Highlights
- A Plague Tale: Innocence is a world filled with unimaginable terror and suffering that no one would want to live in.
- Portal 2 may seem like a fun puzzle game, but its world is actually dark and dangerous due to the manipulative AI GLaDOS and the fate of the human staff.
- The world of Elden Ring is a desolate expanse torn apart by war, devoid of meaningful life, and filled with monsters and evil beings that only bring pain and suffering.
While video games often act as a form of escape for players and there are plenty of video game worlds that would be great to live in, many other games take place in dark and horrifying realms full of pain and suffering.
As players doubtless know from dying dozens if not hundreds of brutal deaths in these games, they are not places that anyone would want to live in. The worst video game worlds to live in are often fantasy worlds full of unimaginable terror that cannot often be realistically depicted on big screens.
7 A Plague Tale
The Black Death of the 14th century is one of the biggest human catastrophes of world history and while the A Plague Tale series isn't too accurate to real history, it nonetheless depicts a horrifying time that people would not want to live in.
In A Plague Tale: Innocence Amicia and her little brother Hugo undertake a harrowing journey through swarms of rats, which are not historically accurate, but terrifying and disgusting nonetheless. With rats, a deadly disease, and an inquisition after them, this is no world for children to grow up in.
6 The Sims
While the world of The Sims may appear pleasant and welcoming at first, there is a hidden dark side to the neighborhoods where the Sims live. For example, just when things have started going well and a Sim is relaxing in their newly built pool, the powers that be can suddenly remove the ladder, leaving the Sim to slowly drown, as in this world Sims don't possess the ability to climb.
Sims will also find themselves trapped in their own homes by magically appearing walls, leaving them to die in their own filth. Perhaps one of the darkest things from The Sims series is the fact that Sims can have their free will taken away from them all together.
5 Portal 2
When players think about video game worlds that they wouldn't want to live in, Portal 2 likely doesn't come to mind immediately. This is likely because when players think about Portal 2, they think about how it is one of the best puzzle games of all time, or about its humor.
However, the world of the Portal games is surprisingly dark, as ever since the manipulative AI GLaDOS took control, the human staff of the Aperture Science facility either had to flee to the equally dangerous surface, which is from the Half-Life series, or else become new test subjects. Living as a test subject means not living for long.
4 Outer Wilds
While Outer Wilds is actually quite a relaxing game with no combat and a charming art style, it would be one of the worst video game worlds to get stuck in as the solar system itself is stuck in an endless time loop.
While other games have time loops, the planets and environments found in Outer Wilds are so bizarre and confusing, that while loved by players, the unknown would be terrifying for anyone trapped in such a place.
3 Dying Light
Despite how popular zombie games, shows, films, and books are, any world infested with a zombie apocalypse would be a nightmare to live in. One of the best zombie games ever made is the original Dying Light, which truly captures the horror and fear of living in a world overtaken by the undead.
The zombies themselves are horrifying and players will be scared to approach every corner, although thankfully urban landscapes in particular can be scaled in creative ways with parkour. Naturally, the sequel and all other zombie games would also be horrible to live in.
2 Diablo
Even just a quick glance at the art of any Diablo game would be enough to put off even the bravest souls from actually wanting to live in the world. Sanctuary, otherwise known as the Mortal Realm, is awash with fire, violence, and demons who torture mere mortals into submission.
It is a bloody world and no matter the biome only the toughest can survive the elements, never mind all the monsters and other enemies that roam the lands. Thankfully, the world is also full of treasures for adventurers without fear.
1 Elden Ring
The Lands Between where Game of the Year winner Elden Ring takes place is a desolate expanse torn apart by war and the failings of the demigods. As players explore, they will not only come across many creepy locations in the Lands Between, but they will also notice that the world is pretty much devoid of meaningful life.
Many monsters and evil beings roam the realm, but they seem to serve no purpose other than to take lives and stop peace from returning to the world. There are no farms or thriving cities in Elden Ring, only pain and the continuous torture of souls. This grimdark world is not one that anyone would want to live in, and the only solace would be that death would come quickly.