# Who is the greatest video game protagonist of all time?

> Mascots built to sell consoles sit next to characters written to be argued about.

*By YPB Team · Published August 23, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/who-is-the-greatest-video-game-protagonist-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Mario** — score 1000/1000
   Nintendo's plumber, the most recognisable character in games and the star of four decades of platformers.
2. **Cloud Strife** — score 943/1000
   The spiky-haired mercenary of Final Fantasy VII and the face of the JRPG boom.
3. **Link** — score 709/1000
   The silent hero of The Legend of Zelda, reincarnated across every era of the series.
4. **Gordon Freeman** — score 640/1000
   Half-Life's silent physicist, a protagonist defined entirely by what the player does.
5. **Nathan Drake** — score 585/1000
   Uncharted's wisecracking treasure hunter and the model for the cinematic action game.
6. **Arthur Morgan** — score 585/1000
   Red Dead Redemption 2's outlaw, widely called the best-written character Rockstar has made.
7. **Ellie** — score 524/1000
   The Last of Us survivor who carries the series from passenger to lead.
8. **Sonic the Hedgehog** — score 454/1000
   Sega's mascot, built as the fast, attitude-heavy answer to Mario.
9. **Lara Croft** — score 374/1000
   The Tomb Raider archaeologist who became gaming's first global crossover star.
10. **Samus Aran** — score 374/1000
   Metroid's bounty hunter, whose 1986 reveal reshaped what a game hero could look like.
11. **Geralt of Rivia** — score 374/1000
   The Witcher's monster hunter, whose games made him better known than the novels.
12. **Commander Shepard** — score 374/1000
   Mass Effect's customisable commander, whose choices carried across a whole trilogy.
13. **Kratos** — score 282/1000
   God of War's Spartan, rebuilt from a vengeance machine into a reluctant father.
14. **Master Chief** — score 175/1000
   Halo's armoured super-soldier, the face of Xbox since 2001.
15. **Carl 'CJ' Johnson** — score 175/1000
   Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas's returning son, the most beloved protagonist in the series.
16. **Solid Snake** — score 48/1000
   Metal Gear Solid's infiltrator, the centre of one of gaming's most ambitious stories.

Tags: games, characters, heroes