10 Most Powerful Dragons Ever Seen In Video Games (2024)

Dragons appear in many fantasy games, from Skyrim to Elden Ring, so finding which dragons are the most powerful can be tricky. This is especially true because, even if a dragon is powerful in its specific universe, it may still pale in comparison to the abilities of one from a different property. For example, Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons are powerful in Game of Thrones because they are the only ones, but Elden Ring’s Bayle the Dread would likely tear them apart.

Any given dragon is likely going to be big and powerful, so when choosing the most powerful, one has to consider their unique abilities. It’s also important to consider what it takes to defeat the dragon and the relative power level of the characters fighting it. After all, a dragon that can hold its own against a god is likely stronger than one that gets beaten by Paper Mario.

Alduin Appears In Skyrim (2011)

In the lore of the Elder Scroll series, Alduin is an incredibly powerful dragon. It is rumored that he destroyed the world in its previous form, leading it to be reborn anew. Some believe Alduin is the offspring of the Dragon God of Time, Akatosh, while others believe Alduin to be Akatosh himself. Regardless of what myths players believe, it is clear from the story that Alduin is meant to be a major threat, and he is the main antagonist of Skyrim.

Funnily enough, how powerful Alduin actually is when faced by the player can vary wildly. See, Skyrim’s world levels with the player, allowing them the freedom to tackle quests in whatever order they see fit. Alduin will always be a level that is 1.2 times higher than the player, with a minimum level of 10. That means, if players face Alduin early enough, he actually doesn’t seem much harder than a typical dragon, especially if the player is focusing mainly on leveling combat skills. However, facing Alduin when he is level 100 can be a much bigger challenge.

9 Black Dragon Kalameet Can Kill Players Instantly

Black Dragon Kalameet Appears In Dark Souls (2011)

Black Dragon Kalameet is one of the few surviving Ancient Dragons in Dark Souls. He is considered to be so dangerous that even skilled dragon hunters are afraid to challenge him. At first, Kalameet will survey the player from a distance, popping up a few times before his actual boss fight. If a player attempts to challenge Black Dragon Kalameet too early, they will quickly learn why he is so feared.

If a player walks into Kalameet’s boss arena without the proper preparations, the dragon will simply swoop down and kill them instantly with a burst of fire breath. In order to take down the dragon, players have to find an archer named Hawkeye Gough to help them shoot Kalameet down. Even then, players will have to do some serious work to take the dragon down. Kalameet more than lives up to his reputation with his punishing boss fight, meaning that he is one of the most powerful dragons, both canonically and mechanically.

8 Hraezlyr Can Challenge Gods

Hraezlyr Appears In God Of War (2018)

Hraezlyr is a massive dragon that appears in God of War (2018). It lives inside the tallest mountain in Midgard, and he comes into conflict with Kratos and Atreus when they are trying to make their way to the top. Hraezlyr doesn’t have any basis in Norse mythology, so there isn’t as much background on its history as other bosses from the game. That said, the fact that this dragon can go toe-to-toe with Kratos means it must be pretty powerful, even if it isn’t a god or creature of legend.

By this point in the series, Kratos has already killed most of the notable gods from the Greek pantheon. Yes, he might be a bit older, but his fight with Baldur earlier in the game proves that Kratos is still incredibly powerful. This means that Hraezlyr must be a pretty powerful dragon if it poses an actual threat to Kratos.

7 The Archdemon Controls A Massive Army

The Archdemon Appears In Dragon Age: Origins (2009)

As the title suggests, the Dragon Age series has quite a few dragons for players to fight. However, none are as powerful as the Archdemon from Dragon Age: Origins. Archdemons aren’t typical dragons in the world of Dragon Age. Instead, they are the earthly vessels of evil Old Gods that take the form of a dragon during a time of calamity known as a Blight. Not only is an Archdemon more powerful than a typical dragon, but it also commands an army of Darkspawn through telepathy, allowing it to command armies across large distances.

The Archdemon’s powers to control the Darkspawn are on full display during the final boss battle against it. It will summon waves of enemies and can even heal them during the fight. The game makes it clear that without assembling an army to combat the Archdemon, the Grey Warden would never stand a chance against it. This, combined with the fact that it has an army at its disposal, makes the Archdemon one of the most threatening dragons in gaming.

6 Galakrond Is The Source Of Warcraft's Most Powerful Dragons

Galakrond Appears In World of Warcraft

Though he doesn’t appear in the game as anything but remains, Galakrond was at one point the most powerful dragon in World of Warcraft’s history. Galakrond was technically what is called a proto-dragon, an earlier species of dragon that existed long ago. He is also known as the Father of Dragons and is said to be the source of Warcraft’s modern dragon species. The Titans also used Galakrond to create powerful dragons known as the Aspects.

