Video Games Set In Hell, Ranked By Devil Approval

Dante Alighieri’s Divine ComedyThe Divine Comedy features one of the earliest deep depictions of Christian Hell. The epic poem influenced poets and writers for centuries. In 2010, that legacy reached video games. Visceral Games released Dante’s Inferno.Dante's Inferno shows one of the first deep looks at Christian Hell. The epic poem shaped writers and poets for ages. In 2010, that influence reached video games. Visceral Games made this.Dante’s InfernoThis video game faced Hell directly. Though the game felt weak overall, it showed the Nine Circles of Hell's pure horror from Dante’s work.

Endless horrors await Dante. He journeys through Hell to save Beatrice. Each evil meeting matches a sin. Unbaptized babies mutate into blade-wielding monsters. Sinners punished for gluttony become obese creatures with jaws for hands. The warped, mutilated humans make this Hell version more disturbing. As a game...Dante’s InfernoDante’s Inferno is forgettable. Its twisted version of Hell, however, creates nightmares.

For over a decade, the Doom series stuck to one point: unleashing Hell. No matter the setting or setup, Doomguy always enters Hell to find evil’s source, and he finds it.DoomThe Doom series always unleashes Hell. Doomguy enters Hell to find the source of evil, regardless of the setting or setup. He finds it.

DoomDoom’s version of Hell feels like entering a vintage heavy metal album cover.It is dark, foreboding, and filled with demon hordes waiting to kill you. Bones and viscera litter the ground. Buildings and structures form from dark, volcanic rock. Gravity does not always apply. Dark, smoking areas hide creatures from red devils to abominations of rotting flesh and steel.Throughout the series, demons invade Mars and Earth, turning the Solar System into Hell. Doomguy’s trips to Hell show one thing: the original remains unmatched.

These demons invade Mars and Earth across the series. They turn the Solar System into a Hell version. Doomguy's trips to Hell show one thing: the original has no substitute.

Kratos visits the Greek underworld often, calling it his second home. Every game in the series sends Kratos to Hades’ place, and each time it's a fight to get out.Kratos ventures to Hades’ underworld. Each God of War game presents a challenge to escape.Kratos goes to Hades’ dead place in every game. Each trip presents a challenge to escape.God of WarThe God of War underworld features Greek mythology. It includes fiery minotaurs, harpies, and the three-headed dog Cerberus (which Kratos lets loose).

This underworld version is epic, even if you do not know the difference between Zeus and Hades. It is more than just a fiery hellscape. Desolate vistas feature classic Greek architecture that draws the eye. The ominous River Styx flows across the background. Kratos might want to leave, but these levels keep gamers wanting to return.

Hell in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a state of mind. The game puts players inside Senua's mind, a Celtic warrior with psychosis. She journeys into Norse Hel to save her lover's soul. Her psychosis makes it hard to know what players see is real, but it is real for Senua.

Senua's hell is personal. The demons she fights are her own, and the nightmare images show her fears.HellbladeHellblade tries to show how hard and isolating life with psychosis and mental illness can be. This creates one of the most vivid video game depictions of Hell.

Devil May CryDevil May CryDevil May Cry focuses on demons and angels. The hellish Demon World rarely appears. Dante's short trips to Hell offer brief looks at the underworld, but here, less is more.

The Demon World feels hostile, alien, and breaks the laws of nature or physics. Buildings invert, and environments change shape. H.P. Lovecraft'sMountains of MadnessMountains of Madness would fit. Gamers see little of the Demon World, but those glimpses suggest a world beyond our reality.

The Smouldering Lake inDark Souls 3Dark Souls 3 is not technically Hell or the underworld. It is just an underground lake surrounded by fiery rock columns, full of fire monsters and demons. This is not Hell.

The Smouldering Lake is the closest thing.Dark SoulsDark Souls has a classic Hell depiction. It makes this list because of how it presents aDark SoulsDark Souls 3 spins on a traditional fire realm.Dark Souls 3Dark Souls 3 deals with the end of a cycle, the dying of the First Flame, and humanity's light fading. The Smouldering Lake shows this. The boss in that area, the Demon King, is a tired demon whose fire fades during the fight. The whole level looks like it is fading, showing even Hell cannot last forever. Leave it toDark Soulsto give a depressing yet poetic view of Hell.

Those scared of insects and creepy crawlies should avoid Bayonetta 2’s Inferno.Bayonetta 2’s Inferno as possible. In the fantasy world of Bayonetta,BayonettaBayonetta

Hell—or Inferno as it is called inBayonettais actually a series of living landmasses linked by thick, writhing tendrils. Grotesque insectoid demons cover everything, and giant centipedes stretch between living islands that shift instantly. If Inferno is a living thing, thenBayonettais a pest on its back that the abomination wants gone. The fleshy, organic feel of Inferno makes your skin crawl in a way scarier than fire and brimstone.Infernomakes your skin crawl in a way scarier than fire and brimstone.

Next to many other list entries, Grim FandangoGrim FandangoLand of the Dead seems mild. That does not make it less interesting or unique. Inspired by the Day of the Dead and calaca art, this afterlife world operates fully. Travel agents assist lost souls, booking packages for trips to the Land of Eternal Rest. A Department of Death brings mortal souls from Earth to the limbo-like Land of the Dead.

This underworld lacks terror, unless you dislike paperwork. Instead, the Land of the Dead offers joy to explore. This world has its own rules and power structures. Its style makes it stand out, even without demons or darkness.

Assassin’s Creed OriginsThis is a detailed, historically accurate recreation of Ancient Egypt, but theCurse of the PharaohsThe expansion took proto-Assassin Bayek out of the real world and into the afterlife. Afterlives is more precise. When Bayek goes to the Valley of Kings, he explores tombs of past pharaohs and enters several afterlife versions.

This is not Hell as we know it. Each location shows a pharaoh’s reality. The gamer journey features gorgeous, surreal imagery: boats float on reeds, birds have human heads, and deadly enemies like giant scorpions and Anubis-headed guards appear. Lost souls help, and Bayek’s side quests gain meaning as he moves souls from the living to the dead.The Curse of PharaohsThis is a deliberately strange version of the Egyptian afterlife.

Rivers of blood, demonic horrors, eternal punishment. SShadows of the DamnedIt looks a bit familiar. However, what makes main character Garcia’s trip to the underworld memorable is his shapeshifting demon friend, Johnson.

Johnson helps Garcia travel to Hell and back to save his girlfriend Paula from the demon king. Johnson is more than a companion; he is Garcia's torch, gun, and motorcycle. Johnson alone makesShadows of the DamnedThis is a hell of a ride. Constant visions of Paula being tortured and killed by the demon king show what eternal damnation looks like.

Saints Row always goes over the top, even in the underworld. TypicalSaints RowNew Hades is a version of Hell that stands out with its wildness. In this Hell, the Seven Deadly Sins become wacky weapons players use. These include an armchair strapped with a gatling gun (Sloth) and a cake batter-blasting cannon (Gluttony). Players fly through New Hades on angelic wings, shoot demons in the head, and become the king of Hell in one of five insane endings. Any one of these makes New Hades a memorable trip to the afterlife.