Top 20 Scariest Video Game Bosses Ever

“Darkest Dungeon” (2016)

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We can already hear you asking: “Just what in the hell is that thing?” What you’re looking at is an Eldritch creature that somehow snuck its way into an already spine-tingled turn-based beast of a game. This horrifying construction of horse, human, and crystal is one of the toughest minibosses to stem from the Color of Madness, boasting a high resistance to stun and capable of inflicting massive stress onto your party. On top of that, it can take two turns and cure itself of any ailments WHILE attacking! Best come up with a solid plan before hunting it down, assuming you even want to rise to the challenge. We’ll...take our chances elsewhere.

“Dementium: The Ward” (2007)

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Nightmarish creatures seem to fit right in, since the game takes place in a nightmare. A faceless, gluttonous monstrosity, The Cleaver gets his name, like most other enemies in this game, from his appearance. With a cleaver in place of his left hand, and an acid filled syringe in the other, it is capable of both ranged and melee attack. Trapped in the room with you, his large stomping and heavy grunting fill the room, determined to hunt you down and make you another one of his victims.

Some secrets are better left buried, but when you have an asylum filled to the brim with horrible experiments on already psychologically damaged patients, maybe someone should blow the whistle. Eddie Gluskin is one of the many disturbed patients roaming the halls, though he is more prone to violence -given his serial killer past. Due to his desire to find the perfect woman, he has taken to torturing and capturing male patients and performing genital mutilation... and he has the hots for you. In a relentless pursuit that spans most of the expansion, he almost succeeds in taking you as his bride. Thankfully the wedding is off.

“Dark Souls 3” (2016)

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For a time, Skeletons in video games seemed to have lost their edge; they just didn’t feel all that scary anymore. Thankfully Dark Souls 3 was there to remind us that the bony undead can be truly frightening. After touching a mysterious chalice, you are transported to a world of darkness. What awaits you is this giant skeletal being, his fingers larger than your body, with skulls adorned on his chest. Not scary enough for you? This guy barely takes any damage, and your only chance at making it out alive is by breaking his bracelets, forcing him back into the darkness.

“Star Fox 64” (1997)

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Labeling Andross as a mad scientist is only scratching the surface. Working originally for the Corneria system, he delved deeper into more dangerous territories, resulting in Cornerian lives being lost. After being exiled to the planet Venom, the ape continued to work on his experiments, diving deeper into his madness, and declaring himself emperor. It is unclear, but through his mad experiments, his body was lost, as he became a giant head and hands. Don’t be fooled by the robotic decoy – the real Andross battle ends with him becoming a giant brain. Gross.

“The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” (2015)

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This trio of witches - Brewess, Weavess, and Whispess - inhabit the swamps of Velen, both praised and feared by locals as the Ladies of the Wood. Sure, they’re attractive when Ciri first meets them, but in actuality they're a bunch of old hags always in search of their next meal. What puts these living sacks of wrinkles on the list however, is the fact that they appear to be immortal, using elixirs and cruel concoctions to keep themselves from aging and continue to appear as gorgeous women. Don’t bother asking one of them dinner! You’d be setting yourself up for the worst (and last) date of your life.

“Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” (2019)

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Snakes…why did it have to be snakes? Just when we thought this latest Souls-like would steer away from the more frightening concepts featured in FromSoftware’s past catalogue, the studio went ahead and threw in a colossal snake! This slithery sky serpent is no laughing matter, either. To come out of this alive, you’ll have to sneak past its stone cold gaze and deal the creature several deathblows. Just when you thought the nightmare was over, you find a second Great Serpent lurking at the bottom of the Sunken Valley. The worst part is that this one is unkillable!

As if ReDeads weren’t enough to scare the living daylights out of us as kids, Nintendo had to go and conjure up this elongated monstrosity. Lying in wait at the bottom of the well, Dead Hand is an amorphous blob-like creature, with a long craning neck, wide-open mouth and human-like teeth. To make matters worse, your first encounter with him is as Young Link, when you're susceptible to more damage. Doesn’t help that he’s more detailed in the 3DS version. We can only assume that Dead Hand was the source of many, many nightmares.

“Call of Duty: WW2” (2017)

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Just when you thought Nazi Zombies had run it's course in the scare department, along comes this Cronenberg fantasy. Made entirely of flesh and metal, this armour killer has “final boss” written all over it, and is pretty dead set on ruining your day. It doesn’t matter how much armor you’ve stocked up on - the Reich's secret weapon will make short work of it if you aren’t careful. Try not to look at his disgusting structure for too long or the nauseating sight may turn you from a zombie-killing machine to a deer stuck in headlights.

“Super Metroid” (1994)

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It might be short, but it's no less capable of spooking the player. While exploring the volcanic region of Norfair on the planet Zebes, bounty hunter Samus Aran is faced by the imposing creature known as Crocomire. Already rendered intimidating by its resistance to all conventional weapons, Crocomire's use of fireballs and claws raises its ability to evoke fear. Thus, the ensuing battle is tense, with Samus having to push onward to ensure the beast's fiery demise, and … that scream. And even then Crocomire isn't quite done.

