This -related list is; you can help. 1970s-1980s Release dateTitlePlatformDeveloper/PublisherReason(s)1973Controversial due to the controls being perceived as pink rubber bulges that were meant to represent breasts and were squeezed in order to control the action.1976The object of the game is to run over 'gremlins', who then scream and are replaced by tombstones, which was perceived as violence.1982The game depicts a crudely rendered dodging arrows to reach a naked Native American woman tied to a cactus. For surviving, he was allowed to have sex with her, and received points for doing so. This quickly led to controversy regarding whether he was raping her, or if she participated willingly.1984–2009, (2009 version)Numerous instances of ethnic stereotyping, mainly of the opponent boxers that the player fights.1985,. See also:, and Sexual themes, drug use, racism, nudity, language, drunk driving, violence (against civilians and law enforcement officers).
Was originally rated ' in the U.S., but was re-rated 'Adults Only' after controversy surrounding a fanmade which unlocked a hidden sex scene (which was in the game's code, but left out of the final version). It was re-rated 'Mature' after Rockstar Games removed this scene from the game's code. In, one mission sees the character torturing another character in several different ways, including, pulling out teeth and administering electrical shocks to the nipples. Featured a drug-dealing mini-game.1997,The game was withdrawn from shops six weeks after its release due to legal wranglings with the (Formula One's governing body) objecting to the use of the FIA logo on the game's packaging. It was re-released without the logo, but the FIA were still unhappy. However, the FIA lost a court case, and the game continued to be sold without the logo.1998After acquired the assets of Virgin Interactive in mid-1998, it quickly cancelled the release of Thrill Kill (which was due to be released in time for the ) due to objections over the game's high level of violent content. 1999Violence.2000s Release dateTitlePlatformDeveloper/PublisherReason(s)2000In 2002, a local arcade in San Diego, California removed a Solo 2000 machine after members of the local 'Youth Advocacy Coalition' complained that the background movies of selected songs contained images that could promote drug and alcohol abuse, such as a scantily clad nurse and pills in 'I'm Alive' and alcoholic drinks appearing in 'Club Tropicana'.
The machine was replaced by a mix which did not contain the imagery.2000A highly controversial advertisement regarding 's involvement with the game, which caused a highly publicized outrage.2000PC, Dreamcast, PS2In 2000, after receiving a complaint from a member of the public about the explicit content of the game, the investigated and decided the violence, gore and acts of torture were not suitable for persons under 18 years of age. In a controversial decision, the game was labeled an 'adult motion picture' and was rated as a pornographic film. Main article: Re-rated to 'Mature' by the ESRB after a third-party mod revealed a nude topless graphic hidden in the game's data files. While the graphic did not warrant a re-rating of the game in and of itself, upon review, the ESRB noted that the game contained much more explicit violence than had been submitted to them in the original rating submission.2006,Violence and assassinations; magazine ads for the game featured pictures depicting murder victims.2006,Recalled in the United Kingdom due to use of the word 'spastic', which is considered highly offensive in the UK.2006Left Behind GamesAccusations that the game promoted religious 'convert or kill' violence, sexism and racism. Some reviewers denied that the game contained any truly controversial gameplay.2006. Main article: The objected to the game's use of 's interior as a backdrop during a gun battle, and called for the game to be withdrawn or for the cathedral to be removed from the game.2006Rape is a core part of the gameplay, as the player takes on the role of a who stalks, and subsequently rapes a mother and her two daughters, at least one of whom is underage. Three years after its initial release, significant controversy was raised in the UK Parliament and elsewhere, and eventually pressured its distributor to withdraw distribution of it in Japan.2006The mayor of called for the game to be banned from Italy, saying children 'have the right to be shielded from violence'.
