While some games may be called cult classics, others quite literally allow players to be involved in cults and therefore control the activities of those inside them. Over recent years these games that commonly follow the Lovecraftian have become incredibly popular, giving players the control to allow their followers to complete various tasks to awaken an elder god or simply sacrifice someone.
It should be noted that this list hopes to focus on games that allow the player to control a cult through either the main mechanic of the game or a side quest within it; mods have not been included in the article. Therefore, these are the games that allow the player to become a cult leader.
6 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Unlike other entries on the list, Skyrim isn't a game that is predominantly surrounded by the idea of the player becoming a cult leader. Anyone familiar with the fifth title of the Elder Scrolls franchise will know that the player is the Dragonborn, and they are expected to save the world. However, through the side quests that can be found across Skyrim, players may stumble upon the organization, The Dark Brotherhood.
This group is better known as a cult through their unorthodox worshiping of Sithis and the Night Mother, not to forget how they are contacted to murder someone for a fee. Eventually in Skyrim, players become the Listener of The Dark Brotherhood which is essentially the leader of the cult and can support the Dark Brotherhood by completing jobs and investing in its repair.
5 Underhand
Gaming can be enjoyed on a variety of platforms and therefore even games that allow players to become cult leaders have graced mobile platforms such as Underhand that can be played on any Android device. Although played on a phone, Underhand is a complex card game that sees the player manage their resources in the hope to keep their cult afloat.
As the cult leader draws more cards they will be expected to react to events that require them to use those resources. A player may not understand the game instantly though the various cards that can be pulled will make each playthrough its own little unique cult adventure.
4 Honey, I Joined A Cult
Besides the role-playing and card games, being a cult leader also matches nicely with the base-building genre of simulators as players start up their very own cult in the hilarious title Honey, I Joined a Cult. It's obvious that Honey, I Joined a Cult is making a joke out of actual cults, unlike other cultist simulators that tend to be more sinister.
This can especially be seen through how the player can care for their followers by installing various contraptions that are sure to either entertain or simply brainwash these individuals into staying with the cult. As the player's faith and money grow so will the facilities as players will need to make more space to hold all their devout believers.
3 The Shrouded Isle
Out of all the cultist games mentioned, The Shrouded Isle is the closest to a Lovecraftian tale players are likely to get as they await their god that slumbers underneath the waves soon to be awakening. In this beautifully drawn game, the player controls a High priest who is expected to uncover the heretics of their cult before the day finally dawns of their god arriving.
With every new run of The Shrouded Isle, each villager will have a different set of virtues and vices that make selecting the player's advisors a careful task. At the end of the season, one of these villagers needs to be sacrificed for the player's god, and therefore it's important to uncover quickly who is the right choice to meet their end.
2 Cultist Simulator
Another brilliant cult-themed card game that expands on the mobile title of Underhand is the award-winning title Cultist Simulator. As the name suggests, Cultist Simulator puts players in control of a cult leader that has decided to start their cult with a choice of many gods.
Collecting resources and followers will help the player expand their cult as well as find artifacts that can be used to worship their god. New players should be warned that this card game doesn't hold the player's hand as there is no tutorial. Part of the challenge within this game is learning how to play it through trial and error; this will see plenty of the player's cults fall for a variety of reasons that will teach them to avoid it next time.
1 Cult Of The Lamb
By far out of all the games that allow the player to take on the role of a cult leader, Cult of the Lamb has amazed an assortment of players that are both in love with management titles and roguelikes. In Cult of the Lamb, the player takes on the role of a sacrificial sheep that must do the bidding of an elder god by gaining its followers while defeating the bishops that entombed it.
Players are free to treat their devout followers however they wish, from giving them a wholesome life to sacrificing them at any possible second. All this and more can be enjoyed through an adorable art style that even makes a poor creature being dragged down to the depths seem just a little cute.