# The 20 Greatest Video Game Characters of All Time

> Some are mascots, some are mercenaries, some are barely more than a voice. These are the characters that carried whole franchises and stayed recognisable decades later. Vote on which one belongs at the top.

*By YPB Team · Published July 28, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-20-greatest-video-game-characters-of-all-time*

---

## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Link** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 1000/1000)
   The silent green-clad hero of The Legend of Zelda, reincarnated across every era of Hyrule.
2. **Geralt of Rivia** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 1000/1000)
   The Witcher's monster hunter, carried from novels into one of the most acclaimed RPG series.
3. **Ellie** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 835/1000)
   The survivor at the centre of The Last of Us, carried across two games and a decade.
4. **Bowser** — 0% (0 votes · score 800/1000)
   The Koopa King, the antagonist Mario has been chasing for four decades.
5. **Donkey Kong** — 0% (0 votes · score 734/1000)
   The barrel-throwing ape of the 1981 arcade original who became a hero in his own series.
6. **Cloud Strife** — 0% (0 votes · score 734/1000)
   The buster-sword mercenary of Final Fantasy VII and the face of the JRPG boom.
7. **Ryu** — 0% (0 votes · score 659/1000)
   Street Fighter's wandering martial artist and the reference point for every fighting-game roster.
8. **Lara Croft** — 0% (0 votes · score 659/1000)
   The archaeologist of Tomb Raider and the first widely recognised female lead in games.
9. **Sonic the Hedgehog** — 0% (0 votes · score 571/1000)
   Sega's blue mascot, built in 1991 as the fast, attitude-heavy answer to Mario.
10. **Solid Snake** — 0% (0 votes · score 467/1000)
   Metal Gear's infiltrator, the centre of the series that made stealth a genre.
11. **Princess Zelda** — 0% (0 votes · score 467/1000)
   The ruler of Hyrule who gave the series its name and finally its own playable game in 2024.
12. **Samus Aran** — 0% (0 votes · score 467/1000)
   The bounty hunter of Metroid, whose 1986 reveal reframed who a video game hero could be.
13. **Mario** — 0% (0 votes · score 343/1000)
   Nintendo's plumber, the most recognisable character in the medium since 1981.
14. **Pac-Man** — 0% (0 votes · score 343/1000)
   The 1980 arcade circle whose simple design made him gaming's first mascot.
15. **GLaDOS** — 0% (0 votes · score 343/1000)
   Portal's passive-aggressive test-chamber AI, a villain who is mostly a voice.
16. **Master Chief** — 0% (0 votes · score 190/1000)
   The armoured Spartan of Halo, whose face has stayed hidden for a quarter of a century.
17. **Sephiroth** — 0% (0 votes · score 190/1000)
   Final Fantasy VII's one-winged antagonist, routinely named the medium's best villain.
18. **Pikachu** — 0% (0 votes · score 190/1000)
   The electric mouse who became the face of Pokemon and one of the world's best-known fictional characters.
19. **Kratos** — 0% (0 votes · score 190/1000)
   The Spartan of God of War, rewritten from vengeful demigod into a reluctant father.
20. **Arthur Morgan** — 0% (0 votes · score 190/1000)
   The outlaw of Red Dead Redemption 2, held up as one of the best-written characters in games.

Tags: games, nintendo, classics, characters, retro