The then justice and security commissioner wrote an open letter condemning the game for 'obscene cruelty and brutality'. An Italian magazine, claimed that in order to win the game players must bury a girl alive, which the game's European publisher disputed. On the UK release day, the publisher announced that Rule of Rose would not be published in the UK, despite the game being approved for release by the (PEGI) and Video Standards Council regulatory bodies.2007,An article in, the local paper of developer, argued that the game is 'testing the limits of the ultraviolent gaming genre with a strategy that enables players to kill characters resembling young girls.' The game presents an ethical choice to players, whether to kill 'Little Sisters' for extra abilities or save them and receive less. President of 2K Boston defended the game as a piece of art, stating 'we want to deal with challenging moral issues and if you want to do that, you have to go to some dark places'. Jack Thompson took issue with advertisements for the game appearing during 's airtime, writing to the and stating that M-rated games should not be advertised when large numbers of under-17s are watching.2007,Manhunt 2 has been labeled as possibly the most violent video game ever made and is infamous for being one of only four video games to have received an ' rating due to violence, with the other three being,.
Further controversy surrounds the Wii version due to the fact that it actually simulates the violence through motion control, dubbing it the name 'murder simulator'.2007,Falsely accused by evangelical blogger Kevin McCullough of containing ' and ', which later led to the removal of McCullough's blog entry on. The game was featured on the following the controversy, with host, which included the 'full graphic sex'. In actuality, the game's most explicit content is an indirect ' shot of a alien.2007Use of the phrase 'Turn the train spastic! Make this ticket tragic!' By the character caused controversy in the United Kingdom, where the word spastic is considered offensive. This led to a recall of the game; it was later re-released with the word changed to erratic.2008Spore's use and implementation of, including the game's activation policies, was subject of widespread criticism and lawsuits; the game was listed as the most pirated game of 2008.2008Eric 'Sigvatr' VaughnThe game's contents and subject have been the subject of strong negative response; a spokesperson for the said 'The makers of this 'game' and the ISPs (Internet service providers) who are hosting it should be quite ashamed of themselves. Anti-Muslim prejudice is already on the increase and needs to be challenged and not reinforced through tasteless and offensive stunts like this.'
2008Douglas Edric StanleyAn exhibited at the 2008 in. It represents the in the style of. Players move their bodies to move the cannon and use arm movements to fire. Like the original Space Invaders, death (game over) is inevitable.
Many people considered it tasteless and inappropriate, and threatened legal action for unauthorized use of Space Invaders content. The creator later pulled the game.2008,Was banned and refused to get a rating in Australia and Germany for extreme violence and disturbing images which included graphic sexuality, copious blood spray in the game, decapitations, partially dismembered corpses, and numerous scenes of attacks, fights, torture and death. The Australian version was subsequently released with the MA15+ rating and censored graphics, while the Japanese release was cancelled altogether. 2008Lyrics from a licensed song, 'Tapha Niang', were removed due to fears that Muslims would be offended as it allegedly contained words from the. This led to controversy about the removal itself.2008The game was revealed to developed using a stolen version of, following a successful counter-suit by (makers of the Unreal Engine), Silicon Knights having initially sued Epic Games for 'breach of contract'.
In November 2012, the counter-suit were ruled in favor of Epic Games, forcing Silicon Knights to recall and destroy all copies of the game and another Unreal Engine-developed game, as well as cancelling other titles that had been planned to use the engine.2008Majestic StudiosThe game's use of plagiarized assets from other games and movies prompted it's publishers, Tri Synergy, to stop publishing the game.2009The game's extreme, over-the-top violence has led to much criticism, and has been described by the as the 'most violent video game ever'. Also, the Nintendo Wii has been long-perceived as little more than a 'family-friendly' console, and as a result, many parental organizations have condemned the game's release exclusively on the Wii.2009,The game came under controversy for a pre-release trailer that contains scenes of, according to journalist N'Gai Croal in an April 2008 interview. He also stated that organizations and retailers would object to the game and that it would cause controversy on release.2009,Several news publishings stated that the game's only purpose was to torture and kill people in violent ways with no sense of restraint or morality. Some editorials called it 'depraved and inhumane' and stated that ' should be ashamed'.
