Werewolves: half-human, half-monster, and a major part of pop culture, appearing in movies, television shows, and video games. Unlike their creature of the night counterpart - vampires - werewolves aren't often the stars of many games, often relegated to secondary characters. With that being said, there are plenty of games that feature werewolves in some shape or form. Some of these beasts might be good, whereas others are villains.
No matter which side of the spectrum these furry, mythical creatures are on, one thing is certain: people love werewolves in video games. Werewolves might be a bit more relatable because, most of the time, they retain their normal human qualities, that is, until a full moon. Once the transformation takes place, werewolves can become terrifying, irrational, and solitary. The following games are fortunate to feature werewolves in some capacity.
Updated December 24, 2022, by Rebecca Timberlake: With the growing popularity of horror games, we're seeing more and more werewolves being added to games in need of a strong antagonist. Likewise, older games are gaining traction again for their unique (if not completely retro) take on werewolves and their place in our culture.
16 Contra: Hard Corps
The Contra series is a classic that has always been known for hard gameplay and alternate realities, and Hard Corps was no exception. Despite being a game from the mid-90s, it stands out for having a choice between four protagonists, one of which is Brad Fang, a werewolf cyborg, and storylines that branched out to create optional paths.
Brad Fang holds his own in the world of video game werewolves for his combination of terrifying external appearance and calm and trustworthy personality on the inside. Plus, he just looks really cool when you're playing as him.
15 The Quarry
This 2022 drama-horror game is reminiscent of the great '80s horror movies as it follows a group of teens working at a summer camp that have to survive the night with a pack of werewolves surrounding them, ready to attack. There are about 14 werewolf antagonists actively trying to kill the teens and only nine campers fighting for survival.
The werewolves in The Quarry aren't the traditional-looking beasts but rather bald and greyish-colored humans infected with the disease. Since they aren't what you're prepared to see when you think 'werewolf,' this makes them even scarier when they make their appearance.
14 MacGuffin's Curse
MacGuffin's Curse is a puzzle-adventure game that leans more on humor than horror. Lucas MacGuffin is a magician and thief who has been cursed with turning into a werewolf in the aftermath of a museum robbery gone wrong. You'll alternate between the two forms in a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde way, where Lucas the Human is sly and sneaky, but Lucas the Werewolf is more about smash-and-grab violence.
This game is definitely for those who appreciate the werewolf genre but are looking for something a bit more lighthearted to play as opposed to the dark and horrific gameplay of most other werewolf games.
13 The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery
The second in the Gabriel Knight Mystery Trilogy, The Beast Within is an interactive point-and-click adventure game from 1995. Filmed with actors, your play your way through a movie about a little girl murdered by a werewolf. The game also uses real imagery from Germany, allowing the player to explore actual places during the investigation.
Way ahead of its time, The Beast Within is highly graphic, so the faint of heart and young should steer clear, but the dedicated horror and werewolf fans will love navigating their own murder mystery.
12 Blood Of The Werewolf
Blood of the Werewolf, as the name implies, is a game all about werewolves, specifically one werewolf, Selena. Selena is a powerful werewolf who seeks to avenge her husband, who was tragically killed. During this monster attack, the monsters also stole Selena’s child.
Blood of the Werewolf is an action-focused platforming game where you can transform depending on the cycle of the moon. Your ultimate goal in this game is to hack and slash your way through various beasties and eventually take on Frankenstein himself.
11 Werewolves Within
Werewolves Within is an intriguing 'game night' game played in VR with a group of friends. Werewolves Within is essentially a social deduction game where each player takes on a specific role. The ultimate goal is to uncover which players are the werewolves.
Taking place in the medieval location of Gallowston, the villagers have finally had enough of the constant werewolf attacks, and they seek to end their reign of chaos. The VR component truly ups the immersion factor as each of you seeks to ask the right questions, persuade one another, and even form temporary alliances.
10 The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us is a choice-driven narrative adventure game that actually stars a werewolf, Bigby Wolf. Bigby was once the Big Bad Wolf of fairytale legends but is now the sheriff of Fabletown. The Wolf Among Us centers around fairytales that many people know and love but instead put a dark and modern spin on them.
Bigby Wolf is a prime example of a great game with a werewolf because players experience both sides of Bigby during the adventure. Bigby has to work with the corrupt interim mayor to solve crimes within the world of Fabletown.
9 Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood
It should be quite obvious from the title, Werewolf the Apocalypse: Earthblood, that this game prominently features werewolves. Taking place in the World of Darkness universe, control Cahal, a werewolf that is a part of the Irish tribe, Fianna. The game is superbly set in the American Northwest, which provides a grungy, damp, and mystical aesthetic.