“Castlevania” series (1987-)

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Fear it, for it is many. A recurring boss in the Castlevania series, Legion first appeared in Symphony of the Night in the catacombs of Dracula's castle, Legion distinguishes itself from other foes in the player's path. First and foremost, it appears as a sphere constructed from multiple layers of human bodies, disturbing in scope as in imagery. Legion also stands as a notable physical challenge; it can drop bodies from its surface as zombies, shower the surrounding chamber in corpses, and fire difficult-to-evade beams. Legion is at once threatening and deeply unsettling.

“The Evil Within” (2014)

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Probably best to keep clear of this fellow. In the seventh chapter of 2014's “The Evil Within”, players were brought face-to-face with The Keeper, a box-headed being with a knack for lethal injury. Designed to symbolize past crimes kept hidden, The Keeper walks a fine line between being distinctive in appearance and dangerous in action. It wields both a large meat tenderizing hammer and a spike-filled sack, being all-too-willing to chase you down whenever it shows up. Add to that its use of debilitating barb-wire mines, and the result is a truly imposing game boss.

Aggressive from the outset, the Tentacles are not easily trifled with. As theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman makes his way through the devastated Black Mesa facility, it becomes necessary for him to cross through a rocket propulsion silo. There, he is faced with the extraterrestrial horror of a trio of tentacles, rooted by some means into the silo itself. Besides their ghoulish visual design, what makes the Tentacles scary is their sheer resilience; they cannot be destroyed by Gordon's weapons. Fortunately, it's said that rocket engines are quite handy as a means of disinfectant.

“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” (2004)

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The spirit of the warrior will always be with you... and that's terrifying. Towards the end of “Metal Gear Solid 3”, CIA operative Naked Snake experiences a near-death experience by way of falling into a river, bringing him before The Sorrow. The ghost of an elite soldier, The Sorrow had a unique gift in life: being able to summon and embody the souls of the dead. In death, he brings forth any soldiers felled by Snake, while also firing mental bursts and forcing Snake to trudge through a purgatory-like realm. Though true fear comes from Snakes chilling scream at the fake Game Over screen.

“Diablo” (1996)

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The Butcher stands as one of several Overlord demons in the service of the Prime Evil Mephisto, being particularly notable in its brutality. Players who opt to undertake the quest to vanquish said demon are greeted with mutilated bodies – and an imposing horned beast wielding a cleaver. Coupled with its blood-splattered attire and its relentless desire to kill, The Butcher is a true terror to behold and not for the faint of heart.

“The Last of Us: Part II” (2020)

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It’s very easy to forget under all the drama and emotion in it’s broken world, that at its core; The Last of Us’s gameplay is deeply rooted within Survival Horror. While the Bloaters were already a scary sight to behold, they were mere appetizers for what awaited us in the Hospital basement in Part II. Get a load of this thing, the result of multiple infected individuals trapped in isolation for over 20 years, fusing together into this walking nightmare. The sequence starts off in a terrifying chase sequence but eventually you have to fight it, and don’t get too close or else it’ll kill you without breaking a sweat.

“Resident Evil 7” (2017)

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One of the most memorable ways in which the franchise's return to glory distinguishes itself is by making each member of the Baker family represent a subgenre of horror. Jack represented slasher flicks, Lucas embodied psychological horror, and Marguerite was...ugh...body horror. Needless to say, Capcom succeeded in making our stomachs churn with her character design. Really, what’s more frightening than an old woman who’s lower half is a freakin’ bug nest and has centipedes pouring out of her mouth? This was a boss fight we may have won, but only at the cost of losing our lunch.

With all the teachings of inclusivity and the silly antics, Photoshop Flowey shocked and frightened many. After killing Asgore and absorbing all the souls of the human children, Flowey transforms into a horrifying amalgamation of metal, organs, and flowers. Possessing near god-like power, rather than just simply killing you, he refuses to let you SAVE and continue onward, crashing your game and reloading you back into the same battle. Taunting you at every turn, he somehow manages to grow more terrifying as the battle moves on, changing shape as the faces on his monitor stare you down. There’s a reason Undertale fans call this guy God Flowey.

Embodying the power of evil itself, the alien Giygas is encountered in the climax of “Earthbound”, confronted by kid hero Ness and company. The heroes are taken to a dimension of pure darkness – and glance upon the swirling horror that is Giygas. Said to have been inspired by a scene from the 1957 Japanese film “The Military Policeman and the Dismembered Beauty", Giygas' vaguely twisted form fits with the unknowable nature of Giygas himself. Thus, the terror at play here is based on how little is understood about Giygas, and how uncomfortable that makes the audience.

“Silent Hill 2” (2001)

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Nothing like a creature with geometry for a head to send us fleeing. Meant to represent protagonist James Sunderland's desire for punishment, Pyramid Head takes its concept to heart. Be it brutalizing other monsters in the town of Silent Hill or chasing down James with its massive blade, Pyramid Head's persistence is matched by its cruelty and mysterious nature. It kills without mercy, disappears and reappears of its own accord, and never clearly spells out its reason for being. If ever something were to frighten us to the core, this would be it.