Updated at: 08-06-2023 - By: Leo Hall
The concept of vampires in fiction predates video games. If you’re a fan of blood-sucking video games, you won’t want to miss this rundown of the best vampire games available right now.

Vampires are one of the most frequently remade and reimagined classic horror movie monsters. Vampire lore has its roots in European folklore, but the idea of vampires as sophisticated Western figures doesn’t emerge until the nineteenth century. Fictional works like “The Vampyre” by John Polidori and “Dracula” by Bram Stoker are responsible for its popularity.

Vampires were originally depicted as nothing more than zombies — bloodthirsty revenants propelled forward in their afterlives by hunger. However, Polidori and Stoker’s contributions allowed for a nuanced and complex interpretation of the monster.

Vampires have been portrayed in numerous media since the 1990s. After all the books, comics, movies, and TV shows based on vampires, it was inevitable that a slew of video games would follow suit.

We’ve noticed that there’s a dearth of quality vampire-themed video games, so we’ve compiled a list of what we consider to be the best games in this genre currently available.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is aptly described by the saying, “Every time you mention it, someone will reinstall it.” Unfortunately, it was rushed and released in an unfinished state, but in our opinion, this is the best vampire game ever made.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines on Steam

Bloodlines is an action role-playing game set in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, a tabletop role-playing game created by White Wolf and adapted for video games in 2004.

There are seven distinct vampire families available to the player, each with their own set of skills and playstyle quirks. The player’s clan would ultimately have an impact on not only their playstyle, but also the way in which they interact with non-player characters and are treated by those characters.

In-game, the player has a variety of options for dealing with enemies, the most common of which is melee combat (either armed or unarmed), though ranged combat and stealth are also available.

Some players may prefer melee combat, while others may prefer using firearms, and still others may opt to avoid conflict by remaining hidden or finding other means of escape. Unfortunately, that isn’t always a viable option.

Not only does Bloodlines feature an excellent atmosphere, soundtrack, and amazing lore, but it also features a masterfully-delivered story and some of the most memorable characters ever seen in a video game.

Nonetheless, Bloodlines does have its flaws. Some players may feel that the game is fundamentally unbalanced, rendering certain strategies obsolete. In addition, as was previously mentioned, the game was released in an unfinished state, as evidenced by the sloppy level design in the latter stages of the campaign and the abundance of bugs present at launch.

Thankfully, dedicated fans have been steadily releasing unofficial patches over the years that not only fix most of the bugs, but also bring back some of the content that was removed from the original release. So, get the unofficial patch if you’ve never played VTM: B and want to give it a shot.

Vampyr

In the 2018 action-adventure game Vampyr, the player assumes the role of a doctor who becomes a vampire during the Spanish Flu pandemic in post-World War I London. The game’s intention to present the player with challenging moral decisions is clear from the start.

Vampyr, to be sure, puts a premium on the narrative, the dialogue, and the interplay between the characters. Like in BioShock, the player is faced with difficult choices throughout the game that affect the lives of numerous Londoners. To put it another way, the player can gain strength by preying on the helpless, but only at the expense of their own humanity. There are multiple paths that can be taken and four possible conclusions, giving the player significant control over the experience.

Vampyr’s gameplay is standard fare for an action role-playing game, and while the combat is adequate, it quickly becomes tedious due to the game’s unforgiving rigidity. This is because most of the challenge originates from the enemies’ high health levels, and no one enjoys facing opponents with excessively high defenses.

Regardless, Vampyr isn’t exactly a spectacular game, what with its questionable design choices, its stumbling story, and its overwhelming cast of characters that can make it difficult to keep track of them all, let alone care about them.

Vampyr may be right up your alley if you enjoy vampire-themed games, but it’s not quite on par with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

BloodRayne 2

The BloodRayne series is one of those franchises that could have taken off in a big way if the creators hadn’t made some poor choices along the way. Here, you’ll find BloodRayne 2, which we consider to be the best of the bunch right now.

This is a hack-and-slash game in the vein of recent releases like Devil May Cry and the older God of War games. As the player, you control a dhampir vampire hunter equipped with a variety of weapons and abilities that allow you to slash through your foes like they were made of tissue paper. These include wicked blades that can be used in inventive ways and dual pistols that are refueled by your enemies’ blood.

