Best Games That Let You Play As A Werewolf

The myth of werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, can be traced throughout history from ancient Greek literature to medieval Europe and Asian folklore. Today, people generally understand a werewolf to be a human able to shapeshift either completely into a wolf, or a superhuman wolf-person hybrid, be it the cause of magic or science.

Pop culture is now saturated with werewolf media — with series like Teen Wolf and Shadowhunters and films such as The Twilight Saga — bringing their written and historical counterparts to the screen. It seems only natural, then, that werewolves should make their way into the realm of video games. While games like Bloodborne and The Quarry establish werewolves as savage, formidable enemies, these games turn the tables to let the gamer play as a werewolf and wreak havoc of their own.

11 Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors

A Beat-Em-Up Arcade Game For Monster Fans

The Night Warriors is the first installment of the Darkstalkers game series. When the alien Pyron arrives to devour Earth, it falls on ten iconic monsters to defend its inhabitants. As a fighting game, the player must choose a character and fight the remaining nine before facing two bosses. Each character is based on a classic horror figure, from zombie to Sasquatch to vampire.

Part human, part werewolf, Jon Talbain has a history of internal conflict, but he was able to control his form via a devotion to the strict regime of martial arts. Despite his weakness to silver weapons, he is an otherwise ferocious fighter — Jon Talbain’s cartoony yet striking art design establishes him as a worthy playable werewolf in gaming.

10 Beast Hour (Demo)

Parkour Meets Horror, PvP Style

• Release: TBA
• Developer: BH Studio
• Platform: PC

Beast Hour is an upcoming player-versus-player game that fuses horror and parkour in a dark steampunk world. The game takes place in 1886 where a substance called Arkana (that gives significant power to machines and humans alike) is in high demand.

The player can choose to be a Raider, mercenary for the Order, or a Beast, proving they are the superior prophesied leaders of the new world. One must complete quests and escape, the other must hunt them down, but there can only be one winner. The Beast offers that classic werewolf feel, with players able to climb up buildings, leap huge distances, and track down and hunt their enemies — which can include other Beasts, vying for control of territory.

9 Altered Beast (2005)

Take Control Of A Genetically Modified Badass

• Release: January 27, 2005
• Developer: Sega
• Platform: PlayStation 2

Altered Beast was originally an 80s arcade game, but it was remade in 2005 by Sega with expanded gameplay and story. The player takes on the role of Luke Custer, who finds himself in Foret City after the helicopter transporting him crash lands. After discovering he is a “Genome-Cyborg,” Luke embarks on a mission to remember his past.

From the game’s get go, the player can transform into a werewolf and back at will. Throughout the game, they can find DNA chips that allow Luke to transform into different beasts, including a Wendigo, a merman, and a dragon, each having their own attacks and abilities. Altered Beast is a great nostalgic experience that retains the enjoyable arcade elements of close, beat-em-up combat and boss battles.

8 Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood

Release The Rage And Fight For The Environment

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is based off of the tabletop RPG series World of Darkness. The game follows Cahal, a werewolf slash eco-terrorist working freelance after being banished from his tribe. Returning home to make amends, he discovers that his tribe is at war with the oil subsidiary Endron that has created a soldier-enhancing substance: Earthblood.

The player must fight to expose and take down Endron and save his family amid a world full of supernatural beings and otherworldly entities — all while being able to transform into a stealthy tracker wolf or a powerful, rage-filled werewolf. Earthblood is rife with political commentary, touching on issues such as feminism, class, and technology in relation to the environment.

7 Terraria

Explore A 32-Bit World As A Formidable Werewolf

Terraria is one of the best 2D survival sandbox games. The player is free to explore a procedurally generated world, full of intriguing enemies, aesthetic biomes, and wacky items. Werewolves are a hardmode enemy, spawning when the moon is full once the player defeats the Wall of Flesh boss. They have a 1.67% chance of dropping an item called the “Moon Charm.”

Once the Moon Charm is equipped, the player is able to turn into a werewolf upon nightfall. In werewolf form, the player gains a multitude of useful buffs, including increased melee damage (with increased critical hit chance), faster movement, and better defense, making it well worth the effort to obtain the charm.

6 The Wolf Among Us

Fairytales Meet Gritty Crime

From the developer of The Walking Dead game, The Wolf Among Us is an episodic mystery game based on the comic book series Fables. The player takes on the role of Sheriff Bigby in New York City’s Fabletown, a secretive community full of familiar fairy tale characters, from Snow White to Bloody Mary, that are hiding from the humans. When the decapitated head of one of their community turns up at the Woodlands apartment complex, Bigby must investigate.

