8 Best RPGs Where You Can Be Mean to Companions December 2025

The best RPGs where you can be cruel to companions include Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect series, Knights of the Old Republic, Tyranny, Fallout series, The Witcher 3, and Divinity: Original Sin 2. These games feature sophisticated companion approval systems that track your cruelty and provide meaningful consequences, from companions leaving your party to attacking you outright.

I’ve always found that the mark of a truly great RPG isn’t just in how heroic you can be – it’s in how absolutely terrible you can be to the people who trust you most. After spending thousands of hours exploring the darker paths in RPGs since the late 90s, I’ve discovered that some games genuinely reward you for being an absolute monster to your companions. Whether it’s through fear, manipulation, or straight-up betrayal, these RPGs let you explore what happens when friendship takes a backseat to power.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share my experiences with the best RPGs that not only allow but sometimes encourage you to treat your companions like dirt. From selling them into slavery to manipulating their deepest fears, these games offer some of the most memorable (and morally questionable) gaming experiences you’ll ever have. Unlike the cooperative RPG experiences that bring people together, these titles let you explore the darker side of character relationships.

Baldur’s Gate 3: The Gold Standard of Companion Cruelty

When Larian Studios released Baldur’s Gate 3, I knew we were in for something special – but I didn’t realize just how deliciously evil you could be to your companions. This game doesn’t just let you be mean; it creates entire storylines around your cruelty. I’ve played through multiple evil runs, and each time I discover new ways to psychologically torture my party members.

Take Gale, for instance. This lovable wizard needs magical artifacts to survive, and you can simply… not give them to him. Watch him deteriorate, beg for help, and eventually reach a breaking point. Or consider what you can do to Wyll – forcing him to break his pact or manipulating his relationship with his father. The game tracks every cruel decision with its approval system, and companions will literally abandon you if pushed too far.

My personal favorite evil moment? Convincing Shadowheart to embrace Shar completely, watching her transform into someone who would sacrifice everything – including her parents – for dark power. The voice acting during these scenes is phenomenal, making your cruelty feel genuinely impactful. Unlike many RPGs where being evil feels cartoonish, BG3’s companion interactions feel disturbingly real. For more insights into the Baldur’s Gate 3 companion dynamics, these characters represent some of the most complex relationships in modern gaming.

The game even rewards evil playthroughs with exclusive companions like Minthara, who you can only recruit by committing genocide against the tieflings and druids. She’s perfectly suited for evil players, encouraging your worst impulses and approving when you’re cruel to others. It’s a masterclass in how modern RPGs can handle moral complexity.

Dragon Age: Origins – Where Betrayal Becomes an Art Form?

BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins introduced me to one of the most sophisticated companion approval systems I’ve ever encountered. What makes it special for evil playthroughs is how the game doesn’t just track whether companions like you – it tracks specific types of disapproval that can lead to devastating confrontations.

I’ll never forget my first playthrough where I pushed Alistair too far. After making a deal with the demon in Redcliffe and defiling the Urn of Sacred Ashes, he didn’t just disapprove – he attacked me. The game forced me to kill someone who had been by my side for dozens of hours. That’s when I realized Dragon Age wasn’t playing around with its morality system.

The approval system in Origins is particularly brutal because companions will straight-up leave or turn hostile if you cross certain lines. Wynne will attack you if you defile the Ashes. Leliana can be hardened into a ruthless killer through systematic emotional manipulation. And don’t even get me started on what you can do to Zevran – accepting his assassination contract and then using him as a tool before ultimately betraying him.

What I love most about Dragon Age’s approach is how it makes being evil feel consequential. You’re not just selecting mean dialogue options; you’re systematically breaking down these characters’ core beliefs and watching them either crumble or transform into darker versions of themselves. These companion dynamics represent some of the most memorable popular RPG companions in gaming history.

Mass Effect’s Renegade System: Professional Cruelty

The Mass Effect trilogy’s Renegade path offers a different flavor of companion cruelty – one wrapped in military pragmatism and “the ends justify the means” philosophy. I’ve completed multiple Renegade playthroughs, and while Shepard isn’t traditionally “evil,” the things you can do to your squadmates are genuinely horrific.

In my Renegade runs, I’ve punched reporters, thrown people out of windows, and most memorably, shot Mordin in the back to prevent him from curing the genophage. But it’s the companion interactions that really shine. You can be absolutely brutal to Jack, dismissing her trauma and treating her like a weapon. You can manipulate Miranda’s family situation for your own ends. And in Mass Effect 3, you can literally let some companions die through your choices.

The Renegade interrupt system adds a visceral element to your cruelty. When Garrus is taking his shot in ME2, you can deliberately bump him and ruin his moment. These aren’t just dialogue choices – they’re active decisions to be a jerk. The game tracks these moments, and companions remember. By Mass Effect 3, your accumulated cruelty can lock you out of peaceful resolutions, forcing companions to their deaths.

