The 12 Most Memorable Appearances Of Chainsaws In Video Games

Image via Complex Original

Sure, the game isn’t out yet, and sure, we haven't seen much save for a few shots and a short demo,  but we already know it’s going to be a rip-roaring classic. And you know how we know that? Two words. Suda 51. Or is that three words? Or just one word with a number in it? Whatever. The game is already shaping up to be incredible. We mean, seriously, how many other games feature a cheerleader flinging a chainsaw around and chopping a zombie from groin to head with a rainbow exploding out of them? Only one we can think of, and it’s called Lollipop Chainsaw. How boss is that?

Yes, this actually existed. And while it might look like…well, like colors thrown on a screen by kindergartener who failed art class, hearing a girl scream and seeing her flip upside down after Leatherface tears her apart with his chainsaw was pretty shocking back in 1983. With both this and its pornographic titles, Atari had some pretty adult content back in the day. Too bad this game didn’t sell well on its initial release. It was just too real for gamers back then. And oh yeah, it sucked pretty hard, too. 

Most people have long-forgotten about the ultraviolent game, Time Killers? But for those who remember it, this is what a normal conversation sounds like between two people: “Uh, wasn’t that the game where you could dismember people mid-round? It had that guy with the chainsaw in it, right?” Nuff said. 

There’s really nothing scary about the game, Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It’s meant to be more of a spoof on cheesy drive-in movies than anything else. That said, we couldn’t help but be scared shitless in the hedge maze level where Jason Voorhees wannabes would chase after you with chainsaws. Just hearing them rev up their weapons off-screen created quite a panic in many of our young lives. We don’t know what was more horrifying—the chainsaw wielding maniacs, or the sound our decoy clowns made whenever the maniacs would start cutting them to pieces. Clowns and chainsaws…never a good mix. 

The Evil Dead trilogy is probably just as known for Bruce Campbell as it is for attaching a chainsaw to a stub where a man’s hand once was. And in this early Dreamcast title, you could swing your chainsaw around with aplomb, knowing that you would sever many a Deadite’s legs from their bodies with it. Oh, and speaking of chainsaws for hands. 

In a game that was only three colors (white, black, and red), you sure saw a lot of that last color. And it was mostly because you had a chainsaw equipped to your wrist at all times. The music in this game was dope. But you know what was even doper? Hearing those sweet beats accompanied by the sounds of screams and bodies getting eviscerated by a whirring chainsaw. MadWorld—the greatest game you’ve never played. 

Manhunt was notorious for a lot of reasons, with not one murder in particular pushing it over the edge. But if we had to choose one kill from the game that we always adored, it was the ultra-gooey chainsaw death, where intestines would spill out of men’s bodies after you cut them in half. Yuck. That’s nasty. And awesome at the same time. Like fried Oreos. Okay, maybe not THAT awesome. 

Resident Evil 4 may not be the scariest title in the franchise, but it’s certainly the best (that’s not even an opinion. It’s fact). But while the game might not have been that scary, kicking open a door only to find a man with a sack over his head running at you with a chainsaw is outright terrifying. So many soiled shorts from Dr. Salvador, so many. We’re not even ashamed to say it, because you soiled your shorts, too. 

Yes, we’re well aware that GTA: Vice City is a homage to the movie Scarface. And yes, we know that there’s a Scarface video game that also features a chainsaw. But this game just did it better. When we first realized we had a whirring death sword at our disposal in this game, we pretty much never put it down. We mean, what could be cooler than smashing into somebody car and then, getting out of your own stolen vehicle only to whip out a chainsaw and scare them away? Traffic jam on the highway? Problem solved. Every time. 

Splatterhouse is a pretty sick game, even today. But you know what sucked? Fighting with your bare hands and feet. Busting monster’s skulls just felt like it could have been more satisfying with some kind of cutting device. Sure, a wooden board was cool, and the bat was awesome, but, wait, what do we have here? Is that? It is! It’s a chainsaw! And it cuts ghouls right in half! And we haven’t stopped drooling since. 

The reason for this very list. As we mentioned in the intro, the Gears chainsaw bayonet has become a modern classic. It has cemented the series into pop culture history. Still, it’s not the best chainsaw in video games ever. We come on, you already know the answer. You don’t even have to wonder. 

Hell yeah, you knew this had to be number one. Introducing a brand new, Kamikazi style of gameplay to FPS games, the chainsaw was the weapon to go to when you just didn’t give a f*ck anymore and wanted to chop some demon face in two. Doom was the first game to truly get your hands ON the chainsaw itself, and for that reason, it’s number one on this list. What the hell could possibly beat it? It’s still the best, even to this day.