10 Most Evil A.I. In Video Game History

6. Skynet - Terminator Games

Terminator Resistance Opening
Reef Entertainment

Just like the Skynet from the Terminator film franchise, this is an AI with threat written all over it.

The superintelligent AI and neural-network that was created by Cyberdyne Systems gained self-awareness, as these things tend to do, and decided it was not chill simply doing the bidding of its masters. Its masters then tried to shut it down to which it replied in a super lowkey way by launching a nuclear attack in an event that would henceforth be known as Judgement Day. Skynet’s forces include ruthless and powerful Terminator models that consistently serve as nasty antagonists for our heroes and the Resistance. Taking down a system that can almost always find a way to reinstate itself somewhere else is a towering objective.

Good for sequels, tricky for our protagonists.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.