Players can control Cahal as a human, an actual wolf, and a full-on werewolf, depending on the situation at hand. The game is especially exciting in full werewolf mode because that is when Cahal can wreak the most havoc. The werewolves in Earthblood are just some of the supernatural beings working to gain power.
8 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a fantasy fan's dream come true, which is why the game continues to sell like hotcakes on multiple platforms. Aside from the incredibly tense and exciting moments fighting dragons across Skyrim, turning into a powerful werewolf might just take the cake. Yes, your player can contract lycanthropy and be cursed with werewolf transformations.
While Skryim does feature some miscellaneous side quests directly tied to werewolves aside from contracting the lycanthrope curse, the Companions Guild and questline flesh out this supernatural being. Once transformed, players give up their normal weapons and magic but instead have raw power.
7 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Look no further than the main art for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess to realize that Link actually transforms into a wolf in this game. This game might not throw around the werewolf moniker in the same way a traditional supernatural tale might, but make no mistake; Link can indeed turn into this furry beast.
During specific moments in the game, namely in the twilight, Link will inhabit this sacred being. These gameplay sections as Wolf Link tasks him to speak with other animals and solve puzzles. Wolf Link has fewer defenses and can't use items, but what he lacks in traditional Link aspects, he makes up for with animalistic behavior.
6 The Order: 1886
While The Order: 1886 remains divisive due to its very short runtime, overly scripted moments, and taking the control away from the player far too many times, it does at least feature harrowing werewolves. Set in late 19th century London, The Order: 1886 tasks The Order of Knights to fend off all sorts of denizens of the dark.
The main protagonist, Sir Galahad, is one of the Knights of the Roundtable who must use modern tech weaponry to defeat these half-beasts. The most intense sections in this game center around battles with the werewolves. The werewolves in The Order: 1886 are mangy, terrifying, and lethal. These moments might be brief, but they are effective.
5 Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness was one of the first 3d-era Castlevania games released on the Nintendo 64. The werewolf featured in this game is none other than Cornell, the main protagonist who must save his sister, Ada, from being sacrificed to resurrect Dracula. The story is a great supernatural adventure all about beast versus vampire.
Of course, Cornell is not the only werewolf in the game. Cornell's rival and fellow werewolf is Ortega. Despite both characters featuring the man-beast curse, Ortega has aligned himself with Dracula in order to gain more power. It's an interesting, if cliched, story, but one that at least prominently features werewolves.
4 Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is no stranger to both regular wolves and much more powerful werewolves, here known as Lycans. Gabriel Belmont, the star of the game, takes on all manner of dark and terrifying beasties in his quest to rescue his beloved. However, there is one harrowing werewolf that puts up a formidable fight against Gabriel.
That powerful werewolf is known as Cornell, the lord of the Lycans. Yes, Cornell, the uber-powerful werewolf who also happens to wield a massive hammer, is a main boss in this game. Cornell is a mysterious character in Lords of Shadow because he once was a founding member of the Order of Light, yet now resides in the dark, overseeing his wolf brethren.
3 Sonic Unleashed
It's strange to think of putting a Sonic game here, given that the series isn't generally known for its werewolves, yet, Sonic Unleashed came along to give players the werehog. The werehog is a werewolf-like transformation that Sonic now finds himself cursed with after coming into contact with the dark Gaia.
Yes, it's utterly silly to see the super speedy Sonic now lumbering around, beating up enemies with melee attacks, but the game sticks with the werewolf-adjacent theme. The game still has the faster Sonic moments that the series is known for, yet, it's the nighttime sections where Sonic transforms into a werehog where things get truly bizarre.
2 Bloodborne
Bloodborne is a game full of macabre aesthetics and towering monsters. There are all sorts of ghoulies stalking Yharnam, ready to send players to their demise should they even stray from the beaten path. While players do come up against frantic and angry werewolves during their exploration of this dark world, it's the first werewolf at the start of the game that stays in the nightmares of players.
Right near the start of the game, in a sort of doctor's office plus laboratory, players encounter a harrowing werewolf. This werewolf is not supposed to be beaten. But if you had never played the game before or watched a video about this section, you wouldn't know that. It's a scary start to a punishing game, and some diligent players even managed to defeat this supposed "unbeatable" first werewolf.
1 Nightmare Creatures
Nightmare Creatures is terrifying, full stop. Yes, this PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64 action-adventure horror game might seem antiquated and mundane by modern standards, but back in the day, it was downright scary. One of the big baddies of the game is the brutal werewolves. They were no pushovers and could only be defeated with strategy and skill.
Nightmare Creatures thrives off of its sense of supernatural ambiance. Due to technical limitations of the time, players couldn't see far in front of them as much of the upcoming level would be covered with darkness. When a bloodthirsty werewolf does finally lunge out to attack, it's a memorable experience.