Summary
Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of villainy in your life. Luckily, 2023 has been jam-packed with some of the best villains in gaming. With threats that range from street-level to world-threatening, 2023 was a big year for villains in gaming.
The year was big for giving a fresh perspective on decades-old villains, reinvigorating the kind of fear that those villains are capable of. They may all end up defeated in the end, but their evil schemes aren’t likely to be forgotten any time soon, even if a large part of that is due to the excellent games that the villains are in. Check out some of the villains of 2023 that made our gaming experiences thrilling and challenging.
In collating this list of memorable big bads of the gaming world, we’ve picked some of the most notable games released during 2023 that featured iconic villains, taking into consideration their impact on the story and their overall goals. And how much we loved them, that too.
11Ganondorf
No one should be surprised tosee the excellently designed Ganondorfon this list. Making his return to the series for the first time since Twilight Princess,Tears Of The Kingdom’sGanondorf is one of the most fearsome in the series’ history.Not only is Ganondorf successful in nearly defeating both Link and Zelda in an instant, but you also get to learn about his ancient history in Hyrule and what led to him being sealed. Cap all of that off with an incredible boss fight in one of the most cinematic final bosses in Zelda history, and you’ve got a great villain in Ganondorf.
10Venom
Venom himself may not be the most outstanding villain right from the beginning ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2thanks to the nature of the story, but it’s hard to say that he doesn’t make a massive impact in a hurry.Being Peter’s best friend Harry, Venom causes emotional turmoil for one of your heroes and begins to turn everyone into symbiote creatures. Even MJ isn’t safe from the treatment, and the massive city-spanning battle that requires two Spider-Men to take him down goes to show just how impressive Venom can be.
9Shang Tsung
There was so much speculation on just who the villain ofMortal Kombat 1would be, and there weren’t many who believed it would really be Shang Tsung. Of course, even that is more complicated than it sounds, as it is a multiversal Shang Tsung that is the true threat.
Putting a massive plan in action to destroy his rival Liu Kang and the entire reality that he created, Shang Tsung is a massive threat. Recruiting some of the greatest evils from across the Mortal Kombat multiverse, Shang Tsung forces the heroes into a war for survival and nearly wins yet again on multiple occasions.
8Ultima
The Final Fantasy series has plenty of great and memorable villains, but it’s possible thatFinal Fantasy 16’sUltima will go down as one of the more memorable ones. Being the true villain behind all the conflict throughout the game,Ultima is a destructive god-like creature.Ultima is so good because of how connected he is to the deep lore of the game, while at the same time being a massive threat to existence. Even better, Ultima has many in the game convinced he is actually a savior instead of intent on destruction.
7Bowser
Bowser may be a bit more bizarre than you’re used to inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t great. Bowser literally becomes a massive castle at one point, and it’s absolutely as weird and wonderful as it sounds.Having to contend with the sweet beat of Bowser’s rage is probably not even close to something you’d ever thought you’d have to do, but that’s the case in this game. While eccentric, the game isclassic Bowser villainy, and it seems like that is never going to go out of style.
6Osmund Saddler
While Saddler may not play a major role on-screen until deep into the runtime ofResident Evil 4, the fact that the entire scheme is his doing means he deserves some recognition. Planning to use his cult to infect the president’s daughter with Las Plagas in order to eventually control the president isn’t half bad.When compared to his original iteration,Saddler comes across so much more menacing and threatening here, and that’s what helps him to stand out. With a seemingly insurmountable boss fight, it seems like even if his plan won’t be pulled off, he’ll be just fine with killing Leon, and that is terrifying.
5Leatherface
While some may have missed out onThe Texas Chain Saw Massacregame, there’s no denying just how terrifying Leatherface and his family are. Forcing you into helpless situations as you try to escape with your life, Leatherface is sure to be three steps behind you with a chainsaw ready to go.He’s one of the most imposing video game characters of the year and that without ever even needing to be directly on-screen. Just hearing the nearby sounds of his chainsaw makes him a threat, and the fact that he is always player-controlled means he will be acting with purpose instead of whatever it is AI usually does.
4Adachi
WhilePersona 4 Goldenmay have originally released years ago, and the original Persona 4 even earlier than that, the game was ported to the modern generation of consoles this year. Thanks to that, a whole new generation is able to contend with the horrendous villainy of that traitor Adachi.Standing out as one of the best, if notthebest villains of the Persona series, Adachi begins as a bumbling side character who is eventually revealed to be behind the game’s many murders (mostly). There may be an even greater threat than him, but how close Adachi is to you the player is always creepy when he’s revealed as a villain.
3Kraven The Hunter
Venom may have gotten some love earlier, but Kraven The Hunter deserves just as much love for pushing a lot of the narrative forward before Venom is even a major concern. Proving himselfcapable enough to kill Spider-Man’s previous villains, Kraven is a serious threat.
Kraven is a great villain because he pushes both Spider-Men to their limits in different ways. He forces Miles to face his own demons with Martin Li, and he literally almost kills Peter Parker if it weren’t for the symbiote’s interference.
2King Smithy
There is a lot to love aboutSuper Mario RPGand King Smithy is certainly one of those things. He could have just been a Bowser rip-off for the most part, and that probably would have been fine, but arguably, Smithy is even more fearsome.Being so powerful with a massive army at his disposal that even Bowser himself has to aid Mario in his adventure, Smithy poses a serious threat. He’s not an ever-present villain like some, but he doesn’t need to be, as the anticipation of eventually fighting him makes him even better.