It was also listed in the 'Top ten most controversial games of 2009'.2009, The cover art in the had to be altered due to a potentially being depicted. The game was banned in for its excessive violence and gore, but the uncensored version was later rated R18+ in 2014. The game's setting so soon after was considered 'a bad call'.2009Feminists argued that the game concept and title was hostile to women.2009,.
Did somebody say violent video games?We get it. Gamers hear that Congress or the president or some old white guys are talking about violence in video games, and everyone seizes up and acts as though there's no such thing. It's natural to get a little defensive, but it doesn't help anyone to be dishonest about it. Video games are not inherently violent-just look at recent standouts like. But let's stop pretending that there aren't some really, really violent video games out there. Instead of feigning that they don't exist, let's acknowledge them.This isn't a contest of which game is the bloodiest, goriest, or has the highest body count.
The games on this list tap into a brutality we didn't even know we possessed. And the discussion is bound to pick back up again. So to get it rolling, we're taking a good hard look at what are truly the most unsettingly violent games that coders have ever brought into the digital world. BulletstormIt definitely wasnt everyones cup of tea, but to those that smirk at the sight of a pained gentleman clutching his freshly bullet-pierced gonads, Bulletstorm was pretty darn funny. If, on the other hand, youre not comfortable with assigning point values to outrageous gun violence, this FPS is liable to make you queasy.
No matter how self-aware or absurdly humorous, theres no denying that this gorgeous shooter rewards you for thinking of increasingly complex ways to kill.Every level was essentially an excuse to throw a parade of muscular mutants at the player, each doomed to die in an environmental hazard (electric fields, carnivorous plants, spiked walls) or be perforated by hot lead. Add in Grayson Hunts ability to yank enemies with his Energy Leash, or boot them into a slow-mo trajectory with his Gravity Boots, and the game became a macabre ballet of mangled, munition-filled corpses soaring towards oblivion. To complement the avant-garde premise, the dialogue included such thought-provoking lines as It's a murder party, starring me! And 'What the dick!? That is one big bitch.' ChillerGames like Saw II: Flesh and Blood revolve around sickening death wrought by horrific, if not inventive, metal traps. But back in 1986, before we became so desensitized to abductees clawing out their own eyeballs for surgically implanted keys, Chiller was made for you to graphically mutilate digital prisoners in a venue as public as an arcade.
This lightgun game was less a test of point-scoring skill and more like an excuse for sadists to get their sick jollies. Players are tasked with killing every living thing in a given diorama-settings like Torture Chamber and Rack Room. What that mainly entails is shooting the flesh off of defenseless prisoners, exposing rib cages and bright red viscera as your victims scream out in pain.The most senseless thing about it, besides the fact that this game has no redeeming value, is that the settings become increasingly tame as you progress, going from human slaughterhouse to hallway from Scooby-Doo. Oh, and later versions censored out the nudity on a females beheaded torso in the background.
Because God forbid we see pixelated nipples while dismembering helpless captives with bullets. God of War IIIKratos crusade against the Greek gods was always about glorified fantasy violence. But the conclusion to the original GoW trilogy upped the ante, making us cringe at the copious gore in all new ways. Just when you thought youve seen every brutal execution brought on by a quick-time event, Kratos unleashes unseen works of primal savagery using fury as his muse and fleshy bodies as his canvas.Curious about what it might feel like to be beaten to a bloody pulp? God of War III introduced death scenes experienced through the eyes of Kratos unfortunate, human punching bags. Of course, there was still the reliable suite of ruthless monsters fatalities-wrenching out Cyclops eyes, bursting out of a titans stomach, that sort of thing. But Kratos truly outdid his standards for barbarous carnage with his slaying of Helios, god of the sun.
