When we talk gaming, sometimes it really is better underground.
For decades now, hell has proven to be a breeding ground for beautiful ideas, and the games set there have a wide range of emotions.
The games below show that whether you are chasing your deceased lover or going on a demon murder spree, hell feels like home when you are there for all the right reasons.
9 Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell
Underworld, Underground
- Released
- January 20, 2015
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Deep Silver, Volition
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
- Engine
- havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Saints Row
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Linux, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- How Long To Beat
- 5 hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
When you think of Saints Row, your mind normally goes to gang warfare and the joys of the criminal underworld.
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell goes the extra mile, taking you straight to hell with one simple goal: get out.
Gat Out of Hell caught a lot of flak on release because it did not feel anything like Saints Row 4, but that is a good thing.
The game is a camp masterpiece, with goofy monsters, a hunky devil, angel wings, and an armchair with Gatling guns.
This is the perfect game if you love deeply unserious titles like Devil May Cry but are too invested in the Saints Row grind to let it go.
8 DOOM Eternal
The Original Hellraiser Reborn
DOOM Eternal
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- id Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- id Tech 7
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 82 GB (December 2023)
- Metascore
- 87
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Once upon a time, there were no real games set in hell. Then there was DOOM, and gaming has never been the same.
DOOM created the modern FPS as we know it, and then brought it full circle by revamping the series in a modern engine.
In DOOM Eternal, you have to beat the living hell out of the underworld's armies, and push them back where they belong.
Although Eternal is a direct sequel to the 2016 DOOM remake, it sheds the horror coating of its predecessor and goes all out in beautiful bullet hell. It is demonic, bloody, and quintessentially DOOM.
7 Dante's Inferno
The Divine Hack-'n'-Slash
- Released
- February 9, 2010
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- Visceral Games
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Visceral Engine
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
It should come as no surprise that the creators of Dead Space have conjured a timeless masterpiece.
I Love Smashing My Space Bar To Stomp Necromorphs In Dead Space
Trigger buttons on a gamepad just can't match the powerful 'clack' of the space bar.
As the name implies, the game is inspired (but hardly adapts) Inferno, the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. Visceral adds a twist by casting a templar in the main role.
Dante's Inferno stands out through its attention to detail, making it one of the most unique versions of gaming hell there is.
The mix of CG and cartoon cutscenes adds to the grim atmosphere and highlights the importance of good worldbuilding. It can make you forget the game's bizarre obsession with quick-time events at every turn.
6 Metal: Hellsinger
Hellish Rhythmic Blasting
- Released
- September 15, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Mature // Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- The Outsiders
- Publisher(s)
- Funcom
- Engine
- Unity
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- How Long To Beat
- 5 Hours
- Metascore
- 78
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- Steam User Rating
- 97% (October 25, 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Bad rhythm FPS games feel like hell, but a good one makes you wish you were down there.
Metal: Hellsinger has demanding beats but brilliant level design, diverse enemies, and a metal soundtrack so good you could cry.
You get to fight through ruined cities and abandoned temples in the company of metal legends from Trivium, Lamb of God, System of a Down, and more.
The beat system is nearly perfect, with occasional awkward timings, which can be attributed to input delays or you having poor rhythm. The bloody action and beautiful soundtrack make it easy to forgive these imperfections.
5 Afterparty
The Devil's Drinking Buddies
- Released
- November 1, 2019
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Night School Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Night School Studio
- Engine
- Unity
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Indie Games
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Misery loves company, and Afterparty drives this point home. Buddies Milo and Lola die, then meet again in hell, but they find a lifeline out of eternal damnation.
The afterparty offers a delightful challenge: if you can outdrink the devil, you get a ticket back topside.
The quirky art style, dialogue options, and delightful drinks, such as the Bloody Stool, make Afterparty a unique game with a lot of soul.
The game is not as captivating or addictive as Oxenfree, but it still has that je nais se quois that makes Night School titles so endearing.
Afterparty had a rough launch marred by bugs and performance issues, but the developers have done a great job polishing it, so give it another go, even if it did not grab you the first time.
4 Ultrakill
Boomer Shooter Revival
If all the best shooters of the 1990s had a baby, it would be Ultrakill.
The game holds the distinction of being one of the highest-rated Steam games with an eye-watering 97% score. The only unfair part is this not being closer to 100%.
Ultrakill is pixelated unrestricted violence for the sake of it, but executed in a way that feels artsy rather than tasteless.
The movement is smooth, the guns feel great, and it is accessible even if you are the worst player at every other FPS on the market.
3 Grim Fandango
A Deadly 9-to-5 Job
Most games set in hell depict the underworld as fire, brimstone, and mauled bodies. The late 1990s classic Grim Fandango adds a Mexican spin to it all, with delightful results.
This Stylish Noir Game Is Like Grim Fandango With More Bartending
What if Nancy Drew were a burlesque dancer with ESP?
You play through four years of the life of travel agent Manny Calavera, who is very dead, much like his clients, and enjoy the dark comedy of underworld bureaucracy.
Grim Fandango received a remaster in 2015, which kept the original feeling but improved audio, graphics, and controls to modern standards.
The puzzles remain a little too intense, so get ready to reach for a walkthrough. But none of that matters as much when you are in point-and-click heaven with such fantastic characters.
2 Hades
Beat the King of the Underworld
Hades
- Released
- September 17, 2020
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Supergiant Games
- Publisher(s)
- Supergiant Games
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- Hades
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Roguelite
- How Long To Beat
- 23 Hours
- Metascore
- 93
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The Greek underworld makes the perfect setting for recent years' best dungeon crawler roguelike.
Hades is a beautiful power trip where you harness the power of Olympus to best none other than Hades, the god of death.
The voice acting acts as the glue that brings all the great elements of the game together, immersing you into the underworld with purpose.
Some of the late-game grind can feel tedious in principle, but the fighting mechanics and gorgeous levels help overlook that.
The combination of a creative art style and a wide variety of tools and enemies make Hades one of the best roguelikes ever made, and the sequel, Hades 2, also lives up to the original.
1 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
A Psychological Norse Journey
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Released
- August 16, 2017
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ninja Theory
- Publisher(s)
- Ninja Theory
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Hellblade
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 19 GB (November 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
While Hellblade is factually set in the mythical Norse underworld, the real hell in this game is in Senua's mind.
Senua has to battle a sea of death while her psyche falls apart, then rises up again and again, beautifully crafted visual horrors and audio design that remain unbeaten.
The fighting in Hellblade is nothing special, and this is one of the few games where playing without headphones will actually ruin the experience, but the payoff is worth it.
This is an unforgettable cinematic journey that will leave you broken, but it is a window into mental health struggles done with a frankness most games are not brave enough for.
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