Throughout the years, games have seen many captivating performances,some even worthy of Oscars. Sometimes you’ll see veteran video game voice actors or well-known actors from films and television bring their caliber into the video game world, and sometimes totally new actors will surprise you with their portrayal.
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The narrative experiences video games instill from theirgreat writing and storyare nothing without the characters and efforts of voice actors leading them. Some games just have those voices that stick with you, ones you can replay in your head and picture being said in-game. It’s a big part of the immersion factor, and here is some of the best voiceover work in games.
9The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886 was one of the earliest cinematic story-driven PS4 exclusives that sadly didn’t get the recognition it deserved. The graphics were ahead of their time, and the voice performances shined. However, most were disappointed by the game’s short length, which already featured more dialogue and cinematics than the gameplay itself.
Nonetheless, all the voice actors did an excellent job capturing the characters and mood of this alternate-history supernatural Victorian age. You’ll also find some notable names in the cast, like Graham McTavish, who’s been in Outlander, House of the Dragon, and Netflix’sThe WitcherandCastlevania. And also Yuri Lowenthal, the actor behind Ben Tennyson and Insomniac’s Peter Parker, as Nikola Tesla.
8Disco Elysium - The Final Cut
WhenDisco Elysiuminitially launched, it had a ton of characters andaround a million lines of written dialoguebut didn’t have any voice acting to go with it. Then came The Final Cut, and the voice acting really helped bring all the characters to life along with the conflicting narrators inside Harry Du Bois' mind.
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Even though you’re interacting with characters through text on the side of your screen, and they’re reading their respective dialogue lines, the voices all feel authentic, and the narrative design begins to feel more like a natural conversation. Even more impressively, there aren’t any well-known actors in the cast save for Dasha Nekrasova as Klaasje, who was in Succession and many other projects, which shows you great voice acting doesn’t have to mean big names.
7A Plague Tale: Requiem
The firstPlague Talegame centered around the inseparable bond between siblings Amicia and Hugo de Rune as they had to face horrifying ordeals and commit unimaginable acts to survive infectious rats and an Inquisition. The emotional performances of Charlotte McBurney as Amicia de Rune and Logan Hannan as Hugo were moving and memorable, earning McBurney multiple nominations, and the sequel sees them return alongside new supporting characters like Sophia and Arnaud.
Arnaud becomes a protector of Amicia and Hugo along their journey, while Sophia is a pirate willing to give them safe passage on her ship. Anna Demetriou and Harry Myersdeliver a lot of heartwarming momentswith these characters. Lucas, now a lead character inRequiem, is voiced by Kit Connor, who you may know from Netflix’s Heartstopper and the voice of Pantalaimon from His Dark Materials.
6Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16is filled with plenty of lengthy cutscenes and has a very talented cast behind its characters, bringing youone of the best stories on PS5. The setting takes the RPG series back in time to a fictional Medieval fantasy world heavily inspired by Game of Thrones, with performances just as powerful as the HBO series.
Ben Starr channels his passion forFinal Fantasyinto the lead role of Clive Rosfield, Game of Thrones andDiablo 4’s Ralph Ineson lends that distinct rich voice of his to Cid Telamon, and there’s even a bit of A Plague Tale reunion going on here with the other voice actors. You’ll immediately recognize Logan Hannan’s voice in Joshua, while Charlotte McBurney and Anna Demetriou play Young Jill and Dorys, respectively.
5Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
Given the MCU’s success with these characters, everyone was anxiously awaiting to see how theGuardians of the Galaxycast would sound and how they’d be written in Eidos Montréal’s game. James Gunn and his star-studded cast truly put their hearts and souls into this uncanny band of intergalactic heroes, but it’s safe to say the video game ended up delivering some equally stellar performances.
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The team dynamics within the Guardians and the overall comedy mixed with heartwarming moments lands perfectly. Peter Quill definitely has a lot of development here, especially with circumstances leading him to believe he’s a father and the multiple losses he goes through. Drax’s personality, as well as Rocket’s, are pretty much spot-on with the movies. And Drax was voiced by Jason Cavalier, an actor who also does stunts on projects like Scream 6,Assassin’s Creed Origins, and X-Men films.
4The Last Of Us Part 2
You could sayThe Last of Ushad the exact opposite of Guardians, with the live-action performances in HBO’s adaptation having everyone in anticipation. While Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal absolutely did justice to Joel and Ellie, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker are phenomenal, and Johnson’s more mature Ellie inThe Last of Us Part 2blows her previous performance out of the water.
Ellie’s perspective is now the focus, and she makes a lot of friends and new enemies, which adds a lot of talented voice actors to the ensemble. You haveUnchartedalum Laura Bailey as Ellie’s foe Abby, who was also Mary Jane Watson inMarvel’s Spider-Manand Kait Diaz from theGears of Warseries. Aloy and Tiny Tina actress Ashly Burch, now also a writer and director for Mythic Quest on Apple TV+, plays Mel. And there are actors from Westworld — Jeffrey Wright as Isaac and Shannon Woodward as Dina.
3Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
On top of the thrilling action-adventure exploration to be had in Uncharted, Naughty Dog once again kills it with the castings. There are no voices more memorable in gaming than Richard McGonagle’s Sully, Nolan North’s Nathan Drake, Emily Rose’s Elena Fisher, and Claudia Black’s Chloe Frazer. And A Thief’s End introduces the series' most dramatic storyline yet for the send-off, which also includes Nate’s brother Sam, voiced by Troy Baker.
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Sam is in trouble with new adversaries Rafe Adler and Nadine Ross from an organization named Shoreline, putting a target on the group’s back when he seeks Nate’s help. Laura Bailey voices former mercenary Nadine Ross and Warren Kole from Yellow Jackets and Shades of Blue voices antagonist Rafe Adler. And then Nate’s daughter Cassie, introduced in the epilogue, is voiced by none other than Kaitlyn Dever of Justified, Booksmart, and Last Man Standing fame.
2The Witcher 3
The third installment of The Witcher series gets the acclaim of being the best for a reason. Doug Cockle is back as Geralt of Rivia and gives an emotional performance like never before. The world-building scope and story inThe Witcher 3, with all its side quests and NPC interactions, and the introduction of all the new characters, also give way to some of the most iconic performances in gaming.
On top of familiar friends like Dandelion and Triss Merigold, Geralt now has the company of Yennefer, their adoptive daughter Ciri (who you’ll be playing as), and Vesemir. There are also stars like Charles Dance as Emhyr var Emries, Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones and Lord Mountbatten in The Crown. Yennefer’s actress Denise Gough may also be more recognized for her role as relentless ISB Officer Dedra Meero in Andor.
1God Of War Ragnarok
Like The Witcher 3,God of War Ragnarokis a sequel that only gets better in terms of scope and story, and expands on the existing characters in Norse mythology. The 2018 game saw a small supporting cast alongside main characters Atreus, Mimir, and Kratos. But Ragnarok’s annihilation is now on the horizon, and you are at odds with the likes of Odin, Thor, and Heimdall, but also find new allies in Freyr, Tyr, and Angrboda.
Christopher Judge’s performance as Kratos secured him the Game Award, and, overall, there are a lot more emotional performances in this one anda lot more Hollywood talent. The paranoid antagonist Odin is brilliantly portrayed by Richard Schiff, most famous for his TV roles in The Good Doctor and The West Wing. And his son Thor is played by Ryan Hurst, also seen in popular shows like The Walking Dead as Beta and Sons of Anarchy as Opie Winston.
