If there was a list of the most violent games ever, Mortal Kombat and the Grand Theft Auto franchise would surely be on it. Which other games would make it to the list? When it comes to violence in video games, we have a long list.
So, it is unsurprising that one of the first things people look for in games is combat mechanics. How smooth is it? How responsive are the combat controls? These are the questions that keep getting asked in community forums. But what of the amount of violence? Can violence even be quantified?
The Most Violent Video Games Ever
After intense research, speculation, and conversations, we have settled on five games that make up our list of the most violent games ever released.
5. Dead Island
Dead Island is a zombie survival RPG that pits the players against hordes of the undead and equips them with an assortment of weapons to dish out absolute carnage. When the first game came out in 2011, there was a massive controversy regarding its violent nature, even before its official release.
The heartbreaking cinematic trailer showed a family being torn apart by zombies while they took some of them with them. The most heartbreaking part? The opening shot shows the kid lying glassy-eyed, dead in the grass. It was only later that viewers would get to know that the child was infected, and before plummeting to her death, she had bitten her father too.
The overarching theme of violence makes it considerably more violent than some of the most notable zombie survival games, like Resident Evil and The Last of Us.
4. Gears of War
Any game with the word ‘war‘ in its name promises violence, and the Gears of War franchise overdelivers considerably. Set on the fictional planet of Sera, Gears of War is a simulation of humanity in an Earth-like environment.
The Locusts, Lambents, Swarm, and UIR make up their list of enemies as humanity remains in a continued battle state for over a century. Peppered with peace in between, the games pick up the story, every time the human population of Sera, under the Coalition of Ordered Governments, faces an extinction-level threat. And they keep facing them.
The featured weapon of the game is a modified assault rifle with a chainsaw for a bayonet. That should give you some idea regarding the level of violence to be expected in the game.
In fact, Gears of War 6 has recently been teased once again for the upcoming Xbox Showcase.
3. Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar Games’s flagship franchise, Grand Theft Auto, or GTA for short, is a wonderland for people just looking to shoot up some stuff. The open world of the game has invited plenty of violence from gamers. A quick look at the most violent clips of GTA online would explain that when it comes to violence, very few games have it as explicitly as GTA.
Apart from its masterful storytelling and breathtaking graphics, the game is renowned for its unparalleled level of operational freedom for a player. With guns and bats openly featured as weapons in the advertising photos, the game has some heavily violence-packed sequences and missions.
A special mention must be made of Trevor Phillips from GTA 5, the hipster from Blaine County whose violent tendencies make up most of the game’s violence and drive the story forward dangerously, GTA-style.
2. God of War
For gamers all around the world, Kratos has become synonymous with mythological violence, literally and metaphorically, as players get to don the character of Kratos to dish out unbridled devastation to Gods.
Taking on the likes of Poseidon, Hercules, Ares, and Zeus, Kratos goes above and beyond with violence in his quest for vengeance against the gods. He is also drawn into strife with the Norse gods where he keeps on his path till, he meets Thor. The Norse god of thunder washes the floor with Kratos while he also batters Odinson in return.
The entire fight with Heimdall in God of War: Ragnarok reiterates the violence in the game.
The franchise has an exceptional storyline, as they dive deep into Greek and Norse mythology and provide players with an exceptional way to relive the myths, albeit in a much more violent and gory way.
1. Mortal Kombat
To many, the OG fighting game, Mortal Kombat made its name for its unique finishing moves. Every character in Mortal Kombat comes with a number of animations that they can perform after they have successfully defeated the opponent in battle.
The Fatalities are all unique in their own ways as killing an opponent is transformed into one of the most violent and gory spectacles that is there. The game is so extreme that the minimum playing age for the game is restricted to 17 years.
Taking the death animations to a separate level altogether, the franchise has a very dedicated fan base as is evident from the numerous communities of the game in social forums.
What do you think of our list? Do you agree with our picks? What are your top 5 most violent games ever? Let us know the answers in the comments.
