8 Strategy Games Where You’re the Anti-Hero

Almost any game will put players in the shoes of a protagonist, but that doesn’t mean that the protagonist has to be a hero. Some games give players the opportunity to be downright villainous, while others focus more on providing fans with the space to be an anti-hero.

However, it’s hard to find a strategy game that gives players this much room. While certain titles on this list may steer closer to villainous experiences than others, they are all sure to give players a sense of being an anti-hero.

8

Necroking

Play As A Necromancer

Necroking is a minimalist combination of deck-builder and auto-battler mechanics. As an indie game, it’s a small experience, but one that fans of both deck-builders and auto-battlers alike will most likely enjoy.

The game excels with its dark, minimalist pixel-art aesthetic and simple but strategic gameplay. Players also play as an anti-hero here, taking control of a necromancer, which fits perfectly with the game’s visual style.

7

Besiege

A Game Of Mass Destruction

Besiege is really a sandbox game, but its campaign does require players to be strategic in their approach. Besiege is all about creating weapons of mass destruction, preferably mobile ones, and this allows players to really feel like the anti-hero.

There are not many opportunities for heroics in Besiege, just destroying entire armies and structures with vehicles/weapons that you’ve spent hours designing. For those who like to be creative with their strategies, Besiege is worth trying out.

6

War for the Overworld

Building and Defending a Dungeon of Monsters

Fans of Dungeon Keeper and similar games will likely find joy in the dungeon management of War for the Overworld. In this game, players take on the role of the ‘bad guys’, but defending your dungeon and its denizens from attacks makes you feel like the anti-hero saving the day from meddling ‘heroes.’

After all, the heroes in this game are just after your treasure, right? So, why not build a dungeon and strategically fill it with traps, populate it with minions, and watch those heroes fail?

5

Warhammer 40k: Gladius – Relics of War

Bleak War in a Grim-Dark World

The grimdark world of Warhammer 40,000 is known for its bleak, dystopian vision of a galactic future. It’s full of violence, betrayal, chaos, and horror. Most importantly, there are no real heroes here.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War is a 4X strategy game with a heavy focus on combat. This is in keeping with the world of 40k, in which everyone is constantly at war, allowing players to feel like the anti-hero no matter which faction they’re playing as.

4

Zet Zillions

A Wild Deck-Builder About Destroying Planets

Zet Zillions is a strange, wildly unique rogue-like deck-builder where you play as odd characters destroying planets and overpopulating them by literally flinging crew members at them. If that sounds heroic, think again; Zet Zillions definitely puts players in the shoes of an anti-hero.

But this unmistakably weird theme and visual style give Zet Zillions a truly unique flavor. It’s a shame that its mechanical twist, which has players fusing cards together for unique effects, is a little under-baked, but it’s still a worthwhile foray into the genre.

3

Darkest Dungeon

Saving the World with Deeply Flawed Characters

Almost any fan of indie games has likely already come across the iconic Darkest Dungeon and its sequel, Darkest Dungeon 2. For those unfamiliar, though, this is a combination of brutal turn-based strategy and RPG mechanics, sending players into dangerous dungeons packed with gruesome monsters and violent bandits.

The game works hard to make players feel heroic by constantly putting them down and making them fight against brutal odds; this makes those true moments of triumph all the more triumphant. However, while players technically are heroes, the characters they control are most certainly anti-heroes. Examples include the morally-grey Highwayman, a Bounty Hunter, and a Grave Robber.

2

Dune: Spice Wars

Conquering, Colonizing, and Exploiting

Dune: Spice Wars is one of my favorite strategy games for multiple reasons, and I’d say it’s somewhat underrated. Its source material may be its biggest draw, but the way in which Dune: Spice Wars thematically weaves in elements of Frank Herbert’s iconic world and characters is fantastic.

Source material aside, Dune: Spice Wars elegantly combines mechanics of the 4X and RTS genres and even brings DNA from tabletop games. The multitude of victory conditions combine warfare, espionage, and politics all in one, and there’s even a system for attrition which makes army control a thoughtful process. Players are most certainly anti-heroes here in almost all scenarios, the only exception being when playing as the Fremen, the natives of the iconic desert planet.

1

Wild Bastards

Shootouts and Strategy

Wild Bastards is a spacefaring Wild West adventure across galactic sectors in which players carefully navigate tactical maps and dangerous shootouts as a gang of shifty gunslingers. This variety of gunslingers, as well as the game’s combination of strategy and FPS gameplay, are among the game’s greatest strengths.

The diverse roster of anti-heroes is not only playable with their own unique weapons and styles, but also has relationships with each other that must be managed throughout the campaign. It’s a fun, colorful, wild ride that’s great for any fan of space and cowboys mashed together.