Top 10 Monster Games

Games have a habit of starring relatable and good-natured characters. But once in a while, games treat players with gameplay that lets their inner demon thrive. You might tend toward the bloodless path, but with these titles, it is in your best interest to become a monster. Pull on your hockey mask, flex your claws, and prepare for a whole lot of blood; it’s time to have some fun.

10. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

In Troika Games’ vampire role-playing game, players must balance their thirst for blood with maintaining the secrecy of the underground vampire society known as The Masquerade. Gameplay challenges players to find the middle ground between playing as a vampire and clinging to humanity. This balance leads players down a sinister path. Spare humans and you might find yourself at odds with your supporters, or even risk breaking the masquerade. Kill the humans and you might be rewarded in another way. If you feel bad, don’t drain a bum dry. Just make sure you’re not seen. You have to clean up the mess. 

9. Haunting Starring Polterguy

In this game, players work to scare a family, possessing innocuous pieces of furniture with monstrous qualities. Sofas have terrible mouths. Arms reach out of closets. Players have to time their actions, making sure the family sees each of Polterguy’s frights. Succeed in scaring the family and they will leave. It’s like Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, but unlike the film, once they move to another house the haunting starts again – which begs the question: What did the family do to deserve a lifetime of torture? 

8. Alien Versus Predator

Whether you’re scurrying across the ceiling as an alien or stalking your prey as a predator, humans have never been so outmatched. In Alien versus Predator, players can choose from three different single-player campaigns: marines, aliens, and predators. Each campaign prepares players for the real challenge of multiplayer. Dash across the shadows as an alien and watch as marines lose their nerve, unloading their clips into the dark. Track enemies heat as a predator and eliminate them while they’re separated. Alien versus Predator realizes the thrill of hunting and the terror of being hunted. 

7. Stubbs The Zombie

This quirky video game answers the age old question: What would it be like to be an undead Humphrey Bogart? The premise is unique – somewhere between a film noir classic and a '50's Sci-Fi horror flick. Star as a zombie in a fedora, eat brains, and build a horde. This game was easy to put on the back burner. Something about Stubbs the Zombie was disturbing. Maybe it was the cover art of Stubbs chowing down on some poor sod’s cranium. You can check out some zombie fun in our replay here.

6. Destroy All Humans

Destroy All Humans turns a gaming convention on its head; you play as an alien invading Earth. The game has a classic '50's Sci-Fi setting, complete with the mischievous little green space men. The first level tasks players with communicating with a farmer’s cows. Gameplay included using telekinesis, jetpacks, UFOs, and a probe gun. This is the only game on the list that lets you send hundreds of townsfolk screaming for the hills clutching their butts. It doesn’t get old. Check out another replay for Destroy All Humans, and see the probe gun in action. Turns out tormenting humanity from the alien’s perspective is always entertaining. 

[Next up: Ruin cities, impale enemies, and lose your humanity with these titles.]

5. Splatterhouse

This beat-em up gem released in 1988. Players star in the role of Rick Taylor who, after a series of murderous events, dons a mask. The terror mask turns Rick into a monster. Players punch, slice, and shoot their way through the mansion known as the “splatterhouse.” The game is drenched in gore. Ultra violence is nothing new for modern audiences, but when Splatterhouse released in 1988 it seemed to take violence too far. Playing as a monster, players found an adventure in bloodletting. See for yourself in our Halloween Special Replay.

4. Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead’s phenomenal gameplay recreates some of the classic moments you might see in horror films. The versus mode puts this creative horror design in the control of the players. Seasoned veterans can still falter against a well-coordinated attack of special zombies. In the role of special zombies, players can take advantage of the survivors’ blunders. One false step and a coordinated attack is all you need to put dozens of zombies between the survivors. Scampering along rooftops, picking off stragglers, and watching survivors panic – Left 4 Dead Versus rewards you for thinking like a monster.

3. Rampage

Developed by Bally Midway, Rampage introduced city destruction to players. You take on the city alone or with two other players taking on the roles of Lizzie (think Godzilla), George (think King-Kong), and Ralph (a werewolf). Punching out windows and foundations sends skyscrapers into the ground. Points are awarded for everything from smashing helicopters out of the sky to eating up people. The game realizes that childish fantasy of stomping around cities and terrifying countless people. But instead of stomping around a Lego kingdom that your brother built, players tear down virtual cities across the world. 

2. The Darkness

On his 21st birthday, Jackie Estacado first meets the Darkness. It begins like a super power, something Jackie can use to overcome his enemies. But with the awakened power, Jackie begins a quest for revenge that takes players down a one-way sinister path. Gameplay shines at its most brutal. Standard gunplay is bloody and unforgiving – melee combat is replaced by point-blank executions with the equipped firearm. The Darkness takes form in demons, black holes, and tentacles eating enemy hearts and growing stronger. The tentacle arms impale enemies and objects alike to throw them as weapons. The result: wreaking awesome destruction down a city street is fun and easy. Jackie feels invincible at times, which is fitting for his enraged mission, but don’t mistake Jackie for a superhero. The Darkness within Jackie has its own goals. 

1. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain features a polarizing setting of monsters versus humanity, and players are on the side of the monsters. What begins as a story of vengeance for Kain, the newly turned vampire, becomes a tale of his descent. The cure to vampirism evades him. Unless he drinks the blood of the living, Kain’s health drains over time. Players use Kain’s sword and tarot cards to inflict awesome and bloody destruction against humans and monsters alike. Playing as Kain is a rewarding monster experience. The longer you play the more power you gain, and soon you are making quick work of humanity. As Kain, there is no line you won’t cross to reach your goal. After countless deaths, you reach the end and are presented with a choice fitting a monster of your power.

Is there anything we missed on our list? Share your favorites in the comments.