For many video games, it's the villain that truly makes it a masterpiece. They help drive the story, adding incentive and excitement to your adventure. The better a villain the deeper, memorable, and the more you can't wait to take them down. We've compiled a list of the 20 greatest video game villains that helped build the backbone of the gaming world and given us amazing battles and triumphs.

1. Bowser from Super Mario Series

The famous King Koopa Bowser from the Super Mario series is one of the most well known antagonists in video games. Known for his spiky shell and fire breath, his relentless pursuit of Princess Peach has been a mainstay in the games for years.

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2. Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda Series

Ganondorf from the Zelda series, is the evil and sole male Gerudo in a relentless pursuit of the Triforce. Link has faced off and defeated Ganondorf in many iterations of the games yet he continues to come back to time and time again.

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3. GLaDOS from Portal Series

GlaDOS is the evil Ai controlling the players world. Known for her sinister intelligence and deadpan humor, she keeps the player entertained with her vindictive tests and traps throughout the game.

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4. The Joker from Batman: Arkham Series

The Joker is Batman’s greatest nemesis. His chaotic nature, clever schemes, and memorable one-liners in the Arkham games perfectly capture his role as a crazy bad guy genius.

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5. Dr. Eggman from the Sonic Series

Dr. Eggman the genius technological weirdo is always after sonic and the chaos emeralds. Known for his huge orange mustache and egg-shape body, he is always finding ways to ruin sonic's day.

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6. Ridley from the Metroid Series

Ridley is a badass evil dragon creature that terrorizes Samus across the games. Ridley has no real pursuit other than just being a terrifying dragon that will stop at nothing to end the protagonist.

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7. Kefka Palazzo from the Final Fantasy Series

Kefka Palazzo is a brilliantly creepy villain from the Final Fantasy games. While both powerful and successful in taking over the world, it’s his lack of empathy, and nut job nature make him a true symbol of evil.

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8. Arthas Menethil from the Warcraft Series

Arthas Menethil the former prince of Lordaeron, let himself be corrupted and transformed into the Lich King. His unjustified horrible deeds eventually lead him to becoming a death knight, shreading his last bit of nobility and becoming his true powerful evil self.

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9. Vaas Montenegro from the Far Cry Series

Vaas Montenegro is the archenemy of the main characters. Known for his role of intimating and pushing the player towards embracing the monster within. His spooky monologues and wild daring nature make him an interesting and memorable villain.

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10. Dracula from the Castlevania Series

The fearless vampire god Dracula has been a mainstay in the Castlevania series for years. The villain has evolved overtime becoming quite a complex character full of both sympathy and ruthlessness.

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11. Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil Series

Albert Wesker is a badass narcissistic superhuman, well known for his shades and black outfit. His role in the controversial Umbrella Corporation has solidified him as a fan favorite villain in the survival horror genre.

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12. Handsome Jack from Borderlands Series

Handsome Jack is an antagonist whose humor and malevolence make him a uniquely entertaining villain in the Borderlands series. He is known for his sarcastic comments and dark humor which have given him his charm.

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13. Liquid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid Series

Liquid Snake is the cloned brother of the main character. He is the nemesis of the series known for his sophisticated intellect, military prowess, and intense grudge against his brother.

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14. Dr. Neo Cortex from the Crash Bandicoot Series

Dr. Neo Cortex is a longtime villain known for his distinctive N-marked forehead and his relentless desire for world domination. His comedic sarcasm while being a true challenging foe has kept him a mainstay in the Crash Bandicoot series.

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15. Micah Bell from the Red Dead Redemption Series

Micah Bell is the main antagonist in Red Dead Redemption 2. Known for being a no good, lying, disloyal, jerk. His presences and consistent manipulation of everyone around him make him a truly evil but brilliantly written character.

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16. Andrew Ryan from the BioShock Series

Andrew Ryan is the creator of the underwater city Rapture, and known for his extremist philosophical ideals. He is quite the complex and thought-provoking villain.

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17. Baldur from the God of War Series

Baldur is a unique antagonist in that his first appearance comes unexpectedly and completely changes the game-play of previous adventures. He is quite a deep character due to the amazing voice actor who brings out the nuances in the characters issues.

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18. The Illusive Man from the Mass Effect Series

The Illusive Man (voiced by actor Martin Sheen) is a complex character. Known for his cigar and calm attitude, it’s his questionable motivations and charismatic nature that make him a villain who genuinely believes he's doing the right thing.

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19. Queen of Blades from the StarCraft Series

The Queen of Blades is the end result of Sarah Kerrigan’s transformation and lust for power. She is quite the tragic yet brutal antagonist whose endless desires drive the story along.

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20. Makarov from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Series

Makarov is a ruthless strategic villain whose lack of remorse makes him quite the evil person. It’s his actions that spark a third World War in the series.

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