12 Best (& Weirdest) Nukes You Can Launch, Disarm Or Unlock In Video Games

When The Urge To Destroy Is Too Strong [Fallout 3]

Here’s gaming greatest guilty pleasure. After leaving your bunker to explore the post-apocalyptic remains of Washington D.C., you’ll quickly encounter a town made entirely of junk called Megaton. In the center of Megaton, there’s a huge unexploded nuclear bomb. And it’s possible to activate this nuke and completely wipe out this friendly little town.

Another civilization nearby wants to get rid of Megaton because they’re blocking their view — or something, I don’t really remember. But I do remember completing their quest just because I wanted to see what happens. After re-wiring the nuke to blow, you can watch the carnage from a cushy highrise balcony. It’s pointlessly cruel, but that’s what Save and Load functions are for. Right?

Dancing On The Enemy’s Graves [Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 introduced the infamous Nuke Care Package. Any player that scored a 25 killstreak could drop a bomb on the multiplayer arena, wiping out everyone in a single blast.

It was annoying, unfair, and also hilarious — Modern Warfare 2 is a game that threw balance out the window. Half the guns are ridiculously overpowered. This is the same game that brought us the akimbo shotguns that kill other players instantly and have the range of a sniper rifle.

Future games would keep — or at least references — the nuke killstreak, but no other game captured the guilty cruelty quite so much. When you launch a nuke, you’re basically dancing on your enemies’ graves. You’re already a high-tier player if you can get 25 kills in a row! Why reward you with even more?

Enjoy the biggest booms or lessons on the nature of deterrence on the next page.