What makes Mass Effect’s system brilliant is how it frames cruelty as efficiency. You’re not being evil for evil’s sake; you’re being ruthless because you believe it’s necessary. This makes the companion betrayals feel more personal and realistic than cartoon villainy.

Knights of the Old Republic: The Dark Side Beckons

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic holds a special place in my heart as one of the first RPGs that let me fully embrace being evil to my companions. The Dark Side path isn’t just about being mean – it’s about corruption, manipulation, and the slow descent into darkness that you drag everyone else into.

I particularly enjoyed corrupting Bastila. Starting as a paragon of the Light Side, you can slowly twist her beliefs, exploit her feelings, and ultimately turn her into a Dark Side enforcer. The game rewards this with exclusive romance options and different story outcomes. Mission and Zaalbar’s fate in a Dark Side playthrough still haunts me – forcing Zaalbar to kill Mission through the life debt is one of the cruelest moments in gaming history.

KOTOR’s influence system was revolutionary for its time. You could turn light-side companions dark through consistent evil choices, watching their character models physically change to reflect their corruption. Jolee could be pushed toward the dark side, Juhani could be manipulated using her past trauma, and even the droids weren’t safe from your influence.

The sequel, KOTOR 2, took this even further with Kreia’s philosophy of betrayal and manipulation being core to the narrative. The influence system was expanded, allowing you to shape your companions’ entire worldviews through your actions and words.

Tyranny: Fear as a Management Tool

Obsidian’s Tyranny deserves special recognition for building an entire game around being the bad guy. Unlike other RPGs where evil is an option, Tyranny assumes you’re already working for the evil overlord. The question isn’t whether you’ll be cruel to your companions – it’s how you’ll wield that cruelty.

The game’s Fear and Loyalty system is genius. Companions can both fear and respect you simultaneously, creating complex relationships where they might despise you personally but follow you out of terror. I’ve had playthroughs where Verse was absolutely terrified of me but still fought harder because of that fear. It’s a fascinating twist on traditional companion systems.

What I appreciate most about Tyranny is how it doesn’t judge you for being cruel. The game world expects it. Your companions often respect strength and brutality more than kindness. Kills-in-Shadow, for instance, responds better to displays of dominance than attempts at friendship. It’s refreshing to play an RPG where being a jerk isn’t the “alternative” path – it’s the intended one.

Fallout Series: Post-Apocalyptic Sociopathy

The Fallout series, particularly New Vegas and Fallout 4, offers some delightfully twisted ways to mistreat your companions. New Vegas remains my favorite for pure companion cruelty. You can sell Arcade into slavery to Caesar’s Legion, watching this idealistic doctor become a personal physician to a dictator. You can convince Boone to massacre his own people. You can even eat your companions if you have the Cannibal perk.

Fallout 4’s companion system added romance options, which opens up new avenues for emotional manipulation. You can romance multiple companions simultaneously, leading to jealousy and conflict. You can also make choices that fundamentally betray their core beliefs – like destroying the Railroad while romancing Deacon, or nuking the Institute with X6-88 as your companion.

What makes Fallout special is the casual cruelty of it all. The post-apocalyptic setting means moral boundaries are already blurred, so your cruelty feels almost natural. The karma system in earlier games and the affinity system in Fallout 4 track your choices, but the wasteland doesn’t judge you as harshly as fantasy settings might.

The Witcher 3: Subtle Cruelty in Dialogue

While Geralt isn’t traditionally evil, The Witcher 3 offers surprisingly cruel dialogue options, especially toward Dandelion and other close friends. I’ve played through scenarios where Geralt can be dismissive of Dandelion’s problems, cruel to Triss about her feelings, and absolutely brutal to Yennefer during their relationship conflicts.

The game’s strength lies in emotional cruelty rather than physical violence. You can’t kill your companions, but you can break their hearts. The romance system particularly shines here – you can string along both Triss and Yennefer before ultimately rejecting both, leaving them devastated. Or you can be cold and dismissive to Ciri, pushing her toward the bad ending through emotional neglect.

What makes Witcher 3’s approach unique is how it handles the consequences. Your cruelty doesn’t usually result in companions leaving or attacking you. Instead, it shapes the ending and determines whether characters live or die based on their emotional state. It’s a more subtle form of companion cruelty that focuses on psychological damage over physical betrayal.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Strategic Companion Disposal

Larian’s Divinity: Original Sin 2 takes a unique approach to companion cruelty – you can literally consume them for power. The Source Vampirism ability lets you drain companions permanently, killing them to fuel your abilities. It’s mechanically advantageous in certain situations, which makes the choice even more tempting.

