Top 10 Memorable Video Game Characters of All Time

When Metal Gear Solid, arrived in 1998, Snake quickly evolved into a real character with inner demons, a sense of humor, and backstory. Not to be confused with Big Boss, Snake demonstrated a dramatic cinematic shift video games were making, being Smarter and stealthier than a traditional action star. Characters weren’t just appearing more 3-dimensional graphical, but more 3-dimensional on an emotional level too. Much of that can be attributed to Snake coming out of his box.

The initial mascot that put Nintendo on the map, this gorilla has evolved from chucking barrels at plumbers to chucking barrels at crocodiles and penguins. Donkey Kong’s a primate of simple tastes, living on a diet of bananas and only possessing a single red tie in his wardrobe. He’s been known to favor brawn over brain, but fortunately has a number of sidekicks to help him in that department. Wheneven anyone threatens his island and fellow Kong’s, you can bet Donkey Kong and his friends will give them the best treatment possible.

Fun fact, Clefairy was actually supposed to be the original mascot of the pokemon franchise – but we’re glad they finally went with the electric mouse, because Pikachu played a substantial role in turning this franchise into a cultural phenomenon. Even if you don’t catch them all, no journey to becoming a Pokémon master would be complete without capturing one of these electrifying rodents. Lovable and loyal, Pikachu makes us wish that Pokémon really roamed the earth.

From the moment we hear GLaDOS’s ominously calm voice in “Portal,” it’s clear she was going to swipe a certain PhD Physicist’s slot from this list. Our suspicions are confirmed once the cake is revealed to be a lie. This genetic life form and disk operating system becomes progressively more fascinating in the sequel, as her surprising backstory is revealed and she becomes an unlikely ally. By the game’s end, she may want us gone, but we just want more of her. A bit like HAL 9000 with sarcasm and singing chops, GLaDOS simply takes the cake.

Even if you were a Nintendo kid growing up in the 90’s, you were tempted to get a Sega Genesis solely for this blue hedgehog. Sonic certainly gave his competitors a run for their money with his need for speed and expertise in blast processing…whatever that is. As we all know, Sonic’s career drastically lost momentum sometime after transitioning to 3D. But, while his recent games have been hit and miss, in some cases by a longshot, Sonic’s fanbase remains so adoring that they’ll always anticipate his next release. To them, he’s still the fastest thing alive.

This English archaeologist has achieved a total of six Guinness World Records, including most recognized female video game character. Her curvy, digital body showed off the PS1’s full capabilities, but there’s more to Lara than big square boobs. From the beginning, she’s been a witty, charming sparkplug that anybody would want to have an adventure with. And of course, being portrayed by Angelina Jolie definitely didn’t hurt her popularity either. In recent years, game developers have moved away from the sex symbol angle, developing Lara into a more identifiable heroine.

“The Legend of Zelda” is arguably the closest video games have come to producing an age-old fable. At the center of every timeless journey is the hero of time himself. Despite his lack of dialog, Link is brimming with personality, and a true hero for an epic adventure. By stepping into Link’s boots, we can live out our wildest fantasies of exploring Hyrule, retrieving the Master Sword, and rescuing Princess Zelda from Ganon. Link is truly an eternal character, which is probably why he keeps getting reincarnated.

When he first burst onto the scene in the 80’s. “Pac-Man” changed the way we perceive video game characters, and today he’s considered a legendary icon even to those who don’t play Video Games. Pac-Man may not be the most complex protagonist. He’s essentially just a yellow ball that eats dots and ghosts. Without this unlikely phenomenon, however, the doors never would have been opened for the other characters on this list. Given his revolutionary place in gaming history, its only appropriate Pac-Man’s shamed like a wheel. Ms Pacman may have refine the gameplay, but he’s the original who defined it.

Even if you’ve never owned an Xbox, there’s no denying that the Chief is the face of Microsofts gaming empire, and an entire gaming generation. It’s safe to say that this super soldier’s green amour and helmet are forever imbedded into our popular culture. The silent type, Master Chief has only become more intriguing, complex, and identifiable with every passing game, his farewell to Cortana being an emotional highpoint. We can’t wait to continue pealing back the Master Chief’s layers until we fully see the man behind the mask.
Before we get to our inevitable #1 pick, here are a few honorable mentions, here are a few honorable mentions.

Kratos
“God of War” Series (2005-)

Joel & Ellie

“The Last of Us” (2013)

Scorpion
“Mortal Kombat” Series (1992-)

Nathan Drake
“Uncharted” Series (2007-)

Mega Man
“Mega Man” Series” (1987-)

If there’s a video game character with everlasting appeal, it’s this Italian plumber. What’s incredible about Mario is that he hasn’t just been the star of one great game after another, but he’s proved versatile in several different genres. In addition to 2D and 3D platformers, Mario’s conquered everything from kart racers to RPG’s. There’s nothing Mario can’t do - evidenced by the fact that you’ll see his face everywhere. Considering how many timeless classics the mustachio hero has appeared in, no other video game character truly deserves the top spot more than Mario.

Do you by any chance agree with our list? Which Video Game Character is your favourite? For more memorable top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.