The desire for destruction has been around since the beginning of time, and it is no different in entertainment and art. Whether or not you associate building wrecks with Buster Keaton and Miley Cyrus, it’s fun to make things go right and watch them fall apart.
Now, visual destruction comes in many shapes and sizes, but it’s universally agreed that they’re all better than watching a wooden shack magically stand up after being hit by a weapon to beat Metal Gear.
Before anyone asks, we’re not throwing Minecraft in here because it’s a game about manipulating every block in the world, rather than true destruction. It’s just not that good a game, but that’s a conversation for another time
10
Rainbow Six Siege
Competitive Teardown
As an adult from the Red Storm Entertainment days, I hate what Rainbow Six has become under Ubisoft, and I wish someone would have the courage to return the franchise to its roots. Still, if there’s one thing Siege does well, it’s destruction.
The entire game is tailored to what areas you can and can’t drill into, spicing up the cat and mouse game between attackers and defenders.
Another special feature of Rainbow Six Siege compared to other shooters is that the effects of each bullet are represented on the world, which means that the map is constantly being changed during the firefight.
9
Worms: Armageddon
Uh-oh
You are a worm. He also likes to blow things up and kill your fellow worms, slapstick style. Never has a simple setup been so fun, and Team17’s turn-based art remains one of the most iconic games ever made.
The destruction machines in Worms: Armageddon are straightforward, but they are arguably the most important aspect of the game. From a simple bullet to your cousin’s custom-made Holy Hand Grenade with a near yield to a small nuke, everything looks in place.
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This affects the way weapons and worms move, and it’s always the small bump left by a stray bazooka that causes your idiot to go fully airborne before plunging into the depths.
8
Sherman Commander
Hey, Up!
While movies like Fury glorify tank fights, these hulking sardine cans are the best at braving toddlers. Sherman Commander drives this home by giving you the ability to blast through buildings, trees, walls, and anything else to hit with your big gun.
High-explosive bullets demolish all manner of structures that the foolish German soldiers thought would protect them from your bloodlust. Ironically, the damage models of the game structure are actually quite different than those of other tanks out there.
Remember that drilling a hole in any structure does not destroy it or kill its occupants. A destroyed structure sometimes makes it difficult for the soldiers there to hit with the machine gun, and prevents your soldiers from being able to attack it reliably.
Praise be to Jesus
Destroyable areas weren’t actually introduced with XCOM 2, but this marked the first time you had more control over what broke and when.
The first game limited this to peppering cover, which is useful, but what’s life without some explosives? Even the humble frag bomb can blow a hole through various structures in XCOM 2, making it easy to reshape the world.
The most useful use of environmental destruction in XCOM 2 is to blow down the maps that allow it, then blast the debris from higher ground, according to the teachings of Master Kenobi.
6
Battlefield 3
Blackburn Did Nothing Wrong
I was between Battlefield 3, 4, and Bad Company 2 here, and honestly, they’re all good picks, but I’m sticking with my personal preference here.
For all the noise EA made about Battlefield 6’s destruction, the result paled in comparison to the absolute chaos that a dedicated demolition expert could unleash on previous titles.
Battlefield 3 was the first to feature ‘levolution’, one of the most iconic features in sports. While you had the freedom to explode a bit more compared to Bad Company 2, the things that improved were the legacy of the cinema. Not a single tower will be left standing.
5
BattleBit Remastered
Low Poly, High Intensity
BattleBit Remastered’s path to early access wasn’t all roses, but after the devs launched the aptly named Operation Overhaul late last year, I feel comfortable recommending it once again.
Despite its low-poly appearance, BattleBit Remastered matches and sometimes surpasses Battlefield in terms of realism. One of its benefits is in the area of environmental degradation.
Almost anything in BattleBit can be detonated, as long as you have enough explosives, giving you the opportunity to reshape the battlefield to your team’s needs.
4
The final
If Counter-Strike Was Good
Before reaching god-class status in the multiplayer shooter space with ARC Raiders, Embark Studios had carved a nice niche for itself with Finals.
Arguably the first free-to-play PvP shooter on the market, Finals is fast-paced without breaking a sweat like its rivals, and stands out thanks to its powerful environmental destruction.
The granular approach to buildings and their damage modeling means that nothing ever collapses in the same way, and the physics-based model makes every automatic demolition a joy to witness.
3
Above
A long way to Tipperary
|
Engineer |
Flying Squirrel Entertainment |
|---|---|
|
Publisher |
GG Publishing |
|
Kind of |
The shooter |
|
Release date |
March 6, 2026 |
|
Platforms |
PC |
Most demolition derby games focus on man-made structures, with the odd tree. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Over the Top takes things to a new level with its eroding top. I’ll face the shooting wall of that one.
Flying Squirrel Entertainment has cooked up perhaps the most comprehensive World War I game to date, and it won’t be a depiction of that hellish conflict without trenches and earth-shattering trenches.
Although Over the Top has a few set trenches, it’s the engineer’s job to build castles and shape the battlefield. Artillerymen, on the other hand, are charged with firing these guns at the gunners. This demolition is a terrible mess, but it’s a good illustration of the scars it leaves on the world, especially since the maps have continuity between rounds.
2
Take control
Break through the Solid Forest
Remedy Entertainment’s love letter to brutalist aesthetics is beautiful, but Control also lets you smash precious interiors and buildings to your heart’s content.
Jesse Faden can destroy furniture, walls, windows, floors, you name it. If there is, you may be able to separate it. What makes the Control stand out, however, is the Northlight’s engine separation.
Everything breaks apart in a believable way, leaving a trail of destruction that not only sounds but actually looks good, and one that you can use to your advantage throughout the game.
1
Red Faction Guerilla
Just a Quiet Backwater Area
It’s hard to say Red Faction Guerrilla without going into ‘2125, I was in a minefield on Mars’, but I’ll try anyway.
This 2009 game still stands as one of the most impressive destruction games ever released. Almost everything you touch (and will probably be selected) separately during your gameplay.
Buildings blow in satisfying and realistic patterns, reacting differently depending on what you use to unwrap them. My favorite weapon in the entire game has to be the plasma beam, which allows you to cut buildings and horns in half by simply melting through the bases. He will never grow old.
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