I’ve had playthroughs where I’ve systematically eliminated party members as they outlived their usefulness. The game doesn’t judge you for this – it’s a valid strategy. You can also pit companions against each other, as only one can become Divine. Watching former allies turn on each other in the final act based on your manipulations throughout the game is deeply satisfying for evil playthroughs.

The origin character system adds another layer. Playing as Sebille, you can murder Stingtail right in front of other companions. As Fane, you can be dismissive of “lesser” races. Each origin character has built-in opportunities for cruelty that feel natural to their stories. These complex character tier rankings showcase how different companions can be valued and discarded based on utility.

Pillars of Eternity Series: Reputation-Based Cruelty

The Pillars of Eternity games feature a disposition system that tracks not just what you do, but how you do it. Being cruel, aggressive, or deceptive shapes your reputation and how companions react to you. Some companions, like Durance, actually approve of cruel behavior, while others like Aloth will eventually leave if you’re consistently horrible.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire expanded this with relationship systems between companions themselves. You can deliberately fuel conflicts between party members, turning Maia and Pallegina against each other through your choices. The game remembers every cruel comment, every dismissive gesture, building toward explosive confrontations.

What I appreciate about Pillars is how it treats cruelty as a personality trait rather than just evil choices. You develop a reputation as someone who enjoys others’ suffering, and the world responds accordingly. Some companions fear you, others respect your ruthlessness, and some simply leave rather than deal with your behavior.

Tips for Successful Antagonistic Playthroughs

After years of tormenting virtual companions, I’ve learned some strategies for making evil playthroughs more enjoyable and mechanically viable:

Understand the Systems: Each game handles companion cruelty differently. Some use approval ratings, others use fear/loyalty metrics, and some track specific actions. Learn these systems to maximize your evil effectiveness.

Balance Your Cruelty: Being mean to everyone simultaneously often leaves you without allies when you need them. I typically keep one or two “evil-aligned” companions happy while tormenting the others. This ensures you still have a functional party for combat.

Save Before Major Betrayals: Some companion betrayals lock you out of content or make the game significantly harder. I always create a separate save before major evil decisions so I can experience the consequences without completely derailing my playthrough.

Embrace the Role-Play: The best evil playthroughs come from consistency. Develop a character philosophy – are you a manipulator, a tyrant, or a chaos agent? Stick to this theme for more satisfying narrative experiences.

Look for Exclusive Content: Many games hide exclusive scenes, companions, or endings behind evil choices. Baldur’s Gate 3’s Minthara, KOTOR’s dark side powers, and Tyranny’s unique anarchist path are all locked behind cruel decisions.

Don’t Feel Guilty: Remember, these are virtual characters in a game designed to let you explore different moral choices. The developers created these evil options because they want you to experience them. Embrace the darkness!

The Psychology of Digital Cruelty

What fascinates me most about these systems is what they reveal about player psychology and game design. Being cruel to companions in RPGs offers a unique form of narrative engagement. It’s not just about seeing different content – it’s about exploring power dynamics, testing boundaries, and experiencing consequences in a safe, virtual environment.

The best RPGs understand that evil playthroughs need to be more than just “good playthrough but mean.” They need unique rewards, exclusive content, and meaningful consequences. When done right, like in Baldur’s Gate 3 or Tyranny, being cruel to companions becomes its own complete experience rather than just an alternative path.

Future of Companion Cruelty in RPGs

As we move into 2025 and beyond, I’m excited to see how developers continue evolving these systems. Baldur’s Gate 3 has set a new standard for companion interactivity and the consequences of cruelty. Games like Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and other upcoming RPGs will need to match or exceed this level of complexity to satisfy players who enjoy exploring darker paths.

The trend seems to be moving toward more nuanced systems that track not just what you do but why and how you do it. Future games might incorporate more complex psychological models, allowing for manipulation and gaslighting tactics that go beyond simple approval meters.

Conclusion: Embrace Your Inner Villain

The best RPGs understand that being evil isn’t just about making different choices – it’s about experiencing entirely different stories. Whether you’re corrupting Bastila in KOTOR, betraying Alistair in Dragon Age, or manipulating your entire party in Baldur’s Gate 3, these games offer unique experiences you can’t get by playing the hero.

After decades of gaming, I can confidently say that some of my most memorable RPG moments have come from being absolutely terrible to my companions. These aren’t just games that let you be mean – they’re carefully crafted experiences that explore the darker aspects of human nature through interactive storytelling.

So the next time you boot up one of these RPGs, consider taking the darker path. Betray trust, exploit weakness, and discover what happens when you choose power over friendship. You might be surprised by how compelling these evil narratives can be. Just remember – your companions in your next playthrough won’t remember what you did to them in the last one. Probably.