Top 25 Scariest Video Game Bosses of Each Year (2000 - 2024)

“Resident Evil: Code Veronica”

Poor Steve. Without Chris’ immense bulk or Leon’s flawless hair, he was never going to survive the events of the game compared to the franchise’s other leading men. He does, however, get the honour of becoming one of the gnarliest bosses this acclaimed side-story ever produced. Infected with the t-Veronica virus, Steve goes from skinny kid all the way to a hulking mutant wielding a giant axe. There’s no besting Steve in this state, only getting the hell out of dodge before Claire is sliced and diced.

“Silent Hill 2”

The pointy face of the franchise, Pyramid Head’s legacy is one of horror and punishment. Formed from the guilty mind of James Sunderland and manifested into Silent Hill as a roaming executioner, every part of Pyramid Head’s mythos is unsettling. From his design to the great knife he wields, all the way to the less than PG-13 antics he gets up to with the other creatures occupying the fog-covered town, Pyramid Head isn’t so much a monster to be bested as it is a haunting reminder of one man’s sins come to life.

“Resident Evil”

The remake of the first RE game didn’t only bring a lavish coat of paint to the visuals, but also threw in a few nasty surprises for Jill and company. Namely, Lisa Trevor. She may not be the most difficult infected that the STARs operatives have encountered in their time, but she is one of the most disturbing. A human research subject, Lisa was essentially Umbrella’s go to guinea pig for their original experiments leading up to the Mansion Incident. Despite being nothing more long-limbed husk, the implications of her years of torture combined with the fragments we see under her hood is more chilling than a million Tyrants.

“Silent Hill 3”

Whether it’s the phallic imagery or the mere fact it’s a giant worm with monstrous sized teeth, everything about this boss is revolting, and a hell of a nasty way for Heather to begin her descent into darkness. Shuffling between various openings across the stage, the Split Worm certainly makes for an easy target to blast bullets into. Doesn’t take away from the fact it will make your skin crawl each and every time it reemerges to take another bite out of you!

“Silent Hill 4: The Room”

While by no means the most magnetic of villains, at the very least this psychotic serial killer does have a final boss battle that will make you shudder. No, we’re not talking about Walter’s ghost that will lash out at you. We’re talking about the giant conjured creature lurking in the background that is beyond unholy to look at. A manifestation of Walter’s monstrous nature and traumatised childhood, the entity may not be able to harm you, but getting up close to stab it with spears doesn’t make it any less unappealing.

“Resident Evil 4”

One look at the mutated form of this infected cult leader, and trust us, you’d be reaching for the rocket launcher. Embracing the Las Plagas virus, Saddler goes from a manipulative messiah to a tendrilled abomination made of flesh and blades. The eyes, the spider-like movement, the reach of his attacks, everything about this fight made us want to take our chances with the ocean below. Given that you can’t move while shooting due to the original RE4’s in-built mechanics, you’re going to spend a lot of time getting up close and personal with this walking nightmare.

“Dead Rising”

What’s worse than having to deal with a clown at the mall? How about one that’s gone batshit crazy and juggles a pair of chainsaws. Turns out the zombie apocalypse did a number on ol’ Adam’s psyche. So now he spends his days making himself laugh by carving up anyone he comes across. Clowns have already made a name for themselves as some of the most sinister foes to be found in gaming, and we like to think Adam is part of the reason for their infamy. Whatever you do, do not get on that Ferris wheel!

“BioShock” (2007)

Admittedly, after you start unlocking Plasmids and get yourself plenty of armaments, exploring the undersea hell of Rapture is more of an action-thrill ride instead of a horror experience. Early on, however, there’s an encounter that will have you constantly on edge. Making your way through the medical wing, we’re introduced to Steinman, one of many influential and talented individuals brought to Rapture, free to pursue his practise without fear of moral constraint. The result of this is the good doctor going utterly insane and perfuming fatal surgeries on countless innocent women. His pursuit of true beauty is sickening to behold, worse than anything a Big Daddy could ever do.