The Wolf Among Us has a strong, gritty, noir atmosphere throughout the whole game. The quick-time events and dialogue choices can have life or death consequences, a far cry from the traditional happily ever afters. The high stakes, compelling mystery narrative, and unique characters create a world that is easy to invest in.

5 Diablo 2: Resurrected

Boost Stats As A Shapeshifting Druid

Diablo 2: Resurrected is a dark fantasy roleplaying game set after the events of Diablo. The player takes control of a hero in search of the source of destruction by following the demon-corrupted Dark Wanderer. Across four acts, they can explore a range of environments, completing quests to uncover the story.

In the expansion, The Lord of Destruction, the player can choose the Druid character class. Not only do Druids possess elemental and summoning skills, they also have the ability to shapeshift into a Werewolf from level one. Doing so provides the player with bonuses in attack, health, and stamina that increase with the character’s level, making it more than a simple class gimmick. This kind of top-down ARPG isn’t for everyone, but the Druid certainly delivers on the power fantasy of being a rampaging Werewolf.

Just When You Thought The Dragonborn Couldn’t Get More Powerful

Released in 2011, Skyrim quickly became one of the most popular games of all time. Playing as the Dragonborn, the player can navigate a world rife with civil war and dragons. Or not — the beauty of Skyrim is its open-world exploration and the option to avoid the main story to simply role-play out in the world. Much of Skyrim’s appeal lies in the abundance of factions and playable races that offer different abilities and skills.

By following the Companions questline, the player will eventually be given the opportunity to become a werewolf and gain the power “Beast Form.” Obtaining the ring of Hircine during the “Ill Met By Moonlight” quest will grant them unlimited transformations. Once in Beast Form, the player has increased health, stamina, carry capacity, and damage — an almost overpowered state that will strike fear into bandits and dragon priests alike. Granted, players won’t be able to heal normally anymore while in Beast Form, but they can still regain health by feasting on their victims, which only further delivers on the werewolf power fantasy.

3 Guild Wars 2

Reclaim The Legendary Reputation Of The Norn

Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG taking place in Tyria, a world overrun by Elder Dragons. While an open-world game, the main story revolves around reuniting the multi-racial guild “Destiny’s Edge,” who were dedicated to defeating the dragons. The norn are a playable race in Guild Wars 2, renowned for their hunting skills but forced from their home by the Ice Dragon.

One of the norn’s racial skills is “Become the Wolf.” When Become the Wolf is activated, the “Wolf Form” effect will be applied to the player’s character. In this form, a new set of skills become available, including the life stealing “Blood Frenzy” and the fear inducing “Snarl.” Wolf Form only lasts 30 seconds before the player is transformed back to their normal norn self, so it doesn’t deliver the ultimate werewolf experience, but it does offer small, regular uses of the iconic transformation, along with a more animalistic move set, to regularly fulfill any player’s werewolf needs.

2 Pillars Of Eternity

Roleplay As A Wolf-Druid, Cursed With Visions Of The Past

In Pillars of Eternity, the player witnesses a soul extracting ritual that turns them into a “Watcher,” able to communicate with souls and experience visions of their past life. To avoid losing their sanity, the player must search for a cure and discover the cause of the “Hollowborn” plage that causes children to be born soulless. The player’s choices throughout the game will impact the ending.

At the game’s beginning, the player can choose the race and class of their character. One of the Druid class’s starting abilities is “Spiritshift,” which allows them to assume the form of an animal. Spriritshift Wolf gives players the change to transform into a wolf that has remarkable speed and attacks that knock their enemies prone. While combat isn’t necessary to gain experience, being able to turn into a killer beast will definitely make it tempting.

1 World of Warcraft

Join The Alliance As The Once Condemned Worgen

World of Warcraft is an MMORPG set in Azeroth, an open world full of incredible places rich with lore. As the game continues to expand and develop since its release in 2004, it remains one of the most popular games in its genre. Players can progress and level up by completing quests and fighting, either solo or with other players.

In the Cataclysm expansion, the previously considered savage Worgen were made a playable race, partially cured of the curse that turned them into violent beasts. While the player can present as either human or beast with the click of an ability icon, entering combat will automatically transform them into their wolf-like form, granting exceptional movement speed and an increased chance of making a critical hit. The starting area for the Worgen in particular delivers a truly stand-out experience, establishing and fleshing out a rich lore for this unique fantasy race.