7 Best Open-World Games With Evil Routes, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Open-world games can challenge morality with evil routes
• Dragon Age: Inquisition offers interesting moral choices
• Red Dead Redemption 2 features the Honor System for moral decisions

Open-world games are often vast and extremely versatile in terms of what they offer players. Many of the universes in this genre focus on quality, combat mechanics, interesting NPCs and exciting side quests that provide hours of fun. Some titles even feature complex morality systems that allow players to make various decisions that can change the story.

The choice between being good or evil is one that everyone must make at one point. And while making this decision is tough in real life, doing so in a video game is also a challenge. To dive deeper into this, here are some of the best open-world games with evil routes.

7 Dragon Age: Inquisition

The Inquisitor’s Choices Matter

• Players must close the Breach
• Interesting choices of morality

Following in the footsteps of its predecessors and other titles of a similar genre, Dragon Age: Inquisition presents players with multiple choices throughout the story that will determine whether they are good or evil.

There will be many instances where players will come across a situation that will test the mettle of their character, and lead to consequences that will affect them and others. While this title doesn’t have the most complex morality system out there, it does allow for some interesting outcomes and some peculiar romance options.

6 Fallout 4

Players Can Choose Cruelty In The Boston Commonwealth

• Being evil in the Boston Commonwealth can have some advantages
• Companions will react to the Sole Survivor’s choices

Fallout 4 is arguably the title responsible for making the franchise have such a mainstream appeal, as it presents players with an interesting story and a vast open world full of vicious mutated creatures. As a Bethesda title, Fallout 4 has various dialogue options that allow players to get different outcomes depending on their decisions.

Players can choose to address situations from a standpoint of cruelty and selfish behavior, which will have an impact on their companions and the perception they have of the Sole Survivor.

5 Fable 2

Depending On Their Choices, Players’ Appearance Will Change

• Being evil changes players’ appearance
• Some discounts are available out of fear

While basic, Fable 2 features a very interesting Morality alignment system, as it not only affects how the world around them views players, but also changes their appearance, making their hair turn black and their eyes red.

Both the Good and Evil morality options have their advantages and disadvantages and will give players discounts in different areas, which presents an interesting premise where actions not only have consequences during an interaction, but also throughout the entirety of the game.

On top of this, players’ dogs’ appearance will also change, making them look more intimidating and giving them black hair to match their owner’s.

4 The Witcher 3

Squeezing Farmers For Money Is Profitable, But Also Despicable

• Squeezing farmers for more money is possible
• Players can choose not to help some people

The adventures of Geralt of Rivia have been told for more than a decade at this point, but neither the first Witcher game nor the second one ever came close to the amount of success The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt enjoyed.

Like other RPGs, this title allows players to choose their dialogue to approach different situations in any way they please. While some occasions might call for a peaceful approach, others will be better handled with the clashing of swords. Players can choose to be evil by squeezing peasants for more money as a reward for ridding their town of a monster, or by remaining indifferent to the calls for help of the innocent.

3 Baldur’s Gate 3

The Dark Urge Storyline Is Interesting, But Full Of Cruelty

• Players can let their darkest thoughts take control
• Sceleritas Fel makes an appearance in The Dark Urge storyline

Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most complete and complex fantasy RGPs of the last 10 years, which is why it’s unsurprising that it won Game of the Year in 2023. Presenting players with multiple dialogue options, several interesting party members and dozens of different missions to approach however they like, the game never disappoints in terms of the fun it offers.

Throughout the story, players can choose to listen to The Dark Urge, which prompts them to commit the most atrocious acts against those who don’t deserve it, those who do, and even the tiniest, most innocent creatures in the land. Following The Dark Urge storyline will introduce players to Sceleritas Fel, a proxy of Bhaal.

Players’ Actions Affect The Residents Of Skyrim Greatly

• Players can steal from those who have little to begin with
• Joining the Dark Brotherhood is an evil choice

While The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim does not feature a traditional Good and Evil system like other RPGs on this list, there are still many options for players to let their darkest thoughts take over. As they progress through the game, players will often find themselves in situations where they can choose to heed or ignore someone’s cries for help or steal from the poor.

Players can also choose to join the Dark Brotherhood, an infamous assessing group that operates in Tamriel with little regard for the innocence of their targets or their right to live.

1 Red Dead Redemption 2

The Honor System Can Give Arthur True Redemption

• The Honor System is well-designed
• Arthur’s Honor will determine some outcomes in the story

Besides being one of the most (if not the most) complete Western video games in history, Red Dead Redemption 2 also offers players the chance to make their own choices and decide how Arthur Morgan lives his life.

This title features an Honor System, which will go either to the left or to the right depending on players’ actions. Things like beating up or killing innocent people will lower Arthur’s honor, placing him closer to the Evil side, whereas something as simple as continuously greeting NPC strangers throughout the world will quickly make players honorable.

The Honor System affects Red Dead Redemption 2’s storyline significantly, as shown by one of the missions given to Arthur by Leopold Strauss, where Arthur will either keep collecting money from the poor for Strauss or kick the Austrian debt collector out of the camp, depending on players’ Honor alignment.