Due to a villain's inherent role in a story, please note this article contains spoilers.While many players regard 2023 as one of the best years ever in terms of quality game releases, part of what has made this year's releases so great were the villains they had to face. This year boasted some all-around top-notch stories in games, which brought with them equally complex and intimidating villains to act as foils for the heroes of these titles. It can be hard to create a villain as iconic as Mario's Bowser, as terrifying as Silent Hill's Pyramid Head, or as sympathetic as Metal Gear's Big Boss, but this year's best villains ranged from maliciously evil to misunderstood and tortured.

Some of this year's best villains stood out even against their associated protagonists in the minds of many fans, with big names returning to their respective franchises and newcomers establishing themselves as major threats. In a year where great games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Alan Wake 2 claimed top prizes at The Game Awards, it's easy to see the role villains played in shaping great games in 2023. These are the best video game villains of 2023, listed in alphabetical order.

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Barnabas Tharmr (Final Fantasy 16)

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Final Fantasy 16 contains a solid cast of compelling antagonists, but the most notable of the group is Barnabas Tharmr, King of Waloed and Dominant of Odin. Barnabas is a complex character who is heralded as a great warrior king who conquered the continent of Ash and established the Kingdom of Waloed, but the game reveals glimpses into his psyche that show he is apathetic and often bored with humanity. To this end, it's Barnabas' fanatical worship of Ultima that leads him to seek a world free of human consciousness wherein he utilizes Odin's power to challenge those like Clive who would stop him.

Bode Akuna (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor)

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Bode is the epitome of a tragic villain, and his story in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has earned him a place in the hearts of many players. He starts out as a companion to Cal, helping him escape Coruscant near the start of the game and aiding the crew of the Mantis throughout. It's not until the game's final act that Bode's duplicitous nature is revealed, leading to a tense final showdown and one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the series.

Unbeknownst to Cal and his crew, Bode is actually a former Jedi who hid as a mercenary after the Great Purge. After his wife was killed by the Imperial Inquisitorius, Bode made a deal with the Empire to work as a spy for Jedi activity in exchange for the safety of his daughter, Kata. What makes Bode's story so compelling is the clear hesitancy he has about fighting Cal, whom he considers to be a genuine friend, but his commitment to Kata means he'll stop at nothing to protect her, which ultimately forces Cal to kill Bode, tragically leaving Kata orphaned.

Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

Arguably one of the most iconic villains in gaming returned in a huge way in 2023, as the Demon King Ganondorf plunged Hyrule into chaos once again in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After being absent from the past few mainline Zelda titles, many fans were excited to see the newly redesigned look of Ganondorf, along with the fact that he was being voiced by the illustrious Matt Mercer. The combination of these elements made Ganondorf a crucial part of the hype behind Tears of the Kingdom and would go on to be one of the game's most memorable aspects.

Ganondorf's role in Tears of the Kingdom follows a similar arc to that of his other appearances in the series but with an interesting twist. The story of Tears of the Kingdom tells of how Ganondorf led an attack on Rauru and the Kingdom of Hyrule long ago, only being stopped when Rauru sealed him away using the power of his magical arm. With Ganondorf being revived in the modern day, Link must recover the strength of the sages of the past along with the Master Sword to defeat Ganondorf.

Jack Krauser (Resident Evil 4)

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While Krauser is a secondary villain to the leader of Los Illuminados and Resident Evil 4's main antagonist Osmund Saddler, he is arguably the more impactful and more memorable villain from the game. Krauser worked alongside Leon Kennedy during a past incident known as Operation Javier and suffered a severe wound to his arm which ultimately led him to seek the help of Albert Wesker in repairing it. Becoming convinced of the practical applications of Wesker and Umbrella's work, Krauser faces off against Leon during his mission to rescue Ashley Graham, resulting in two epic fights: one intense knife duel, and later, a game of cat and mouse in a trap-filled maze.

