and I have to invent a new one. CConviction — I know what I'm fighting for, and that certainty doesn't waver under fire. DComposure — I stay functional when everyone around me is falling apart. Panic is a luxury. EEndurance — I outlast things. I take the hit and keep moving long after others have stopped.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is the thing you'd sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.

AThe survival and dignity of my people — even if I have to become something frightening to ensure it. BThe safety of my crew — every single one of them. No one gets left behind. CFreedom — for my people, for every world still crushed under the weight of an empire. DThe truth — what actually happened, what's actually out there, whether anyone believes me or not. EThe one person — or the one memory — that still makes any of this worth surviving for.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.

AWith intensity and distance — I care deeply, but the weight I carry makes closeness complicated. BWith warmth and irreverence — I take the mission seriously, not myself. CWith directness and trust — I say what I mean, and I expect the people I work with to rise to it. DWith professional care but clear limits — I'll protect you, but I won't pretend we're family. EWith wariness that slowly becomes loyalty — I don't trust easily, but when I do, it holds.

NEXT QUESTION →

You're facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you're the only one who sees it defines everything.

APrepare in silence. If they won't listen, I'll be ready when they finally have to. BKeep pushing until someone listens — and if no one does, handle it myself. CBuild the case, find the allies, and make the threat impossible to ignore. DDocument everything. The truth matters even if no one believes it yet. EStop trying to convince anyone. Survive it. That's the only argument that counts.

NEXT QUESTION →

What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they'd pay it again.

AMy innocence — I've seen what I'm capable of, and I can't unsee it. BPeople I loved — the command chair has a view, but it's a lonely one. CA normal life — I gave up everything ordinary the moment I chose the cause. DMy sense of safety — I know exactly what's out there now, and I can't pretend otherwise. EAlmost everything — and I'm still not sure what I'm carrying it all for. But I keep going.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you feel about the rules of the world you're in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What's yours?

AI understand them deeply — and I know exactly which ones must be broken, and why. BI respect the spirit of them and bend the letter when the situation demands it. CThe system is the problem. I'm not here to work within it — I'm here to dismantle it. DI follow protocol until protocol stops being useful. Then I make the call myself. EThe rules collapsed a long time ago. What's left is instinct, and mine are reliable.

NEXT QUESTION →

When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.

ADestiny — or something that feels so much like it that the difference no longer matters. BThe people on my ship — their faces, their trust, the fact that they're counting on me. CThe belief that what we're fighting for is worth every sacrifice, including this one. DSheer refusal to let it win — whatever it is. I don't stop. That's just who I am. EI'm not sure anymore. But the road is still there, and I'm still on it.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…

Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.

Paul Atreides

You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you're capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.

You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn't ask for but can't escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won't, is exactly you.

Captain Kirk

You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you've always believed there's a third option nobody else has thought of yet.

You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you've earned it.
Kirk's genius isn't tactical — it's human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.

Princess Leia

You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you're fearless, but because giving up simply isn't something you're capable of.

You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you've never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.

Ellen Ripley

You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone's hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.

You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley's heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn't have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn't there.
When it counts, you don't flinch. That's everything.

Max Rockatansky

You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.

You don't ask for help, don't need validation, and don't wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it's earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 Booker DeWitt

'BioShock Infinite' (2013)

There aren't many morally righteous characters in the BioShock franchise at all, and who would be with society looking like that? But it seems the best there can be is Booker DeWitt, the protagonist of BioShock Infinite. He is a disgraced agent and a veteran who sold his daughter to pay off his debts, but he takes on a job to rescue a girl named Elizabeth to free himself of his financial issues.

Booker is a definitive example of what an anti-hero should be. He drives the story through his selfish goals and features a troubled backstory where he was clearly in the wrong. Yet despite his shortcomings, he forms an authentic bond with Elizabeth and fights the true evil in this world. By the end of BioShock Infinite, Booker is a complicated character who must make the toughest sacrifice ever, completing his character arc.

4 Shadow the Hedgehog

'Sonic the Hedgehog' Games (1991–Present)

Wario isn't the only character on this list from a platforming franchise, as Shadow the Hedgehog is just as iconic from the Sonic the Hedgehog game series. He was created in order to be the perfect lifeform, but this gave him a cynical life view, and when the only light in his world died, he lost all goodwill. However, he slowly gains it back, switching between villain and hero depending on the game.

Shadow the Hedgehog used to be a full-fledged villain, but he is such a universally beloved character that he now adopts more of an anti-hero role. He serves as a perfect foil to Sonic, only making a noble sacrifice after remembering his past. However, since his original appearance, Shadow has worked together with Sonic for good while maintaining his dark and edgy style.

3 Joel Miller

'The Last of Us' Games (2013–Present)

Joel Miller and Ellie Williams hiding from Hunters in an abandoned shop in Last of Us Pt. I

Some of the best anti-heroes are also part of the greatest video game narratives, including the top three characters on this list, starting with Joel Miller from The Last of Us. After watching his family die in the zombie apocalypse, he is a grizzled veteran who does whatever it takes to survive. But his paternal instincts kick back in when he must escort Ellie across the country and help find a cure.

The years of fighting for his life pushed him to do evil things, but it was all necessary for his survival. This is especially seen as his bond with Ellie grows over the course of the game. He softens up and begins to feel again, but this love is exactly what makes him an anti-hero. Joel acts based on selfish love, ending in a shocking plot twist that remains a staple in the community, highlighting why The Last of Us is an influential video game.

2 Arthur Morgan

'Red Dead Redemption 2' (2018)

Arthur Morgan riding a horse in Red Dead Redemption 2

As mentioned, Rockstar Games loves their flawed protagonists, and their greatest one yet is Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2. He is the leader of a cowboy gang set in 1899, the dying era of the Wild West. When Arthur learns of his tuberculosis, he sets out on one final adventure across the American Frontier in search of redemption, to make up for all the bad he has done.

Arthur's change of heart doesn't come from some awakening, but through the bleak reality of his impending doom. He has done many bad things, but his one last mission is to leave the Earth having done something good for once: saving John Marston and his family. Unfortunately, his redemption comes too late, cementing him as a profound character in an unforgettable narrative.

1 Kratos

'God of War' Games (2005–Present)

Kratos is one of the greatest video game characters of all time, and while he definitely wasn't an anti-hero in the original God of War games, the 2018 reboot made him into one. After a life of murder and killing, he was exhausted from it all and left for a Norse region where he fell in love and had a child. Unfortunately, the death of his wife and attacks by the gods bring back his old habits.

Throughout the game, Kratos tries to be a good father, but he can't help but be harsh due to his past nature and the dire situation. He begins to let go of his old selfish reasons for killing and does it to protect Atreus. Still, his growth is earned because Kratos remains a brutal killer who tries to better himself, yet can't fully commit, highlighting why God of War has the best character development in gaming history.

Read Entire Article