“Dead Space”

The Necromorphs are truly some of the most horrifying enemies to be found in both sci-fi and video games. Mutated remnants resurrected into a variety of grotesque and dangerous forms; any can easily prove to be the death of Isaac at any given time. But none quite have captured interstellar terror quite like the Leviathan – a wall of flesh and tentacles that you’re forced to battle in zero gravity. While the remake gives it an equally hideous visual palette, the original has you get dangerously close in order to flush it off the Ishimura for good. Whatever you do, don’t stop firing.

“Demon’s Souls” (2009)

It was only a matter of time before the Souls bosses started to show up. A simple yet effective concept, especially when it comes to making us feel sick to our stomachs, the Leechmonger is a sentient vortex of bloodsuckers that will flay your health if you get too close, while also using pieces of its collective body as projectiles. While you can lacerate it with fire-coated weapons easily enough, that doesn’t take away how you have to wade through a sea of leeches to get the job done. Understandably, the remake made this encounter a million times grosser.

“Limbo”

You would think, with its lack of distinguishable features due to being rendered completely in shadow, a giant spider set in this black and white world wouldn’t carry the same fear factor as other iterations. Oh, how wrong you would be. In many ways, Limbo’s take on the colossal arachnid might just be the scariest of the bunch. The way it appears out of the darkness without a sound, how much distance it can cover with every stride. There’s no rhyme or reason to its existence other than to once again make you fear the dark, and damn if it isn’t effective!

“Dark Souls”

Sure, if you’re just looking at the top half, your undead eyes would be met by the spellbinding visage of an enticing maiden. But if you peer an inch lower, you’ll spy that her bottom half is that of a spider demon, with eyes and flames aplenty. You’ll have no time to feel disgusted before Quelaag is all over you. Spewing lava and lashing out with her ravenous spider’s maw, this was but a glimpse as to how creatively depraved FromSoft could be with their boss designs, as well as their love of spiders…

“Resident Evil 6”

Granted this is also the game that features a villain that becomes a mutated zombie dinosaur before evolving into a giant fly. There wasn’t a lot of old school horror to be found here. That being said, there is still something genuinely off putting about the Lepotitsa. Essentially a walking hive, this humanoid will shirk around unleashing fumes from its numerous pours that can instantly turn civilians into infected. The fact you have to fight it twice in confined spaces is the closest that RE6 comes to capturing the spirit of what made the franchise great, in a way that will have you feeling very unclean.

“Outlast”

As the world’s weakest journalist, practically any enemy within Mount Massive Asylum has a high chance of ending you, but among the ranks of the tortured and crazies, none quite terrified us like Chris Walker. Despite his size, this variant is dogged in his pursuits, chasing you all over the facility with the sole goal of ripping you apart. The guttural growls, how he refers to you as pig, when Walker waddled onto the scene, that’s when shit got real. We’d take the Wallrider any day over him.

“The Evil Within”

Overrated survival horror or understated master of the genre, no matter your thoughts on this franchise there is no denying that the boss designs are truly nightmare-inducing. Especially Laura. What was once an innocent girl tragically killed via fire has been reborn in a simulated world, now as a mass of claws, rage and murderous intent. And we’re trapped in a room with her. Unlike other bosses, shooting does nothing. Your only hope is to set off explosions to give her a second baptism of fire. Not that Laura will make it easy for you!

“Bloodborne”

The Old Hunters DLC was rife with many of FromSoftware’s most insidious creations to date, though few can hope to match the Lovecraftian fever dream that is Ludwig. Proud knight turned beast, the Accursed is a screaming, festering creature that bares little resemblance to the once noble Hunter. At least until he rekindles a sense of himself upon rediscovering his beloved guiding moonlight. Of course, this inspires a new kind of dread for us, since we now have to face the same creature…only now he’s got a giant sword and seriously knows how to use it!

