The best JRPGs where you can be evil

Important takeaways

• JRPGs with player agency allow for evil choices, deviating from the typical Law vs. The Chaos story.
• Titles like
  Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse
  offer endings where players actively side with evil forces.
• Games like
  Dragon's Dogma 2
  has unique evil paths that allow players to make morally questionable choices.

JRPGs defined by their stories. If there's one thing that groups all the major titles in the genre together, it's that they have a strong core story and a cast of characters that immerses the player in their world, whether that world is an idyllic fantasy world or a contemporary reflection of our own . The best JRPGs that follow this story, regardless of when they were originally made, all have excellent stories that player input can shape in some way.

Many games have branching paths – the demand for RPGs is higher than ever, and developers are always including ways to showcase player agency through a shifting story that branches based on player choices. What's rarer, especially among JRPGs, is titles that let players be evil. These JRPGs do away with moral issues and allow the player to be gloriously, unabashedly, and shamelessly evil in a way that can make even the most fearsome bosses blush.

8 Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse

Law and chaos come closer to good and evil in this title

The incredibly difficultShin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse is easily one of the best games in a series that spans decades, and several high-quality spin-offs. Apocalypse leans a bit more towards the balance of good and evil, as opposed to law and chaos.

Early on, players are given choices that have more to do with morality than ideology, such as helping Isabeau with a sick person struggling to stand up (she comments on this choice later, to drive home the point). Moving beyond the Law and Chaos binary is a big part of this game, and the ending after siding with the Dagda is truly ominous, even by Chaos standards.

7 The Caligula Effect: Overdose

Remake of a phenomenal game with a new evil path

This highly engaging JRPG will stick with players for a very long time. To master the mechanics of The Caligula Effectrequires a lot of work, but it is a rewarding experience in itself. The Overdose remake for PC changes many things in this title, including adding a female player and some drastic story changes.

There is now a new path in this game that allows players to side with the evil forces of history, rather than the good. Not to sway anyone towards either option, but the evil player theme is on a whole other level.

6 Fire emblem: Three houses

The path of the black eagles is treacherous

One of the best things about Fire emblem: Three houses are all the directions that history can take. These directions are dictated by several decisions, not just the key at the beginning of the story, which dictates which house the player will teach for most of the game.

One of the three houses in particular has a very lax attitude to morality and has no problem getting assassins and bandits involved in their plans. An equally bad option is to side with the religious institution that has been mostly oppressive and tyrannical for most of the game.

5 Triangle strategy

Players can referee an entire race

Triangle strategy is a stunning, convention-breaking marvel from Square Enix, one that allows players to engage with a beautifully rendered world to their heart's content, while also being drawn into an epic political story like no other.

Of the major choices available at the end of the game, most are bittersweet in some way. But one ending in particular – confirmed to be based on the falsehoods of the other endings – sees players not only continuing, but actively benefiting from the prolonged enslavement of Roselle in the salt flats – a despicable way to end the game.

4 The Sui Code 3

Players can unlock a special villain campaign

The The Sui Code The series isn't as well known as some of the other titles on this list, but it's by far one of the most compelling series of games available today, and the upcoming remake of the first two titles will hopefully inject some awareness back into this series.

Players who collect every single character before the end of the game will be rewarded with a special mini-campaign where they get to play as the title's evil antagonist, watching their plans unfold from their own villainous perspective.

3 Disgaea 1

The main character is convincing, but definitely not benevolent

The Disgaea games, mainly set in the underworld and populated with devils, aren't exactly known for their benevolent and virtuous characters. They're best known for how ridiculously overpowered players can get, but there's some good character work here too.

The main character in Disgaea 1 isn't as evil as some of the other main characters on this list, who uphold slavery or side with villains, but the first Disgaea revels in its identity as a game led by a demon, and allows players to do many diabolical things to suit this narrative.

2 Steambot Chronicles

This game contains a whole evil path

Forgotten among all but its most devoted cult followers, Steambot Chronicles is a PS2 JRPG with an excellent twist on established formulas. The game's steampunk setting is like nothing else available on the shelves today, with a similarly unique story to match.

The game branches out at one point, and one of the fully fleshed out paths the player can take involves the protagonist deciding to side with the evil organization that has been the biggest obstacle in the game so far. The rest of the game plays out accordingly, with the player officially embarking on an evil playthrough.

1 Dragon's Dogma 2

The Arisen have a destiny, but they don't have to listen to it

Dragon's Dogma 2 gives players a level of freedom and wanderlust that few other games can match, combining satisfying and impactful combat with exploration across a wide, lovingly detailed world filled with places to explore and loot to discover.

When it comes time for players to fulfill their destiny and slay the dragon, the Arisen can make a special choice out of fear to stand away from the fight and remain Sovran. This leaves the world doomed due to the Arisen's cowardice in a uniquely evil choice.