Galakrond is also responsible for the existence of undead dragons known as not-living. These were created when he ate other proto-dragons, absorbed their life force, and then vomited them back up as zombies of their former selves. It took all of the Aspects to eventually take Galakrond down, so it’s unlikely any player character would have been able to take on the dragon if he were present in the game. Although he was very powerful, Galakrond does lose some of his cool factor when learning that he died choking on a rock.

5 Rayquaza Lives Up To Its Legendary Status

Rayquaza Appears In The Pokémon Game Series

Rayquaza is a Legendary dragon-type Pokémon that was originally introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. This legendary dragon was strong enough to put an end to the fight between Kyogre and Groudon, two other Legendary Pokémon. Rayquaza can also Mega Evolve, making it even more powerful. According to its Pokédex entry, the reason Rayquaza can Mega Evolve is because it flies around, eating meteoroids and absorbing their energy. A massive flying dragon that can take on two other legendary creatures, and eats meteors for a snack is easily the most powerful in the Pokémon world.

Aside from being powerful in the lore, Rayquaza also had a pretty solid run as a competitive Pokémon, even being part of Wolfe Glick’s winning team at the Pokémon World Championship in 2016. Though the meta has shifted away, it is still cool to see a Legendary Pokémon that is powerful both in the lore and also viable in competitive play.

4 Tiamat's Multiple Heads Make Her A Major Threat

Tiamat Appears In Neverwinter

Tiamat is one of the most powerful dragons in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. She is a massive five-headed dragon god, with one head of each chromatic dragon color. Her heads fight flawlessly in unison, making her a massive threat to any challengers. Aside from being dangerous herself, Tiamat is worshipped by the chromatic dragons and the Cult of the Dragon, meaning she has many powerful allies in the world. Were she not locked away in the Nine Hells, she would be a serious threat to the world.

Tiamat appears as a raid boss in Neverwinter, and it can take over 20 players just to defeat her. Even then, Tiamat isn’t actually killed, just banished back to the Nine Hells by Elminster. That means that even a large group of high-level players in Neverwinter, and one of D&D’s most powerful spellcasters can only succeed in holding her off and delaying her possible return.

3 Dragonlord Placidusax Used To Rule The Lands Between

Dragonlord Placidusax Appears In Elden Ring (2022)

In Elden Ring’s past, the Lands Between were ruled over by Ancient Dragons. The leader of these dragons was Dragonlord Placidusax, who had also been the Elden Lord in the time before Marika ascended to godhood. Though he only has two heads when the player encounters him, it is said that Placidusax originally had more, but the others were taken in battle. This means he was initially far more powerful than he already is when the player encounters him in the game.

While Placidusax isn’t necessarily the most difficult Ancient Dragon that players fight in the game, he is still a pretty challenging boss. His ability to teleport using fog can make him hard to keep track of, and his lightning attacks can be pretty devastating. In the lore, Placidusax is meant to have been the most powerful of all Ancient Dragons, so even if he isn’t as strong as the others now, at one point he was definitely the strongest.

2 Bahamut Is A Powerful Boss And Also A Powerful Ally

Bahamut Appears In The Final Fantasy Series

Bahamut, also called The Dragon King, has appeared in more than 10 games in the series. He is a powerful summon that is available to players, though they will often have to beat him in a boss battle first before he can be called on to help. Bahamut’s Megaflare attack is very intimidating to face off against but also very rewarding to use once players have won him over to their side. Bahamut also appeared in the first Final Fantasy game as an NPC that could help upgrade player classes to more powerful versions.

According to Final Fantasy IV, Bahamut is the god of all summon monsters, AKA Eidolons. These are a powerful group of monsters that are both more intelligent and stronger than the average monster that players encounter in Final Fantasy games. As the god of them, it is clear that Bahamut is even more powerful than a typical Eidolon.

1 Shenron Can Grant Wishes

Shenron Appears In Dragon Ball FighterZ

In the world of Dragon Ball, Shenron is a powerful dragon who spends most of his time sleeping. He can be summoned by anyone who assembles the Dragon Balls and will grant the person who finds them one wish. Shenron’s wishes do have some stipulations, but they can do things like revive entire destroyed planets or make someone immortal. Shenron himself may not be as physically powerful as some other dragons, but his ability to grant these incredibly powerful wishes is pretty hard to beat.

Shenron appears in the game Dragon Ball FighterZ as a power-up for players. When players assemble the Dragon Balls, they can make one of four wishes to swing the tides of battle in their favor. While these wishes aren’t as dramatic and powerful as the ones in the anime, they do typically shift the battle heavily in favor of whoever uses them. If Shenron could use his full power, he would easily be far too overpowered for a fighting game.