Ope world video games are one of the best genres for exploring massive game worlds and experiencing multiple storylines throughout them. Many of these games have RPG elements and let the player influence the story and the ending with their choices and actions.
There are many games in the genre that end up with the villains coming out on top. It's a surprising twist, whether the player's choices lead the protagonist to a dark and villainous path, or the morally corrupt antagonists of the story get to win in the end.
Be aware that the following entries have major spoilers for the plot of the games listed.
10 Red Dead Redemption
The original Red Dead Redemption tells one of the best stories in the wild west setting, with memorable characters and a heart-breaking ending. The federal agents kidnapped the family of former outlaw, John Marston, and tasked him with working as a bounty hunter in return for his family's freedom.
In the end, we seem to have succeeded in reuniting John with his family. But the government doesn't hold up its end of the bargain. The army attacks the player's homestead, and John sends his wife and son to safety and returns to face the invaders. But he is met with a brutal and sad end, dying in a hail of bullets.
9 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned
Another entry from Rockstar Games, the GTA franchise is known for its evil protagonists. Technically, every success for the player in the series is a win for the bad guys, but in the DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned, it's the antagonist who truly wins.
While Billy Grey, the former leader of the biker gang, was killed by the player, his actions caused so much lasting damage that they eventually led to the downfall of the Lost Motorcycle Club.
8 Far Cry 5
The Far Cry franchise introduces us to some of the evilest characters in video games. Far Cry 5 offers multiple endings, and all of them seem vague and open to speculation. But the bad ending in this title, however we interpret it, is a big win for the villain, Seed.
If the player chooses to side with Seed and let him continue the occupation of Hope County, we see him get in the car with the Sheriff, and the screen cuts to black as the radio plays the infamous song Seed uses for brainwashing his victims.
7 Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls franchise has created one of the most immersive and detailed open-world universes over the years, especially in Skyrim. We get to explore different parts of the world of Tamriel and see many stories unfold in the Elder Scrolls games.
In Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, whether the player decides to give the Numidium's totem to Mannimarco or not, he achieves apotheosis and becomes one of the main villains in Oblivion.
6 Batman: Arkham Knight
The Batman: Arkham series tells many stories about this popular vigilante. While in Batman: Arkham City the player can walk out in the end as Catwoman and let Batman die, this is not a true ending and the game will revert to the last checkpoint midway through the credits.
However, in Batman: Arkham Knight, the Scarecrow manages to defeat the Dark Knight after all. He doesn't succeed in turning Gotham into a city of fear, but he does manage to uncover Batman's identity, forcing him and Alfred to blow up the Wayne manor, either committing suicide or hiding underground to protect their allies and loved ones.
5 Fallout 4: Nuka World
The other major franchise from Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda, Fallout, has told many stories over the years, and the player's choices in the series might have lead to some villains reaching their goals in the end. The Nuka World DLC is one of the most unique DLC packs for Fallout 4, letting the player join one of the most organized and ruthless raider gangs in the Commonwealth.
Joining this gang will lead the character on a dark path, and eventually, they will lose the alliance of Preston Garvey and the Minutemen. There are multiple endings for the DLC, but most of them will end up with the raiders becoming a stronger and more dangerous threat to other settlements in the world.
4 The Legend Of Zelda Series
The Legend Of Zelda series has a complex timeline to follow, especially after the time split resulting from the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. Nintendo has released the official timeline for the story, which makes it easier for the fans to understand the events of different timelines.
In one of these timelines, which includes the first four games of the series and the Oracle games, Link is defeated by Ganondorf, the main villain of the story. This is also the only timeline in which the royal family of Hyrule eventually gets the whole Triforce.
3 L.A. Noire
Like many other Rockstar creations, morality does not have a clear line in L.A. Noire. The players get to experience different cases and stories from the perspective of two protagonists, Cole Phelps and Jack Kelso.
At the end of the game, after a long investigation into an arson conspiracy that involves corrupted and powerful individuals such as the mayor, chief of police, and even Phelps' former partner Roy Earle, Phelps dies a hero to save Ira, the one witness who can unmask all of this corruption. But in the end, the accused make a deal with the DA to turn in other conspirators, and they themselves get to walk away.
2 Assassin's Creed 3
The Assassin's Creed franchise has explored many real-life locations and cultures and has told many historical fantasy stories, along with a parallel modern-day story. In the third installment of the series, we get to see the modern-day protagonist, Desmond Miles, face a difficult choice.
Desmon is asked to decide between dooming the world to a fiery apocalypse or placing its fate in the hands of Juno, a vengeful godlike entity from the first civilization. He decides to sacrifice himself and stop the destruction of the world, but the future of the world would still be unclear as Juno becomes more powerful.
1 Biomutant
Biomutant, the post-apocalyptic open-world RPG game introduces a new and interesting system of morality with its auras. Based on the player's aura at the end of the game, they might end up with a good or bad ending.
If the player finishes the game with a dark aura, the player will reunite with the allied tribe Sifu, who will decide to destroy the tree of life and end all life on the planet, hoping that nature will rise again anew. At this point, the player, the tribe of Sifu, and anyone the player chooses to save will enter a spaceship that is hidden underground, and they will watch the destruction as they fly away.