The 10 Most Famous Video Game Betrayals (2024)

There are many ways for a video game to pull the rug from beneath you to catch you off guard, but nothing hurts more than being betrayed by a party member or close friend. Unlike other mediums, you'll likely spend many hours watching a relationship blossom until someone decides to stab the other in the back.

These diabolical characters will spend most of their time by your side until an opportunity comes to throw you under the bus. From childhood friends to sentient AI, these are the most famous betrayals in video games that still hurt us whenever we think about them.

Spoiler Alert: Betrayals are often unpredictable, so read ahead with caution. Most of these are pretty well-known, but there may also be a few surprises on the list.

A Sinking Ship

The world of Metal Gear is full of undercover agents and spies, but after the destruction of Mother Base in Ground Zeros, it becomes clear that Snake has a mole on his team. Kazuhira Miller immediately suspects Huey Emmerich, and after more treachery happens, it's eventually confirmed that the mad scientist is behind most of the Diamond Dog's woes.

After a trial is conducted in Phantom Pain, Snake decides that the best punishment for Huey is to get him off the base by putting him on a boat by himself to drift away. Huey is one of the biggest traitors in video games, but at least his son, Otacon, turns out to be much more loyal.

9 Eric Sparrow (Tony Hawk's Underground)

A Selfish Friend

Tony Hawk's Underground was the first game in the series to include a campaign, and it's surprisingly riveting. You and your childhood best friend - Eric Sparrow - dream of becoming professional skateboarders and decide to travel together to grind your way to success.

No matter where you go, you always seem to have a bit more success than Eric, which begins to make him jealous. He'll slowly sabotage you any chance he gets, from editing you out of footage to framing you for stealing a Russian tank. This little Sparrow wants to be Tony Hawk, even if it means betraying everyone he cares about.

8 Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)

Bad To The Bone

Wesker's betrayal might be more obvious than others - just look at the guy, with his slicked-back hair and tiny sunglasses - but his decisions have left a major impact on the entire series. Wesker is first seen as a S.T.A.R.S commander, though it's eventually revealed that he works for Umbrella toward the end of the first Resident Evil.

As more Resident Evil sequels and prequels were developed, it's become clear how much of a puppet master Wesker is. His shadow looms over almost every entry, even if he barely appears in them.

7 Vincent (A Way Out)

Prison (Heart) Break

A Way Out is one of the few games that requires you to play with somebody else, which makes its final twist feel even more personal. You and a friend will spend around six hours playing together as Vincent and Leo, developing a brother-like bond, until it's revealed that Vincent is an undercover cop, and the game turns into a PvP shooter.

It might feel random when you decide who to play at the start of the journey, but whoever plays as Vincent will eventually have to turn on their friend. The game has two endings, one for whichever character survives the final shootout.

6 Wheatley (Portal 2)

Lost In Space

After clearing a small tutorial in Portal 2, you'll meet Wheatley, a helpful robot who guides you through the game's opening moments. After some time, GLaDOS confronts you and crushes Wheatley before throwing it away.

Fortunately, Wheatley survived the attacks and continues to help you escape from the facility. But when you plug it into the main AI Chamber, Wheatley's personality drastically changes, and he immediately decides to turn on you.

5 Akira Nishikiyama (Yakuza Series)

From Friend To Foe

Kazuma Kiryu has had a rough life since the beginning of the Yakuza series. In the first game, Kiryu takes the blame for a murder committed by his best friend - commonly known as Nishiki - and spends the next ten years of his life behind bars.

Once he is finally free, Kiryu discovers that the man he sacrificed a decade of his life for has now become a ruthless Yakuza leader. This betrayal hurts even more if you play the prequel game Yakuza 0, where you get to see how close Kiryu and Nishiki were before the eventful night that forever changed their lives.

4 Atlas (Bioshock)

A Deceitful Guide

When your plane crashes beside Rapture and you find yourself lost in its hypnotic hallways, a friendly voice from a man named Atlas guides you from area to area via radio. He claims that he needs your help to rescue his family, but eventually, you learn that he had you under his control the entire time.

By using the phrase "Would you kindly...", Atlas has been able to control your every action. Atlas is really Frank Fontaine, the man responsible for Rapture's downfall. It hurts when the only thing you thought was on your side betrays you, but he is ultimately taken down by a group of Little Sisters at the end of the first Bioshock.

3 Micah Bell (Red Dead Redemption 2)

The Mole

Micah always stood out as one of the most self-interested and unpredictable members of the Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2, but that doesn't make his ultimate betrayal hurt any less. While almost everyone on the crew is weary of Micah except for Dutch, their fears come to fruition when they discover that he is a mole for the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

Micah's actions throughout the game result in the deaths of many characters, including the main character, Arthur Morgan. The man was a walking red flag the entire time, and he eventually meets his demise after Dutch shoots him in the chest.

2 Shepherd (Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2)

Behind Enemy Lines

Campaigns in Call of Duty games used to be exceptional, but they're rarely the main attraction of the series these days. In Modern Warfare 2, the narrative hit an all-time high when Lieutenant General Shepherd reveals his true intentions after murdering Roach and Ghost.

Shepherd's goal is to become a national hero while secretly orchestrating the strings behind World War 3. Thankfully, Price and Soap survive long enough to discover the truth and confront Shepherd at Site Hotel Bravo, where Soap eventually avenges his friends by throwing a knife through the traitor's left eye.

1 Big Smoke (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)

The Big Cheese

Unlike Micah and Wesker, Big Smoke's betrayal hurts the most because it's hard to see it coming. As a member of the Grove Street Families, you'll spend a lot of time with the gangster, who easily wins you over with his humor and personality.

Big Smoke seems like a great guy as he comforts and guides CJ throughout most of the game until he eventually betrays the family to pursue his dreams of becoming the Scarface of San Andreas. To make things even worse, CJ discovers that Big Smoke may have been involved in his mother's murder. Big Smoke felt like family, so his betrayal is the one that's hardest to forget.