Summary
- Experience demonic terror in open-world games like Diablo 4 and Elder Scrolls 4 with dark settings and intense demon-slaying action.
- Play as heroes in games like Darksiders 2 to battle hordes of demons as an arbiter in apocalyptic confrontations.
- Survive the horror in Kholat as players uncover the mystery of missing students amidst Russian mountains haunted by evil demons.
Open-world games are great experiences with hundreds of hours of gameplay and side quests. But what happens when demons are added to the mix? Players get a dark fantasy/terror setting, with a lot of jumpscares, a dark and gloomy setting, gore, and, of course, demon-slaying to do.
5 Open-World Games Worth Playing Just For Their Main Stories
These open-world games don't do everything right, but they are worth playing just to experience their fantastic stories.
The following games are all about demons doing shenanigans in the mortal world, and players are the only ones brave enough (or dumb enough) to stop them. Be it that gamers are heroes by chance or prophetized saviors, these games will test the players' demon-hunting skills to the maximum. Bring a sword, or even better, a shotgun.
1 Darksiders 2
Cut Through Hordes Of Demons With The Power Of Death
Darksiders 2
The Darksiders franchise is all about slaying hordes of demons (and angels, among other things) amid the End War, which is basically the final battle between Heaven and Hell on Earth, aka The Apocalypse. But instead of incarnating a buffed armored space marine, players are one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, sent to act as arbiters in this final confrontation.
In Darksiders 2, players incarnate Death, the eldest (and most powerful) of all Horsemen, sent to discover the truth behind his brother War's alleged betrayal of the balance. The Charred Council has tasked Death with reaching the bottom of War's actions in the past iteration of the franchise and trusts him to figure out the truth before War's execution. And for that, Death will have to slay thousands of demons trying to get in his way, and of course, several Arch Demons too.
2 The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Stop A Demonic Invasion Of The Realm
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
In the Elder Scrolls franchise, no title dives into Daedra (the equivalent of Demons) lore as Oblivion does. The main story is all about the invasion of the Oblivion plane (ergo the title) upon Tamriel, with hordes of Daedra rampaging through the realm, and the player is the "chosen one" destined to (drumroll) find the actual savior of the land.
The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion: Best Quest In Each City
As players travel through Cyrodiil in TES 4: Oblivion, they will encounter many quests in its cities. Here are the best of them.
That is, of course, if the hundreds of side quests, and huge open-world map don't distract them from their main goal: find the heir of Uriel Septim VII and light the Dragonfires left by Akatosh (the Dragon God) to protect Tamriel from these hellish invaders.
3 Diablo 4
Stop The Mother Of All Demons Once And For All
Diablo 4
- Released
- June 5, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
The fourth iteration of the Diablo franchise will throw players into the merciless world of Sanctuary like they've never seen before. Diablo 4 is an open-world experience, but also has the classic hack'n'slash gimmicks that are so characteristic of previous games. That's in addition to fighting hundreds of demons, especially during Hell Tide events.
Many players believe Diablo 4 has diverted a lot from its original form, with modern mechanics and a whole new Paragon System. Although at its essence it remains the same - slaying demons with might and magic.
4 Ghostwire: Tokyo
Hunt Yokai With Onmyōji-like Powers
Ghostwire: Tokyo
- Released
- March 25, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Tango Gameworks
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
In Ghostwire Tokyo, players incarnate young Akito, who was almost isekai'd during a traffic accident but ended up possessed by a spirit and lost in a supernatural alternate version of the Japanese metropolis. In this huge open-world experience, players will need to use their supernatural abilities like an occultist/exorcist, to fight the demonic creatures that are plaguing the city while investigating the disappearance of all other humans.
Needless to say, this game has Yokai-inspired enemies, which are basically Japanese demons (or monsters depending on the context). The good part is that the supernatural abilities of the MC are on par with these dangerous beings, and will help them survive the onslaught. However, fans shouldn't get overconfident, as it is quite a challenging game to beat.
5 The Evil Within 2
Enter A Warped Mind Reality, Plagued By Demons
The Evil Within 2
- Released
- October 13, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Tango Gameworks
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
The events of The Evil Within 2 are set three years after the fateful incidents of the first iteration, with Sebastian Castellanos, who has been left scarred and mentally disturbed, as the main protagonist. Looking for answers about the Beacon Mental Hospital incident, Sebastian is struggling with his severe alcoholism, when his former colleague and agent of Mobius, Lily Kidman, offers him a chance for redemption.
5 Open-World Games With The Best Faction Systems
The best faction systems in open-world games influence the game's overall story, whether impacting the main quest path or exploring optional content.
In a desperate attempt to find his allegedly dead (now missing) daughter, Sebastian is taken to meet the Administrator, who reveals that Lily is being used as the core for a new STEM simulation. Sebastian must delve into a demon-ridden mindscape of a perfect American city called Union, and fight the creatures as he searches for the source of the simulation's corruption, while also fighting a mysterious photographer hellbent on killing all Mobius agents.
6 Kholat
Survive, If You Can
Kholat
Kholat is an open-world survival horror game where players delve into the dangerous Kholat mountains in Russia, searching for a group of missing students. The mysterious incident has pushed an investigator (the player) to delve into the perilous landscape, while also exploring notable locations and landmarks across a vast valley.
Amid this beautiful Russian scenery, the story twists to a horror show when players start to find clues left by an investigator from the Russian Research Unit for Natural Phenomena named Vasilij, who warns of the darkness lurking around. Needless to say, the game is pure and features plenty of jumpscares, with atmospheric horror playing an important role, and of course, lots of evil demons made of shadows who will relentlessly pursue the player throughout the story. Players need to get as far as possible from them, at all costs.