Even by today’s standards (the game came out in 2004 for the PS2 and the original Xbox, and in 2005 for the PC), the game is remarkably gory, with realistic dismemberment and graphics. Although some clunkiness and technical issues are to be expected given the game’s age, it has generally received positive reviews at the time of its release and we feel that it holds up quite well even in 2022.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

The next game on the list is the second installment in the Legacy of Kain series, Soul Reaver, which many consider to be the series’ zenith.

When we say “old” now, we really mean “old.” The visuals in Soul Reaver aren’t anything to write home about, but then again, the game didn’t come out until 1999 for the original PlayStation, 2000 for the PC, and 2001 for the Sega Dreamcast.

The game’s most notable feature is probably the protagonist’s ability to switch between the physical realm and the astral realm, altering the way he interacts with the environment. The gameplay consists of hack ‘n’ slash gameplay and puzzles that the player has to solve in order to progress. As you might guess, this mechanic is at the heart of many of the aforementioned challenges.

Soul Reaver is a timeless classic that will always have a special place in the hearts of many seasoned players, but if you want to give it a shot in the year 2022, you should be aware that it may take some time to adjust to the controls.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Next up is something a little more up-to-date: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a 2.5D Metroidvania game that pays homage to the original Castlevania games.

Given the foregoing, your expectations should be fairly accurate. The game’s main mechanics are combat, platforming, and explorer. You gain access to new areas and advantages over enemies as you progress through the game and acquire new abilities.

Those who enjoy Metroidvanias are almost certain to enjoy Ritual of the Night. We highly recommend it if you enjoy games in this genre, as its visual style is stunning, its environments are thoughtfully crafted, and its combat is exciting.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard

The next entry is a bit of a departure from the norm, as it is a downloadable add-on rather than a full game. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is not a vampire game per se, but the Dawnguard expansion pack focuses heavily on the undead.

Dawnguard is much more like a traditional expansion pack, despite the common perception that DLC microtransactions cost too much for too little content. It adds vampires to Skyrim and lets players take on the role of a vampire or a vampire hunter, and it includes a slew of new spells and abilities that make the experience come to life, or rather, unlife.

Dawnguard has a lot of content, including a lengthy questline that can be completed in either the vampire or vampire hunter specialty. Regardless, the most crucial aspect of Dawnguard is that the developers put forth genuine effort into implementing vampires, and they do a much better job than Oblivion did in this regard.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, one of the newest games in the series, is up next. A new version of the series was released in 2010 with the intention of bringing it up to date and making it playable on the then-current 7th generation of consoles, such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Lords of Shadows, like BloodRayne, is a hack-and-slash title heavily inspired by other games in the genre, most notably God of War and Devil May Cry. Some role-playing elements are included, but the game does not stray too far from the original Castlevania formula by removing the platforming and exploration that made those games so beloved.

Overall, Lords of Shadow is a fantastic game that received overwhelmingly positive reviews but was let down by two lackluster sequels. However, given that the Castlevania franchise dates all the way back to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, it stands to reason that some of the games would be superior to others.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

When discussing classic Castlevania titles, Symphony of the Night must also be mentioned. Many consider it the series’ pinnacle entry. Although it first appeared in 1997 for the original PlayStation, the game has since been ported to other platforms, such as the PlayStation 4, iOS, and Android. Unfortunately, an emulator is still required to play it on a personal computer.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night APK v1.0.2 (Full Game) Download

All the hallmarks of the Metroidvania genre are present in this game. The “vania” in Metroidvania was popularized by Castlevania, after all. Even though it was one of the earliest games of its kind, Symphony of the Night did a fantastic job of continuing the formula and expanding upon it with RPG mechanics.

Given its status as an all-time great that still holds up well in the year 2022, we think it’s important to include it here.

Nocturne

Terminal Reality, the creator
Publisher: The Annual Developers’ Conference

Spookhouse is a top-secret government agency that investigates deadly supernatural phenomena. Players take on the role of the Stranger and are tasked with venturing into a dangerous new world, full of supernatural and savage creatures. While the entirety of Nocturne isn’t focused on the bloodsucking undead, the game’s prologue does have strong ties to a future Terminal Reality game.

The Stranger is tasked with retrieving a mysterious artifact in “Dark Reign of the Vampire King,” which introduces elements that will appear in BloodRayne. It is, alas, locked away in a German castle inhabited by vampires. The Stranger and his Dhampir partner, Svetlana Lupescu, venture into the depths of the castle equipped with weapons specifically designed for use against vampires.

