Top 10 Best Video Games for Causing Chaos

The cutesy graphics may not look that chaotic, but appearances can be deceiving. This PS2 cult classic follows the prince, son of the King of All Cosmos. During a crazy night of drinking, the King accidentally destroys all stars. You’re given a katamari, a super adhesive ball, to roll around and collect enough objects in quaint environments to rebuild the stars. The katamari only takes in smaller objects as it grows, like thumb tacks and fruit. But in later levels you can suck up living things like birds, rats, elephants, and eventually humans, though they’ll all try to scamper away. Can you imagine going about your day when, all of sudden, you’re flailing around on a ball and then turned into a star?

Before everyone was all gung-ho about geese, this simple game let players cause mayhem as one of nature’s other chaotic animals. It’s not nearly as polished an experience as … well … any game on this list, but its intentionally broken mechanics is also part of its charm. There’s no real goal; only to gain points by getting into trouble. Ever wish you could roam a sandbox environment, bashing innocent citizens with your skull? You can do it. You can knock over any environment, you’re 100% invincible, and you can perform crazy stunts with ragdoll physics. It’s simple, it’s silly, it’s mayhem, and it’s fun.

As the name would suggest, this Steam title lets you create any battle you can come up with. The only limit is your imagination. Well, and how powerful your PC is. If you want to see 10,000 knights take on hordes of the undead, it’s got you covered. How about recreating the 300 Spartans against the 20,000 Persians battle, or what if the Romans faced a horde of killer chickens. Whatever you want. Each character works independently towards the goal of its team. But you can also play as one of your units, giving commands and turning the tides. Or you can switch sides just to make the mayhem last longer. It’s pure and utter chaos. And for this list, that’s really the highest compliment we can give it.

This classic series was literally designed to let players tear cities apart, so of course it makes the list. Up to three players take control of giant animals and stomp their way through various landscapes, eating as many people as they can along the way. Most of the time, your character options are a giant gorilla, lizard, or wolf. Chaos is encouraged, as the more destruction you cause and the more citizens you consume, the higher your points rise. The army is sent in to stop you and it’s just as satisfying to rip helicopters out of the air as it is to gobble up citizens who are trying to flee in terror. Are we bad people?

If “Rampage” leaves you desiring a little more gameplay variety in how you cause terror in the hearts of humans, you may want to test out this franchise. Each game in the series revolves around Crypto, an alien tasked with protecting or improving his race. But doing so brings him into direct conflict with people, who are woefully unprepared for an encounter with the third kind. Crypto uses psychic abilities and laser guns, though he also gains access to a flying saucer and, in one game, a giant mech. The destructible environments and ragdoll physics of the humans make causing pandemonium immensely fun. And it makes you want to cause more than is entirely necessary.

With a subtitle like “Ultimate Destruction,” the game would have to let you wreak as much havoc as possible. Luckily for us, this action title does not disappoint. The game follows Dr. Bruce Banner as he tries to create a machine that will control his condition while simultaneously being hunted by the NSA. You’re given certain destruction-causing missions, but also the freedom to roam sandbox environments. You’ll find it hard to focus on the task at hand when you can rip through buildings, run across walls, leap to astounding heights, and smack vehicles and citizens out of your way like it’s nothing. Banner may not want to hurt people, but you’re not beholden to the same moral restraints.

Causing chaos doesn’t always come with destruction; sometimes, it just means being a dick. And it’s here where “Untitled Goose Game” soars. There’s not much in terms of story. You control a goose in a small village who simply likes messing with the humans. You’re given objectives to steal their stuff and lock them in certain areas. And you can scare the hell from them by honking. You can even add insult to injury by taunting them with a flap of your wings. There’s a very good reason this game became an instant hit upon release. Geese are notoriously the jerks of the animal kingdom and it feels fantastic to take a walk in their shoes. Or rather, their webbed feet.

Some would argue this open-world action series is merely a wackier version of GTA. But we would argue that’s not a bad thing. The franchise learned a lot from it’s predecessor, letting players wage war against humanity around them. But it’s the fourth entry where things truly went off the rails in glorious fashion. In a ridiculous turn of events, your character is given superpowers. So you can run around committing your standard massacres, but with the added bonus of being superhuman. You can punt literally anyone around you out of the way. And if you get cornered, just use your super speed to escape. Your reign of mayhem will never end.

Many havoc-inducing games take place in sprawling, open environments. And the “Just Cause” series features some of the biggest. Players control Rico Rodriguez, a secret agent who visits a different war-torn island in each game to defend against dictators and militia groups. You become a one-man army, commandeering any vehicle or weapon you want in order to stop your enemies. The variety in traversal helps add to the mayhem as you can also go skydiving, parasailing, or use a wingsuit in the 3rd and 4th entries. Plus, the games award you for causing destruction with Chaos Points. These are used to unlock new missions, vehicles, and weapons all so that you can keep the chaos train rolling.





Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



“Worms W.M.D.” (2016)





“Blast Corps” (1997)





“Besiege” (2015)





“The Simpsons: Hit & Run” (2003)





“Prototype” Series (2009-2012)

It’s hard to beat the series that popularized causing mayhem in sandbox environments. And it’s undoubtedly one of the shining aspects that has made it one of gaming’s most popular franchises. Each entry gives you an absolute arsenal to work with, and many players have lost hours to rampaging through each city. It’s almost a game in and of itself, seeing how long you can make it before the coppers get you. And with the addition of online, the series has only become more chaotic. One must only look at the amount of times GTA has been sited as dangerous by politicians to know that it is the absolute gold standard for wreaking havoc.