Top 20 Satisfying Villain Deaths in Video Games

No matter how many times we do it, there is just no feeling quite like taking out a brutal dictator who looks like a combination of Kim Jong-Un and Kim Jong-Ill and considers himself untouchable. Despite ruling over the island of Panau with plenty of military might at his back, it becomes clear that Panay has lost control of the situation given the amount of insurgency groups rising to take control of the island for themselves, something we and Rico Rodriguez are happy to assist in. In the most Hollywood of clashes, Panay and Rico exchange blows while on top of a missile, which the despot ultimately loses, leaving him on a one way ticket to boom town. Hasta la vista Baby.

There could not be a more fitting end to the CEO of the Hyperion Corporation and would-be ruler of Pandora. As the Vault Hunter, you’ve had to endure Jack’s non-stop taunts, death threats and bouts of insanity throughout the entire game, and while his selfish nature is ridiculously entertaining it still feels so good to obliterate his plans and watch him give his final bitch. You can either listen to him ramble about how he is the hero that Pandora deserves or just shoot him then and there. Not so handsome anymore aye Jack?

After spending so much time with our three majorly flawed protagonists and overcoming insurmountable odds together, who honestly could choose anything but Option C for the game’s finale? Out of the douchebags that Franklin, Michael and Trevor have come across Devin stood out as the worst. Far too rich for his own good, spineless and as vain as they come, the boys finally got their revenge after kidnapping him, locking him in the trunk of a car and pushing him off the edge of a cliff. It may not be the bloodiest of endings but by the build-up is so pitch perfect that by the time that car heads over the edge it’s almost beautiful.

Karma truly does come back to bite you in the ass, or in this case stab you multiple times in the chest with a hidden blade. Once a friend to the Auditore family, this member of the Templar Order betrayed his friends and arranged the public executions of Ezio’s family for the sake of his financial wellbeing. Regardless of whether he regretted his actions or not afterwards, he doesn’t have much time to dwell on it as Ezio soon takes his vengeance by assassinating him in public. Guess money can’t save you from everything after all.

There is very little emotional investment or moving narrative with this particular death…just the sheer thrill of knowing you just blew the Fuhrer into bloody pieces! Effortlessly effective in its premise, the very idea of having to enter a firefight with a Hitler who happens to be armed with a mecha suit is just too hilarious not be a fun time. After gunning your way through endless amounts of Nazis and undead mutants, you finally come to the piste de resistance; unloading clip after clip until the leader of the Third Reich is packed with so much lead he practically melts. Classic.

He might think of himself as a patriot, but the actions of this one soldier are pretty far removed from the American Dream. After losing his faith in his nation following the deaths of 30,000 unrecognised soldiers, Shepherd sought to escalate the war between the U.S and Russia in order to give the American people something to rally behind. To this extend he goes as far as to kill members of his own Task Force, including Ghost and Roach. It all culminates into a final confrontation to avenge your fallen comrades, with one of the most satisfying knife throws ever.

Survival is everything, though some individuals choose to take it too far. As Clementine ventures into the undead infested world, she and her new group find themselves in the clutches of Carver, the merciless leader of a sanctuary whose disciplinary actions often led to someone either dying or getting horrible maimed. Just ask Kenny. However he doesn’t stay on top for very long. As the sanctuary is overrun with walkers, Kenny decides to get even by breaking apart Carver’s skill with a crowbar. Whether you want to stay and watch the brutality is up to you, but either way it’s truly a messy way to go. And we loved it.

She is one of video game’s greatest villains, and the fact that her defeat left you feeling wholly satisfied as a result just adds to her psychotic appeal. Throughout the various lethal tests you’ve had to endure, GLaDOS has been there, mocking you every step of the way. Always trying to have you killed, lying about the cake, messing with your companion cube, by the time you had reached the heart of the Apeture Science Facility you were done being petrified and ready to put this A.I in her place. After melting her various A.I Cores, we can only watch in delight as the machine with a god complex faces the reality of losing. At least until Portal 2.

He shot up a whole town just for the sherrifs confiscating his guns, he acted as a mole within Dutch’s gang for the Pinkertons resulting in the gang falling apart, and he killed Arthur. What a jerk. Eventually John Marston and Sadie Adler track Micah down to the mountains, but in a last minute reveal; Dutch is with Micah, as the two are supposedly rebuilding the gang. Yet thanks to John’s smart witts, Micah gets a reward that only a traitor deserves. Even better; you get to deliver the final blow.

Out of all the members of the Wild Hunt, this was the one we were most looking forward to drive a sword through. Not only did this elf relentlessly chase after Ciri, but his participation in the battle of KaerMorhen let to the death of Geralt’s mentor and father figure Vesemir. As you can imagine we were ready for a sword swinging showdown, and while Imlerith’s strength is undeniable, he’s still not powerful enough to survive a fire blast to the face. Guess that’s what happens when you mess with a Witcher.