The first act of Nocturne is the true vampire experience, though it contains many other horror elements.

A Vampyre Story

Creator: Autumn Moon Games
The Adventure Company, Inc., Publishers

A Vampyre Story is a quirky tale of obsession in the vein of games like The Curse of Monkey Island. The aspiring Parisian opera singer attracts the attention of a pathetic vampire, who kidnaps her and turns her into one. It’s a turning point in Mona’s life, but she’s not going to let it prevent her from becoming an internationally renowned opera singer.

In A Vampyre Story, players take control of Mona as she navigates the vast castle in a point-and-click adventure. There are many obstacles in Mona’s path, but her new illness is the most frustrating.

A delightful vampire game complete with puzzles, tough choices, and fun vampiric powers is brought to life by the world’s vivid colors and fascinating characters.

Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi

Idol FX, Inc., Developer.
The iGames Publishing Company, Ltd.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F. W. Murnau in 1922, was a silent film adaptation of a bloodsucking legend. Nosferatu evolved into its own entity despite being inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). Players in Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi assume the role of James Patterson, an original character who becomes trapped in the dungeons of Castle Malachi, drawing inspiration from the works of both Murnau and Stoker.

James was only supposed to be there to celebrate his sister’s wedding, but he ends up being the only one who can prevent the Romanian Count, who is based on Count Orlok from Nosferatu, from calling upon the mighty Lord Malachi. Nosferatu deviates significantly from its inspiration, but it still features plenty of vampire bad guys. James ventures further into Malachi armed with a sword, a cross, wooden stakes, and other tools for killing vampires.

Even though Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi isn’t the most well-polished first-person shooter, it succeeds where it matters most—vampires.

Hunter: The Reckoning

High Voltage Software, the Creator
Entertainment published by Interplay.

The Reckoning is a role-playing video game based on the classic tabletop RPG, allowing players to explore the World of Darkness, a dark and dangerous alternate reality. A quartet of hunters who were originally responsible for sealing away the evil returns when the vengeful spirits of those executed at the vampire-run Ashcroft Penitentiary are released on the neighboring town. This time, they came prepared.

Each of the four hunters has their own set of skills and statistics that players can choose from. The hunters, on a mission to kill the vampire warden of the penitentiary and bring peace back to Ashcroft, use shotguns, chainsaws, swords, and other weapons to make quick work of the undead.

In Hunter: The Reckoning, you’ll travel to different locations as you battle the evil forces plaguing a small town.

Night Trap

Digital Pictures, Inc., Creator
Sega published it.

You might be surprised to learn that the game Night Trap was once considered controversial if you’ve played it recently. It’s also worth noting that the main villains, the vaudevillian Foot Clan, are actually Augers, vampiric servants given their name for the tool they use to drill into their victims’ necks.

Night Trap is a classic of the camp genre, telling a ridiculous but endearing story with the help of real actors and actresses. However, classic, two-fanged bloodsuckers do make an appearance and engage in their usual nefarious activities on the Martin winery estate every once in a while, even though Augers pose the greatest threat.

In Night Trap, players take on the role of the Sega Control Attack Team (S.C.A.T. ), a name I’m sure someone wishes they could change, and attempt to save the helpless victims from various perils, including traps, vampires, and vampire traps. Playing through Night Trap today is such a blast because it is just as cheesy as you’d imagine it to be and because it fits in so well with low-budget slasher films from the 1980s.

Despite the fact that its gameplay hasn’t held up very well over the years, it’s still an undeniable classic that is, thankfully, playable on every modern console.

Darkwatch

High Moon Studios is the creator.
Capcom, Inc., Publisher

If you were preoccupied with other games when Darkwatch came out, you probably didn’t give it much thought. Not because it was bad, but because you were too busy playing Resident Evil 4, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, Battlefront II, Devil May Cry 3, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, Kingdom Hearts II, F.E.A.R., Sly 3, Conker: Live & Reloaded, or waiting for the Xbox 360 to come out.

The point is that 2005 was a busy year for games, making it easy for a new team’s debut title like Darkwatch to be overlooked.

Players take control of Jericho Cross, a former outlaw who must accept his new vampire nature in this first- and third-person shooter. Cross, now a member of the Darkwatch, plans to eliminate Lazarus, the vampire who bit him. Since Cross can only use his abilities at night, the levels in Darkwatch play very differently depending on the time of day.

