While gaming courted controversy over its violent titles in the ’90s, we’ve only seen titles get gorier in the decades that have followed. Due to the graphical leaps and technological advances, we’ve seen more violent video games than ever before over the past 10 years. As the decade comes to a close, Mandatory took a look at the 10 most violent video games of the decade. While not all of these games are necessarily scary, they certainly will get your blood pumping one way or another.
Cover Photo: Gun Media
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The Most Violent Games of the Decade
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10. 'Dead Space 2'
All three of the main Dead Space titles are horrifying, but the second game features the scariest and goriest moments. One that stands above the rest is when protagonist Isaac Clarke uses the NoonTech Diagnostic Machine, which winds up jamming a giant needle into his eye. If players mess up, it leads to one of the most gruesome death sequences in all of gaming. Combine that and the rest of the violence that comes from defeating Dead Space's Necromorphs and it easily makes the list.
Photo: Electronic Arts
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9. 'DOOM'
The 2016 reboot of DOOM lives up to its predecessors as it is filled with just as much blood and gore as the 1993 original. In fact, it even manages to top it due to how detailed the graphics are and the ultra-violent glory kills that can be performed. These special melee attacks instantly kill foes and allow the player to recover their health. These range from smashing an Imp's skull to a special kill with the chainsaw that recovers your ammo.
Photo: Bethesda
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8. 'Friday the 13th: The Game'
Based upon the famous slasher film series of the same name, Friday the 13th has players donning Jason's mask and machete in order to hunt down teenagers that are controlled by real players. It's a fantastic asymmetrical multiplayer horror game that has the camp counselors trying to work together to escape, and even defeat, Jason while being hunted down. With plenty of gory kills and near-death encounters, this is one of the scariest games released in recent years.
Photo: Gun Media
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7. 'Hotline Miami'
While it's the only indie game to make this list, Hotline Miami ups the violence to unimaginable levels. Each level of the top-down shooter features the player having to kill everyone in the room, but the twist is that every enemy (and the player) dies in just one hit. It's a bloody '80s-like massacre with plenty of neon colors and pulsing electronic music that tests the player's reflexes.
Photo: Dennaton Games
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6. 'Mortal Kombat 11'
The Mortal Kombat series has been setting new benchmarks for gore and violence ever since the series began as an edgier Street Fighter alternative. That attitude has continued to this day, and the fatalities found in Mortal Kombat 11 are next-level gory. Forget mere decapitations and ripping out spinal cords, there are dozens of even more creative deaths to experience.
Photo: NetherRealm Studios
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5. 'Resident Evil 7 Biohazard'
The Resident Evil series had lost it way for a little bit, but they came back in full force with Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. This first-person horror game has some of the most intense boss battles as they take on the extremely messed up Baker family. This includes an intense chainsaw fight with their patriarch, and a terrifying encounter with their insect-like mother. The shift to first person and the ability to play in virtual reality provides some of the most frightening, and gory, moments in the series yet.
Photo: Capcom
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4. 'Sniper Elite 4'
Shooters are always going to be inherently violent, but few games celebrate the brutality that they cause upon those at the receiving end of gunshots like Sniper Elite 4. Players are treated to slow-motion footage whenever they hit certain vitals, and this includes hitting the testicles of enemy soldiers. These shots are sure to make every man wince at the sight of them, and the headshots are pretty nasty as well.
Photo: Rebellion Developments
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3. 'Tomb Raider'
The 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider was a huge success as it brought Lara Croft back to the forefront of gaming. However, there was one aspect of Crystal Dynamics' action game that saw some backlash. Certain death animations were compared to "torture porn," and it's easy to see why when you play the game. It's not uncommon to see Croft's neck pierced by sharp objects, bones shattered from falls, and other mishaps arise from getting hit with traps. No matter if you enjoyed it or not, it makes it an easy inclusion for our most violent games this decade.
Photo: Square Enix
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2. 'Until Dawn'
One of the best horror games ever made, Until Dawn allows for its entire cast of characters to be killed off if the player is careless enough. As seen above, many of these deaths are gruesome in nature. It's all the more motivation for players to keep the characters alive, even if some are inherently unlikeable.
Photo: Supermassive Games
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1. 'Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus'
Wolfenstein 2 never shies away from violence and for good reason as the player is facing off with heartless Nazi soldiers. Killing them in the most violent way possible is the right thing to do and the game features some shockingly gory melee kills. Sadly, the Nazis also get in quite a few violent outbursts of their own, as seen above, and motivate the player to take out every last one of them.
Photo: Bethesda