Kosei Shishido (Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name)

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Kosei Shishido plays the role of both ally and villain in Like a Dragon Gaiden, keeping his true intentions a secret from Kiryu and the player until the final act. After clawing his way up from poverty, he was forced into servitude as a fighter in the Kijin Clan's Coliseum, where he suffered abuse at the hands of Homare Nishitani before being rescued by Yuki Tsuruno and joining the Watase Family. After Shishido learns of Watase's plans to dissolve the Omi Alliance, he works to undermine this scheme so that the life he had built for himself would not go to waste, leading to an intense final showdown at the Omi Alliance Headquarters.

Kraven (Marvel's Spider-Man 2)

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Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 does a great job of building up classic Spider-Man villains to be complex, and at times, sympathetic antagonists for the Wall-Crawler. The way the game handles an iconic enemy like Kraven the Hunter does the character justice and makes him a menacing yet tortured enemy that players will have to contend with throughout the game. Although there are multiple villains players will battle in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Kraven's arc makes him a driving force in the game's plot while leaving players feeling sympathy for the hunter.

Lilith (Diablo 4)

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Lilith made her grand debut in the Diablo franchise in 2023 with the release of Diablo 4, with the Mother of Demons taking center stage as the primary antagonist of Blizzard's ARPG. As the daughter of Mephisto and co-creator of Diablo 4's world of Sanctuary, Lilith seeks to gain the power of her father to aid in her rebellion against the Burning Hells, leading players to hunt her down and put an end to her sinful crusade. Lilith was such an iconic part of 2023 that players could offer prayers to Lilith in exchange for Diablo 4 beta codes, and the first thousand players to reach level 100 in Diablo 4's Hardcore mode had their names enshrined on a Lilith statue.

Mr. Scratch (Alan Wake 2)

Perhaps one of the darkest villains from 2023 was Alan Wake 2's main antagonist, Mr. Scratch. Originally created by Thomas Zane as a mirror version of Alan Wake to take his place while Wake was trapped in the Dark Place, Scratch bears an identical resemblance to the titular protagonist. During this time, Scratch became possessed by the Dark Presence and was corrupted into a psychotic serial killer based on the rumors that Alan Wake had killed his wife Alice. The intrigue and eerie implications surrounding Mr. Scratch and his parallels to the real Alan Wake make him a clear standout from Alan Wake 2's cast and among this year's best villains.

Orin (Baldur's Gate 3)

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It's clear from Baldur's Gate 3's dominance at The Game Awards 2023 that there are a lot of elements of the game that helped it stand out from the rest of this year's crowd. One of the best aspects of the game is its cast of complex characters, especially Baldur's Gate 3's fantastic villains. Out of these villains, Orin is the best of the bunch and her story and background make her one of the game's overall most interesting and tragic characters.

Orin is one of the three Chosen of the Absolute, specifically the Chosen of Bhaal, God of Murder, and this status shows through in her conniving, murderous personality. Players will have to delve into the Temple of Bhaal to save Orin's kidnapped party member and face off against her amid her fellow Bhaalspawn. Players who do some digging will learn this villain has a dark backstory, being the result of an incestuous relationship between Sarevok Anchev and his daughter Helena, later being forced by Sarevok to kill her mother and claim her place as Bhaal's Chosen.

Venom (Marvel's Spider-Man 2)

One of Spider-Man's most iconic foes took center stage this year in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. While Insomniac delivered a different version of Venom than what many players might have expected, this version of the symbiote stood out for his menacing design and personal connection to Peter Parker. Spider-Man 2 even allowed players to play as Venom during one of the game's missions, delivering what many fans were hoping for when the villain was announced to be in the game.

Insomniac's version of Venom deviates from the comics' Eddie Brock, instead opting to make Peter's close friend Harry Osborn the host of the symbiote. In Spider-Man 2, Dr. Curt Connors and Oscorp acquire the symbiote from a meteorite that fell to Earth, with Dr. Connors later using its regenerative abilities to develop a healing suit for the gravely ill Harry. The symbiote's amplification of Harry's anger leads to his transformation into Venom, where players get to control his rampage through New York City which ends with Venom finally giving Kraven the hunter's death he desired.