The Darkwatch redemption system modifies the set of skills available to the player. They are generally more appealing the more evil you are. Cross’s action-packed adventure could have been just another boring addition to the genre, but thanks to High Moon Studios, it’s a memorable and exciting take on the vampire genre.

Vampire Night

Wow Entertainment, the creator
Namco, Inc., Publisher

Vampire Night is an anomaly among light gun games because of how well it ported to consoles. Wow Entertainment, an in-house development team for Sega that has since disbanded, created Vampire Night, a generic light gun shooter that essentially adapts the formula for the successful House of the Dead series but switches out the zombies for vampires.

Although Vampire Night’s voice acting is just as bad as House of the Dead’s, the series’ familiarity makes it easier to get into. The fact that Vampire Night sticks close to the established conventions of the arcade genre is what makes it so enjoyable to pick up and play at any time. It’s a throwback to the simpler days of arcade gaming, when even newcomers could have a good time.

Wow Entertainment obviously had a firm grasp of the PlayStation 2’s capabilities, as evidenced by their port. The console adaptation was as smooth as the original arcade release, and it was compatible with the PlayStation 2’s light guns.

inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood

Produced by Sucker Punch, Inc.
Sony Pictures Entertainment is the publisher.

The sequel to inFAMOUS is a fantastic game that has no business being here. However, Sucker Punch added some horror to the series with Festival of Blood for Halloween 2011.

The unexpectedly entertaining downloadable content that merges the core experience of inFAMOUS with the best parts of being a vampire is Cole MacGrath’s encounter with the undead.

MacGrath faces off against an army of demonic creatures using his electricity-based abilities and a barbed cross. But he has to give in to his hunger for blood and drain the citizens of New Marais if he wants to live that long. Festival of Blood did away with the series’ Karma Meter because it is impossible to avoid draining the innocent.

Even though it only takes a few hours to complete, Festival of Blood adds to the already thrilling experience that is inFAMOUS 2.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Creator: The Collective, Inc.
Electronic Arts, Inc., Publisher

The best-of list for a licensed video game? There is complete confusion about reality.

The fact that it was based on a TV show isn’t the most surprising thing about how well Buffy the Vampire Slayer turned out to be; the fact that it was developed by the same defunct team responsible for Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, the PlayStation 2 port of the 1997 PC game Men in Black (bonus points if you remember it), and The Da Vinci Code is.

This 3D action-adventure is a faithful recreation of Joss Whedon’s dark teen drama, complete with the appearances (and, for the most part, voices) of all your favorite characters from the Buffyverse. The story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, written by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski, two of the most well-known authors in the field, is among the show’s greatest strengths.

Fans of the TV show will remember this game fondly thanks to its unique blend of melee combat and puzzle-filled exploration. There are plenty of vampires to stake, innocent bystanders to rescue, and corny one-liners and embarrassing karate noises to endure in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s lone video game adaptation.

The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang

Red Company, Developer of Bulletproof Software
Naxat Soft, the publisher

Just a second. What, a vampire game that doesn’t involve any gore or severed limbs? Even if it’s just for the name, you can’t argue with our inclusion of Spike McFang on this list.

Surprisingly, the coolness of the main character’s name isn’t essential to the success of this bright and quirky SNES adventure. Top-down gameplay characterizes Spike McFang, which tasks players with defeating the undead army’s general, Von Hesler.

Players won’t actually be able to drink blood as the game’s titular young vampire. Instead, they plan on using McFang’s stylish attire to combat a wide range of monsters. McFang uses his cape and hat for close quarters combat like a vampire version of Oddjob. He also hands out magic cards with various benefits, such as invisibility, health restoration, and more.

The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang manages to pay homage to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series without directly ripping off the formula.

V Rising

Stunlock Studios, Inc., the Developer
Stunlock Studios is the publisher.

Who wouldn’t want to live the life of a villainous, wealthy scoundrel, feasting on the blood of the helpless and defenseless? The best benefits of being a vampire require some effort on your part before you can enjoy them in V Rising.

After a long sleep, you discover the world is not safe for a vampire like you, who is now frail and vulnerable. You need to regain your strength quickly so that you can begin your quest to build your unholy empire before your rival blood-suckers, the sun, and the soldiers can stop them.

The premise of V Rising is well-suited to a multiplayer survival game, as it gives players the option to face the challenges ahead alone or with friends. True to the genre, players must still gather materials like wood and food in order to construct their castles.

