Monsters in games are often overlooked. This isn't because there are so few monsters in games, but it's because of the sheer abundance of monsters across games and genres. When fighting different creatures in different games, they can start to blend together after facing so many similar beasts.
The games on this list all have combat that heavily revolves around taking on monsters. These games all feature iconic monsters that are integral to the story, beautifully designed, or memorable in how you must defeat (or survive) them.
10 Fallout Series
The Fallout Series is full of different mutated monsters that became large and vicious after being hit by an immeasurable amount of radiation. The monsters in these games are varied with some being a combination of different types of animals such as Fallout 4's Enraged Fog Crawler. That monster is a giant human-eating crustacean! There are also human-like enemies turned monstrous through mutations.
The Fallout series never fails at creating interesting enemies. The games include different bosses that make the enemy types even more horrific. An example of this would be Fallout 76's enormous Sorchbeast Queen, a massive dragon-like monster that emits a shroud of potent radiation and blasts players with sonic energy.
9 Bloodborne
Bloodborne has a lot of really dark themes that accompany its cosmic horror adventure. The entirety of the game involves players hunting down and taking out different types of monsters. The game has a huge variety of beasts and creatures that come in all shapes and sizes.
Bloodborne takes a different approach to horror as the game is not necessarily scary in the 'jump scare' type of way but more so in an unsettling location and unnerving creature design type of way.
8 The Forest
The Forest uses its survival horror mechanics to make sure that when gamers encounter monsters, it will be in an environment that they are uncomfortable in. A lot of the game's monsters can be found in deep cavernous areas, but as the game goes on, players will begin to see more of them roaming above ground.
The game gives the player some time to build toward being able to engage with the monsters and come out on top, but it rarely gives players time to prepare before increasing the difficulty in a tense encounter.
7 The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
The Witcher Series is all about hunting down different types of monsters and figuring out the best way to defeat them. The series went through a lot of changes as it progressed through the games, and the best of bunch for monster hunting has to be The Witcher 3. The game is a lot more fleshed out in how players can approach different monsters and encounters.
Crafting potions became a bit more streamlined than in previous entries, but the larger skill trees allow for more of a tailored experience for each player.
6 Silent Hill 4: The Room
Silent Hill 4: The Room might not be the best Silent Hill game in terms of its narrative. That's not to say that its story isn't passable, but Silent Hill 2 still surpasses it in suspenseful depth. The combat in Silent Hill 4 and the mechanical improvements, however, offer some great moment-to-moment enjoyment.
What makes Silent Hill 4 one of the best monster games in even its own respective series is that the enemies are some of the scariest. The Twin Victim, for example, is a towering two-headed baby monster that walks on its enormous hands and chases down the player.
5 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us introduced a terrifying enemy in the form of the infected. Needing to slowly sneak past Clickers to avoid being detected, or even hearing the haunting sound that they make, do fantastic work in ratcheting up the tension in any given encounter. The spores themselves even do a great job at setting a player on edge, preparing them for the possibility of an infected encounter.
The Last of Us brings in several types of infected that need to be taken down strategically. If they're not dealt with carefully, these monsters can quickly overrun even the most prepared players.
4 Resident Evil: Village
Resident Evil: Village introduced the Lycan-type enemies and a whole new array of creepy bosses to the series. What makes this one of the best monster games was the way in which the big bosses of the game were introduced. Each of the bosses is established at the beginning of the game in a fairytale, which gives each of them a sense of mysticism.
The bosses are each somewhat human-like initially, but as players face them, they reveal their true disfigured forms. One by one, the player must face them and experience each of their frightening transformations.
3 Outlast
Outlast's enemies are called Variants, which is actually supposed to be a derogatory term used for the patients at the asylum where the game takes place. The Variants were once human, but after being mutilated and experimented on, many devolved into more violent monsters.
The game makes sure that each of the different monsters it introduces has attributes that are completely unique. Outlast is a game that takes fear seriously and makes sure that anyone who plays it will be sure to fear the monsters that inhabit the game.
2 The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has the widest variety of monsters out of any other game on this list. Because the developers continued to consistently pump out content for many years, the enemy variety continued to grow, resulting in over 102 bosses and hundreds of basic enemy monster types.
The game focuses deeply on its roguelike gameplay with a story that is really fun to try to figure out, but it doesn't say much about what's happening in a straightforward manner.
1 God of War (2018)
God of War is a game deeply inspired by Norse mythology, resulting in some fantastically creative monsters. Not that creative monsters are new to the series; the previous games drew heavily from Greek mythology, showcasing a number of iconic creatures from myth. The 2018 game did not offer a massive variety of monster designs, but it still managed to make a number of exemplary creatures with beautiful visual designs.
Their awesome designs are only enhanced by the terrific mechanics of battling each monster. The game's narrative further pushes things by adding intriguing lore to the enemies that Kratos encounters in the game.