Have you ever met that villain that just doesn't know how to stay dead? Yeah, well Seymour's that guy. After learning of his treachery, Tidus and his party go to kill him and end up being branded traitors. Then he reappears alive now getting married to Yuna, and kills one of Auron’s friends in the process, where you fight him again. But he’s still alive, and now he wipes out Khimari’s Tribe on his 3rd life. His tyranny finally comes to an end inside Sin when Yuna provides him a long overdue sending.

Baldur in the 2018 revival may have been a dick to Kratos, but his tragic backstory also made us feel more remorseful for him. No such remorse for this Greek god, in one of the most epic final boss fights in the franchise. After succumbing to Zeus's betrayal in God of War 2 with the Blade of Olympus draining his power, Kratos gets the opportunity to give the king of gods the beatdown of his life. Oh yeah, and did we mention Zeus was Kratos' father? Talk about family dysfunction. After stabbing him rather fittingly with the Blade of Olympus, Kratos follows up with finishing him with his bare hands. And I’m sure Kratos will never ever regret this moment.

Shao Kahn is a villain who needs no explanation, the bane of every Mortal Kombat fan since his debut in Mortal Kombat 2 as the final boss. However it's his demise in MK11’s story mode that’s the most satisfying of all. As Kitana, you face off against Kahn in his arena, giving you the chance to humiliate him in front of his people. But the satisfaction doesn’t just come from his death, but what happens as a result: (The Throne is yours Kitana Kahn) The true heir of Outworld has finally claimed the throne.

It never got more crooked than the crooked police of Los Santos, although the definitive centerpiece of the unruliness was no other than Officer Tenpenny. Through extortion and blackmail, Tenpenny pulled the strings to the dirty doings of the city, exclusively using protagonist CJ as his personal pawn. In Tenpenny's effort to escape Los Santos, he's thwarted by CJ in a desperate car chase. Crashing and running over an overpass, the broken and battered Tenpenny suffers a slow death.

David leads a faction of cannibals and comes across Ellie in an infected ambush. Upon discovering his ill intentions, Ellie attempts to escape, but later finds herself locked in an old abandoned building with him alone, and worse; its implied he intends to rape her. Maneuvering herself quietly to escape, Ellie must play the most creepiest game of hide and seek we've ever encountered. In a final desperate struggle Ellie breaks free and hacks away at his face with his own machete. On top of his demise, its also a relief to see Ellie survive what was clearly a traumatic experience.

There's no room for mercy when it comes to protecting someone you care for, so it came to be a great pleasure to see this creep get done in. His name and origin are unknown for the duration of the game, but he appeared to be hellbent on getting revenge on Lee's group. When he abducts Clementine at the end of episode 4, Lee must find her in a rather disturbing hotel. Eventually Leed subdue him through a button mashing sequence, knocking him unconscious, though the final blow ends up coming from a rather shaken Clementine.

He leads a massacre against innocent civilians to start a war, He kidnapped the Russian President, and used his daughter to get his country to invade Europe, oh and it turns out he was responsible for that nuke in the first Modern Warfare game, damn right this bastard deserves to die. He is eventually killed by Captain Price in a brutal scene where he's beaten through a glass roof and hung by a stray cord. Now that's justice.

Sorry Nemesis, you’ve been dethroned. While you were satisfying to pump full of lead in the original, the remake turned you into a joke. But as it turns out, there was someone else worthy of the crown from one of the best Resident Evil games in recent years. Throughout your time at the police station, this walking indestructible tank will track you down to no end, causing a lot of fear and anxiety within the player. But stick through Leon’s campaign and you’ll finally get a chance to take him down, but not before taking him on in one of the toughest battles in the Resident Evil series. That’s why it’s so damn sweet to blast him off his feet.

The man who kidnapped John Marston’s wife and son in order to use John to take our his old gang was a clear no brainer, It was bad enough this John’s family to do the Government’s dirty deed, It was worse when he tried to later have John and his family killed to cover up his action. Although John sacrificed his life to ensure his wife and son escaped, witnessing his son loading Edgar up with rounds and seeing him rot in his on filth was the perfect conclusion to this wild west tale.

When you start this game you’re given one simple goal: Destroy Ganon. The creature responsible for untold amounts of destruction over the years. And yet he’s so powerful that it takes the entire length of this masterpiece of a game to prepare to stand a chance against him. Even throughout the game, you’re always aware of his presence as you’re able to see him hovering over Hyrule Castle even from a distance. So yeah, the buildup to facing him was a longtime coming. When you do finally face him, the fight was well worth the anticipation. And it’s made the sweeter if you defeated all the divine beasts prior, and have a strong bond with your horse.

Many games have been able to deliver satisfaction through well placed story beats, but to pay off 40 gameplay hours in one triumphal moment; there’s a good reason this game is a modern masterpiece.