The path to vampiric greatness in V Rising is fraught with danger, but there is much to be accomplished along the way.

Buy V Rising Steam Key

How to play Vampire: The Masquerade RPG

  • Where do I begin in Vampire: The Masquerade? : Basic Rules for the Vampire: The Masquerade Roleplaying Game.
  • Who are the various families in Vampire: The Masquerade? An overview of the vampire families in Vampire: The Masquerade. The Masquerade, from which you can infer the potential allegiance of your character.
  • In order to make a player for Vampire: The Masquerade, one must know how to: Begin fleshing out your vampire persona as we walk you through the fundamentals of character creation in V:TM.
  • When to use dice in the Vampire: The Masquerade Roleplaying Game: Get out your 10-sided dice and read up on what you should expect to roll and when you should throw them.
  • Tips for a safe RPG experience with Vampire: The Masquerade: Tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade features serious and gloomy subject matter. Figure out how to make sure everyone at the table is safe and secure.

If this all sounds interesting to you, you’ll be relieved to know that learning the rules and getting started with Vampire: The Masquerade is fun.

Where do I start in Vampire: The Masquerade?

Vampire: The Masquerade is ideally suited to online play because, aside from the core rulebook, all you need to get started is a pencil, paper, and a few 10-sided dice. It works best with parties of three to four player characters so that everyone stays engaged and involved and nobody has to sit out for an hour.

The Storyteller, an analogous role to the dungeon master in traditional role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, will be played by a single individual. They’ll be in charge of setting the scene, acting as NPCs, and making roll calls. Everyone else will make a monster with teeth and claws and you’ll all act out a story together.

While the core of Vampire: The Masquerade, as with any tabletop RPG, is conversation, it’s fair to say that VTM is also profoundly social, what with its precarious relationships and tangled dynamics.

What are the Vampire: The Masquerade clans?

Vampire: The Masquerade’s bloodlines function like a mystical family tree, taking the place of the “classes” found in other tabletop RPGs. The vampire powers (called disciplines) and the terrible curse that afflicts each clan are different from those of any other. Since clans are hereditary, your sire (the person who turned you into a vampire) will be someone from your clan.

  • When it comes to making way for the new, the Brujah are fiery and passionate.
  • Gangrel are wild, solitary beasts, and only the fittest of them make it through.
  • The Nosferatu are ugly and secret, but they have your information.
  • Artists or degenerates, toreadors unflinchingly pursue ugliness.
  • Enigmatic and unsettling, Malkavians have an overactive imagination.
  • The Tremere are adept at dark arts and know the true power of magic.
  • The clan of kings is the ambitious and powerful Ventrue.
  • The Caitiff: cast adrift and unwanted, Caitiff have neither family nor tribe.
  • Half-cursed and hated, Thin-Blooded people are nearly, nearly alive.
  • The Banu Haqim are strict religious fundamentalists and vigilantes who punish those they deem unworthy.
  • The Ministry are both priest and sinner; they are highly spiritual but also enjoy the finer things in life.
  • The Lasombra are ruthless nightmarish creatures that lurk in the shadows.

You could, for instance, give clan Gangrel its own environmental activist. They are able to communicate with animals, withstand brutal punishment, and even take on the form of beasts thanks to the disciplines of Animalism, Fortitude, and Protean. But remember your curse: if you ever lose control and fall into a frenzy, your animal nature will manifest physically for a few nights if you belong to clan Gangrel. Maybe your tongue starts to curl up and fork like a snake’s, or you start to smell like a dirty lion all the time. How do you plan to keep your true identity a secret from your pals? Your loved ones? Your offspring?

How do you create a Vampire: The Masquerade character?

Creating characters for Vampire: The Masquerade is more fun when done with other people because you can bounce ideas off each other and begin to establish connections between your characters. Create a character based on a concept that interests you. Here are some examples of questions you could ask one another:

  • When did you first become a vampire after being embraced?
  • Did you know this person?
  • When you were alive, who were you?
  • Who were your contacts?

You can even make a diagram showing the complex web of alliances and backstabbing you’re weaving.

Once you’ve established the broad strokes of your character, you can make decisions like which vampire clan to join and which vampire disciplines to study.

The next step is to develop your character’s abilities and traits. While Strength and Intelligence are examples of attributes, Occult and Larceny and Brawl are examples of skills. All of these metrics will have a dot value between 0 (the absolute minimum) and 5 (virtuosic). Your Stamina determines how much damage you can take before the Final Death – when you will crumble to ash and really die — and your Willpower determines how well you can resist fear and rage.

