The Witcher 3 is jam-packed with morally ambiguous characters both on the protagonist and antagonist side.
However, plenty of characters in the game have little to no layers of grey at all and are definitely evil. These dishonorable individuals either kill, torture, maim, or ruin the lives of innocent people. And while they all have their own personal reasons for being the way they are, it doesn't make them any less hateable, which is why many of them are considered great villains.
But as there are a bunch of these wicked individuals within the Witcher 3, it begs the question, which ones are the outright worst?
10 Bloody Baron
The Bloody Baron isn't pure evil. He feels shame and guilt over the bad things he does, and he even somewhat reforms by the end of the game's Velen section.
Before that, though, he's a cruel man who abuses his wife both physically and emotionally. Plus, he's a violent drunk in general. His remorse doesn't suddenly make him a saint, especially as he never stops trying to control his wife and daughter's lives.
9 Emhyr
In the Witcher 3, Emhyr isn't shown to be as bad as he is in the books. That's because, during the game, he needs Geralt to find his daughter, so he can't be too villainous around the Witcher.
Yet, as the Emperor of Nilfgaard, he is responsible for all the immoral actions his army commits, including intimidating, brutalizing, and slaughtering innocent people. So while the video game version of the character might not be an antagonist, he's certainly still a villain.
8 Hubert Rejk
During a great optional side quest in Novigrad, Geralt has to track down a dangerous serial killer. After he does some investigation, the Witcher discovers that the murderer is Hubert Rejk, a city coroner who's also secretly a higher vampire.
He kills people who he deems immoral and that have strayed from the path of the Eternal Fire. However he doesn't target truly evil people, instead, he goes after the likes of innocent prostitutes and their clients. He also isn't content with simply killing them. He replaces their eyes with hot coals, burns their insides, and removes their hearts.
7 Gaunter O'Dimm
The Man of Glass is among the most powerful of characters in the game. He likes to use that power to grant wishes to people in exchange for their souls. The agreements he makes are filled with clever loopholes that O'Dimm can exploit if he wants. In the end, it tends to ruin the life of the other party. O'Dimm doesn't feel bad about it either; in fact, he seems to enjoy tormenting others.
It's not just his crooked deals that make the individual so heinous as he's also quick to deal out pain or death on a whim. For instance, he shoves a spoon in the eye of a drunkard in Oxenfurt simply for interrupting him.
6 Imlerith
Imlerith inflicts destruction and terror wherever he goes. And as one of the generals of the Wild Hunt, he's partially to blame for all of the agonies his brethren cause too. Not that he'll mind as he is another villain who shows no remorse for his despicable actions.
Players wouldn't forgive him anyway as he's the one who snaps Vesemir's neck, which is perhaps the game's saddest death. Not to mention he spends much of his time aggressively hunting down Ciri.
5 Whoreson Junior
While Whoreson Junior might not kill as many people as some of Witcher 3's other villains, that's only due to his lack of skills and resources.
With the little power he does have, the twisted lowlife uses it to inflict incredible agony on innocent people. Primarily women, as Whoreson personally brutalizes and tortures females for his own sick amusement. He also has his face-painted minions commit crimes all over Novigrad.
4 The Crones
Brewess, Weavess, and Whispess are three of the most gruesome and creepiest monsters in the game. The worst thing the trio does is cook and eat their victims, which isn't limited to adults. And the body parts they don't consume, they wear as trophies.
They don't eat everyone, though, as the callous Witches also use people to do their bidding, as shown when they make Gran look after and fatten up the orphans. Even when the ghastly witches help someone, they take their ears as payment.
3 Caleb Menge
With a title like "Leader of the Witch Hunters," it's no surprise that Menge is an unsavory person. The villain's despicable crew hunts down all the magical beings they can find.
Once they get their hands on them, they torment the poor individuals in various ways, such as ripping off their fingernails. Then when they're done with that, they burn them alive in the middle of Novigrad so everyone can see. And all of those abhorrent acts are done under the orders of Menge.
2 Eredin
The leader of the Wild Hunt doesn't directly inflict much pain upon people. Yet, he is responsible for plenty of horrors, which is why he is among the franchise's most hated characters.
Under Eredin's command, The Wild Hunt takes many lives throughout The Witcher 3, virtually all of them being innocent. Plus, he's also partially to blame for some of the evil acts that the Crones commit as they serve under him. Although the Aen Elle Elf doesn't care, all he wants is to get his hands on Ciri to utilize her power.
1 Radovid V
It's fair to say that King Radovid is a reprehensible madman, who brings about endless pain and suffering. His main objective is to rid the world of mages, due to their power and his deep-seated resentment of them. To that end, he works closely with the Witch Hunters, encouraging their torture of anyone with interest in magic.
Furthermore, he works with Whoreson Jr. to try and start a gang war in Novigrad. An action that would've put plenty of lives at risk and enabled a cruel lunatic in the process.