Are you looking for MMOs that are dark, grim, brutal, and eerie? Then take a look at our list of various online games from different genres that are anything but colorful, cheerful, and hopeful.
How was the selection made? Our list of dark MMOs has first been divided into genres. We present a MMORPG, action RPG, survival MMO, shooter MMO, and PvP game, each with a particularly dark and grim theme. However, since our editorial team at MeinMMO found the selection challenging, we will also mention a few alternatives alongside the showcase game of each genre that are equally dark.
Dark Survival Games – Conan Exiles
Release: 08.05.2018 | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S| Developer: Funcom | Model: Buy-To-Play
What kind of game is this? Conan Exiles is a grim survival game set in the merciless world of Conan the Barbarian. You’ll discover just how dark the setting is from the start. Your character is nailed to a cross in the desert and left there to die miserably. Then Conan himself comes by, tears you down from the cross, and leaves again. Survival is up to you!
Conan Exiles is a classic survival game where you start naked in the desert and need to find food and shelter quickly. Then you must progress and craft better items. Meanwhile, you’ll explore the dark wasteland (or the new map, Siptah) and its sinister secrets.
What are the dark elements? Conan Exiles clearly targets adults and does not shy away from themes such as nudity or slavery. To survive, you must be ruthless as the NPC inhabitants of the land can be enslaved and subjugated. There are no “good guys” in this world.
When combat occurs, things literally get out of hand and blood sprays in large amounts. Additionally, there’s (optional) complete nudity, and Conan Exiles is one of the few games where the penis size can be freely adjusted.
Since Conan Exiles takes place in the dark Conan universe, which is also influenced by the creepy Cthulhu myths, horrifying things await in the ancient caverns and ruins scattered across the map. Those without any scruples can become priests of unspeakable cosmic monstrosities and summon their avatars to devastate the buildings of their pitiful enemies.
So, if you enjoy fighting and the screams of your victims like Conan does, you’re in the right place with Conan Exiles.
What alternatives are there? In terms of darkness and grimness, Conan Exiles clearly leads in this genre. However, another dark survival game is Rust. Here, nasty PvP is at the center. If you prefer survival in a zombie apocalypse, then DayZ might be more your style.
Dark MMORPGs – Secret World Legends
Release: 03.07.2012 | Platform: PC | Developer: Funcom | Model: Free-To-Play
What kind of game is this? The Secret World is an unusual MMORPG. It doesn’t take place in a fantasy or future world, but in our present. But of course, not everything is as it seems, as sinister forces operate in the background, and behind seemingly normal things lie monsters, dark magic, and ancient evil powers.
Your heroes are agents of one of three organizations dealing with the supernatural. In the game, you solve various quests, many of which are extremely complex puzzles reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel.
The Secret World was revamped in 2017 and re-released as the free-to-play title Secret World Legends. Although this did not bring the desired success, Secret World remains a must-try for anyone who enjoys dark stories in MMORPGs.
Moreover, the MMO experience is now tarnished, as the game has very few active players. So you’ll be playing more of a single-player game in MMO clothing. Luckily, most content can be easily solved alone.
However, if you haven’t played it yet and it runs well for you, you should still try it due to the story and atmosphere.
What are the dark elements? Darkness and horror are central elements of The Secret World. The game creates a subtle atmosphere of horror from the first moment with its dark settings and great music. At first everything seems normal, but then you suddenly discover a terrible secret or learn the truth behind a seemingly harmless person.
Additionally, there are recurring pieces from horror pop culture. You will encounter a clear homage to Stephen King, whose eerie stories are inspired by events in the game. Or you will investigate the chilling occurrences at an inconspicuous private school.
There are also epic horror moments, such as the fight against monsters that seem to have sprung straight from the Cthulhu mythos.
What alternatives are there? A game with the setting of Secret World is hard to find, but there are still MMORPGs that are darker and more oppressive. One of them is New World, the new MMORPG from Amazon.
It revolves around a newly discovered island that is dominated by a dark power slowly corrupting the colonists. If you prefer a rough world where hardcore PvP reigns, you might find happiness in Mortal Online 2.
Grim Shooters – Warframe
Release: 25.03.2013 | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch | Developer: Digital Extremes | Model: Free-To-Play
What kind of game is this? Warframe is a looter-shooter set in a distant future of our solar system. After a supposed golden age, society fell apart, and humanity is plagued by degenerate clones, completely morally bereft traders, and a horrific alien threat.
In this dark future, the Tenno suddenly come into play. They are your characters. The Tenno are the ancient warrior class of the golden age, who mysteriously reappear. With their superior firepower, ninja skills, and supernatural powers, the Tenno clear away the dangers of the solar system and cause a lot of havoc.