“Darkest Dungeon”

The horror here is twofold. For one…just look at it – it’s a giant, cosmic heart responsible for all the monsters that have awoken in the Hamlet. It is the very epitome of evil, with a design that is as grotesque as it is otherworldly. The second reason why you should be deathly afraid of this boss is that he can and will instantly kill a member of your party. More than once. The fear of having to whittle down its health while also having to strategize who to sacrifice is another layer of anxiety to an already brutally tense bout.

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard”

The Baker Family each bring an aspect of horror with them as far as boss fights go, though by and far the most insidious is the matriarch of the family. After all, nothing is worse than having to battle against an elongated, mutated housewife who is able to produce a swarm of killer insects from her every orifice. Everything about Marguerite will make you want to retch. From the way she crawls around ducking in and out of windows, to that disgusting hive lurking between her legs, you’ll never feel more thankful for a flamethrower in your life.

“Fear & Hunger”

The only thing more nauseating than the creature designs in this turn-based trip to hell are its death animations. Never before has pixel art been so gruesome. This is especially true of the Crow Mauler. Once dead set on clearing out the dungeon of monsters, he in turn became one, now a boss that’s all too happy to either peck you to death or use its new club arm to smash apart your party. An encounter with him guarantees a bad time and a possible foul end to what might have been a promising run!

“Blasphemous”

Bosses inspired by the cruelty and iconography of the Spanish Inquisition were always bound to be both surreal and savage. And none compliment that motif quite like a battle against a colossal wicker woman…who also happens to be carrying a giant, blind and bloodied baby. If you think it can’t get any weirder, just wait until it attacks you by summoning a snake with a human’s face attached. Symbolism be damned, this thing will make you think twice about parenthood!

“Last of Us Part II”

Just when you thought the Clickers had already reached their apex, along comes one that makes the other infected look like harmless mushrooms. An unholy mesh of various subspecies, the Rat King is what happens when the cordyceps virus is left to run amuck, creating a hybrid that is just as hard to kill as it is to look at. Trapped in an impossible tight space, the only chance you have at making it out alive is to just keep running, because once the king gets its claws in you, it’s curtains.

“Resident Evil Village”

Taking on the likes of lycanthropes, fish monsters and Lady Dimitrescu certainly added more of a folklore edge to this RE outing. It was beautifully done, but the action was clearly winning over the horror element here. That is until we encountered the giant, murderous fetus. The entirety of House Beneviento’s level was a masterclass in building dread, with it culminating as Ethan being confronted, and subsequently fleeing from this unborn monstrosity. You can’t fight, you can only run, hide, and hope that it doesn’t catch you. They really didn’t hold back here.

“Elden Ring”

While none of the demigods are exactly lookers, none have a candle on Rykard. Famous for his heresy and eagerness to devour the gods, Rykard went from zealot to serpent – sharing his body with a giant snake while using its belly to hoister his sword forged of bloodied remains. Slithering down the uncanny valley while lashing out with the souls of the deceased at his command, Rykard left an undeniable impression as one of the true terrors of the Lands Between.

“Alan Wake II”

Yes, Sam Lake can even make a screaming old woman one of the scariest encounters in modern gaming. After being consumed by the Dark Presence, Cynthia turns a retirement home into the house from hell, dragging Saga into its watery depths, where she’ll not only bombard you with live-action jump scares, but also hunt you through the water like a phantasmic shark! With ammo scarce and plenty of life left in her possessed bones, bringing down Cynthia is no easy feat, even if you’re immune to the jump scare recoil.

“Silent Hill 2”

Don’t get us wrong. This shockingly awesome remake did Pyramid Head justice. He was imposing, sinister, and iconic in every scene he was in. it’s just that the update to Abstract Daddy is next level. Depicting two entities layered together in a compromising position, bound to both bedframe and flesh, it’s about as unsettling a deception of sexual trauma as you can get, and now it’s a boss that James has to blast away before it breaks him. The beautifully grim aesthetic combined with the heartbreaking truth of Angela’s pain all lend themselves to perhaps the darkest encounter in a remake already dripping with macabre moments.

Which of these bosses stripped you of sleep? Let us know in the comments!