If so, you’re looking for a predator type. In other words, what is the procedure for acquiring life-sustaining blood? Do you rob people and force them to give it to you? Have a midnight snack? Try to woo them. There aren’t many good choices.

Your chronic tenants, convictions, and touchstones are the final elements of character creation in Vampire: The Masquerade. Tenants of the chronicle are things that are understood by all characters and nonplayer characters to be the norm in your world. They are not unbreakable, but doing so will have consequences.

Your convictions and touchstones are the hidden engine that drives who you are; they are the tenants that make up your unique personality. A person’s convictions are the rules they know to be true and that will cause them trouble if they are disregarded. Your touchstones are the people in your life who represent the best of what this world has to offer to you and keep you grounded in reality. There is a touchstone for every belief, and if that belief is challenged or destroyed, the vampire feels personally attacked. It’s exactly as horribly unhealthy as it sounds. However, it is also the only thing stopping your vampire from completely losing touch with his humanity.

When to roll dice in Vampire: The Masquerade RPG

Vampire: The Masquerade makes it easy and enjoyable to roll the dice. Typically, you’ll roll both an attribute and a skill together on the dice. A car chase, for instance, could involve the skills of Dexterity and Drive. The Storyteller determines the most useful characteristics and abilities, as well as the required number of successes. To win, you need to roll more than your Storyteller’s target number on a die, but any result over five counts as a win. If you want to feel strong and assured, try rolling a bunch of eights. It could be a last resort to roll two dice.

You can always re-roll up to three dice by expending one of your precious willpower points if you don’t do well enough to succeed the first time. You can immediately increase your odds by doing this, but at the expense of your ability to control your emotions, particularly fear, hunger, and anger.

Hunger strikes. A person’s hunger level can range from zero to five, from being completely full to dangerously hungry. It can increase due to disciplines, powers, or even just waking up, and it will remain high until you feed. Most vampires always feel some hunger, because they can only kill their victim and then eat them. One of your regular dice must be swapped out for a nasty hunger die for every hunger dot you have.

Any critical (two 10s) involving a hunger die is a messy crit. You achieve your goal, but only with the help of a vampire. Perhaps you can intimidate the guard by showing your teeth. It’s a win, but there are some catches. However, things can get even worse: a bestial failure is achieved by rolling zero successes and a one on a hunger die. When this occurs, your animal nature emerges, and the storyteller unleashes a compulsion on you at once — something potentially harmful and distracting that you must deal with in addition to your failure. To add insult to injury, willpower can never be used to re-roll the hunger dice. There is no way out.

Going completely crazy is the worst possible outcome. Your vampire may go into a frenzy if exposed to fire, sunlight, anger, or hunger. You roll against your most primal urges using nothing but your remaining willpower and what little humanity you have left. If you don’t succeed, you’ll lose actual physical control of your vampire. The Storyteller takes charge and decides what happens to your vampire at their lowest point, and it’s not good. You could go on a rampage through the streets, ripping apart anyone who comes too close while howling and covering yourself in blood for all to see. When you get your bearings again, you have to face the consequences of your actions.

Players in the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade roll ten-sided dice to see who can achieve the highest number of successes relative to the Storyteller’s goal.

How to play Vampire: The Maseruade RPG safely

All players need to feel safe and secure in order for Vampire: The Masquerade to run smoothly, as the game is steeped in dark themes and can easily include content as intense as murder, cruelty, or coercion. Although this is a given for any roleplaying game, the pervasive danger in Vampire: The Masquerade makes it especially crucial to establish a culture of safety on a regular basis.

When used properly, tools like The X Card and Lines and Veils can serve as helpful jumping-off points. Having a Session Zero before making characters and the setting is a good idea because it gives everyone a chance to talk about what they want out of the game, what they think is acceptable, and what they don’t want to see.

Vampire: The Masquerade, despite taking place in a world full of monsters, is made all the more engaging and enriching by the fact that it can be played safely.

Conclusion

That wraps up our list of recommended vampire video games. The number of vampire-themed video games is smaller than you might think, and the quality of the ones that do exist is even lower.

The only notable upcoming vampire game is Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, the long-awaited sequel to Bloodlines, though it remains to be seen whether it will live up to the glory of the original.

Leave a comment if you think we forgot to include one of your favorites, and we’ll consider doing so in the future!