Warframe is primarily a PvE game where you embark on missions alone or with friends. You’ll sabotage enemy ships, complete events in an open world, or even engage in epic battles with ships in space.
All these activities earn you massive loot, making your Tenno increasingly powerful.
What are the dark elements? The whole universe of Warframe is dark, degenerate, and run-down. Ruins of the golden time stand amidst dirt, grime, and debris. Your enemies are disgusting clones created by faulty apparatuses and correspondingly look broken.
The servants of the Corpus corporation are soulless hordes of minions, and the disgusting mutant monsters are another class of their own. Because everything in their territories seems to have some sort of life.
Even the ancient structures of the past are eerie and repulsive with their glaring sterility.
Additionally, there’s a very distinct style that characterizes the Warframe universe. Rounded, organic-looking shapes dominate, especially the Warframes themselves. These “combat suits” are particularly elaborate and sometimes truly bizarre in design.
Equally wonderfully bizarre and dark: You can install a sort of parasite in your ship that then develops a mouth and devours things you no longer need.
If that’s still not dark enough for you, you can delve into the story episodes to confront the eerie secrets behind the Warframes themselves or their enemies.
What alternatives are there? A similar, although not quite as dark sci-fi setting is offered by the shooter Destiny 2. Here, the many enemy factions are particularly relevant, as their design and environments often end up being quite dark.
A different setting is provided by The Division 2. There, civilization has collapsed after a pandemic, and your agents try to restore a minimum of order in the devastated streets of Washington and New York.
Dark Action RPGs – Diablo 3
Release: 15.05.2012 | Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch | Developer: Blizzard | Model: Buy-To-Play
What kind of game is this? Diablo 3 is a classic of the genre and a feast for anyone who enjoys slaughtering hordes of demons in a dark fantasy world. In Diablo, hell literally breaks loose as countless gruesome demons crawl, stomp, and flutter out of hellish abysses into the world above, terrorizing the inhabitants.
But your heroes have something against that, and in the best action RPG fashion, you click these creatures dead in record time. The hunt for loot plays a significant role because monsters regularly drop better equipment that you can further enhance.
With better equipment, you can then face even worse creatures and loot even better gear.
If that’s not challenging enough, you can try special difficulty levels. Or you can participate in the regularly occurring seasons, where you can unlock special rewards.
What are the dark elements? The world of Diablo is a dark, gloomy place. You explore eerie, gothic ruins, derelict alleys in dark cities, and hellish regions filled with fire, smoke, and the cries of tortured souls.
Additionally, there’s a dark story about combating the literal lords of hell. The design of the monsters, which are often quite disgusting, and the great horror atmosphere make Diablo 3 a huge delight for all A-RPG fans who enjoy dark settings.
What alternatives are there? The gameplay-similar predecessor Diablo 2 is now available as a remastered version and caters to the same cravings as its successor. If you’re looking for something more complex, you can try Path of Exile. This A-RPG is also wonderfully dark but offers a much more complex gameplay experience.
Creepy PvP Games – Dead by Daylight
Release: 14.06.2016 | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S | Developer: Behaviour Interactive | Model: Buy-To-Play
What kind of game is this? Dead by Daylight is a creepy and brutal asymmetrical PvP game. Here, one player takes on the role of an seemingly overpowering psychokiller who chases a group of relatively defenseless humans through a dark map. The killer’s goal is to catch and kill the “survivors” or impale them on meat hooks, where they slowly die.
The survivors must repair generators to open the exit and temporarily escape the nightmare. To do this, they can use some useful skills, or they simply throw down pallets and try to delay the killer long enough to achieve their objectives.
Some survivors can also stun or blind the killer. But they can only truly get rid of him when they manage to escape.
New content is regularly added to the game, including new killers and survivors. The killers are usually the highlight, as they often originate from well-known horror franchises, including Jason, Freddy Krueger, or the Chainsaw Hillbilly.
What are the dark elements? The question is rather, where is Dead by Daylight NOT dark. Because the game literally takes place in a bizarre nightmare world ruled by a demonic power called “Entity”. This force drives the killers to commit even more gruesome murders while the survivors stumble from one deadly scenario to the next. And the killers are always on their heels.
The killers’ methods are anything but gentle. The poor survivors are caught in bear traps, tortured with electric shocks, shredded by chainsaws, and deliciously impaled on butcher hooks.
Meanwhile, the survivors can frantically hide from the killer in closets or panic and run around while a crazy psychopath chases them with a chainsaw.
If you enjoy a dark cat-and-mouse game, then you’re in the right place.
What alternatives are there? Another dark game with a PvP focus is Hunt: Showdown. Here, you hunt a gruesome monster in a dark Western scenario, but once the beast is defeated, players can steal the loot from each other.