The player must mash buttons to slowly decapitate Helios, in order to keep his noggin as a progress-enabling souvenir. After laboriously pulling at the poor gods skull, youll have the pleasure of seeing the slow-motion separation of head from shoulders, slimy neck tendons and all.4. Postal 2Developer Running with Scissors wanted nothing more than to shock and appall people with its Postal franchise. Besides offering an assortment of racial stereotypes, projectile vomiting, and animal cruelty, Postal 2s chief purpose is to let the player assault, maim, and murder civilians without consequence. Postals pitch is that its only as violent as you are-but without the gratuitous violence, this would literally be a game about running mundane errands while people harangue you.If your dream is to expel an endless stream of urine onto a strangers carcass, youre in luck-because thats what Postal 2 will likely devolve into within five minutes of playing. If straight-up cruelty is more your thing, this game is like a vicious playpen, enabling a multitude of grisly scenes that arent half as funny as the game thinks they are.
Training your dog to play fetch with severed heads, shotgun-blasting a soccer moms cranium into a million bloody bits, gunning down a crudely rendered Gary Coleman (RIP)-its everything sociopaths have ever wanted in an open-world game. Mortal Kombat (2011)If parents were outraged over the Fatalities of the 90s Mortal Kombat games, they wouldve fainted at the mere sight of the modern reboots extremely detailed mutilation. The 2011 Mortal Kombat raised the series over-the-top gore to new heights, upping the graphic detail of the trademark Fatalities with little touches like persistent coats of crimson blood, ripped pieces of flesh and sinew, and glistening, sloshy innards. Even the most hardcore MK fan didn't know whether to cheer or feel grossed out.Not content to stop at Fatalities, Netherrealm Studios also implemented a super attack in the form of the X-Ray Move. When activated, this high-risk-high-reward ability could trigger bone-crunching, marrow-loosening animations that showed a see-through view of all the bodily destruction, a la.
They reach such a level of brutality-eyes gouged, ribs cracked, spleens ruptured, spines broken-that it becomes almost laughable to see fighters not instantly die on the spot, regardless of their mortal or demigod heritage. Soldier of FortuneBy modern standards, the gun violence in Soldier of Fortune seems positively tame.
But its first-person, 3D-rendered cruelty packed a hell of a punch in 2000, with bleak violence that could make your stomach turn. It wasn't just that your gun could fill people with holes; thanks to the proprietary GHOUL engine, entire chunks of your victims could be blown clean off.
And because each NPC was built with individual damage zones, their death animations would actually coincide with where you had shot them.Gore is only as affecting as it is believable. The more outlandish it is, the less it affects you-but when another human figure lies twitching on the ground, gasping for air through aerated lungs, you suddenly realize you're not playing Quake anymore. Soldier of Fortune also had a tendency to bring out anyone's sadistic side, given how you could dissect bodies with bullets until they were nothing more than scattered limbs.
Time spent defiling corpses in Soldier of Fortune is likely in direct correlation to potential for real-life serial killing. ManhuntManhunts incredibly graphic violence can be summed up by a single word: callous. There is no humor to its multitude of grisly stealth kills. It never backs down from its gritty, grimy presentation as the game version of a snuff film. Like its emotionless protagonist James Earl Cash, Manhunt stares you in the face while it bludgeons you with an unending stream of brutality. Its viciousness makes Grand Theft Auto look like a franchise founded on societal norms.What makes it so intensely disturbing is the accuracy of the kill animations. When you bash someone in the skull with the claw of a hammer, or hack off their head with a machete, or suffocate them with a plastic bag, it looks and sounds as close to reality as 2003 hardware could muster.
The sequel's saving grace is that its antihero, Danny Lamb, is a conscience-stricken schizophrenic; Cash, on the other hand, feels no remorse for his victims. No other game in existence delivers such raw, unsettling violence-and very little of it has anything to do with guns. Violence overloadSo there you have it-the most violent games in existence, be they gory or chillingly realistic. At this point, we feel like we need 50 cc's of E-rated gaming, stat. Think we missed one? Do you scoff at the violence in any of the aforementioned games? Tell us about it in the comments.And if you're looking for more, check out the.