It’s been a tough few years for voice actors. While it has perhaps never been more obvious just how much value they add to a game’s characters and story – the huge success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its beloved cast put the profession in perhaps the brightest lightweight in its history – voice actors and motion capture performers face the daunting threat of artificial intelligence. That’s just one of the reasons we wanted to honor the performing arts at this year’s IGN Awards. Actors bring our games to life, and our digital world would be poorer without them.
As with our other awards, we asked the IGN team to nominate their favorite acts from the last 12 months, and then we all voted for the one we thought was the best example. Here are our picks for the best individual video game performances this year:
Runner-up – Erika Ishii (Atsu, Spirit of Yotei)
The role of a vengeful samurai is well-trodden ground, but Erika Ishii breathes refreshing fresh life into Atsu, the protagonist of Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei. By giving the character a believable, “gritty” feel, Ishii provides depth to Atsu’s bloodlust.
Runner-up – Aaron Paul (Robert Robertson, shipping)
Unlike Hollywood, which has long made animated films with movie stars, video games are largely based on the idea that voice acting and performance capture are separate skills and that the best solution is to hire people who specialize in them. But while Dispatch features industry titans like Laura Bailey and Matthew Mercer, it’s screen actor Aaron Paul who stands out; our review shows that he is capable of delivering “a diverse performance as a man trying to remain optimistic while coming to terms with who he is outside of his giant mech suit.”
Second place – Konatsu Kato (Hinako Shimizu, Silent Hill f)
By lending her voice and likeness to Silent Hill f heroine Hinako Shimizu, Konatsu Kato brought to life one of the series’ most tortured characters. While many of us would rely on subtitles to understand her Japanese lines, her delivery helped instill each scene with the weighty, sophisticated emotions intended by the nuanced storytelling in the script.
Runner-up – Ben Starr (Verso, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
In Verso, Ben Starr was able to perfect the gruff, shadowy character voice he adopted for Clive in Final Fantasy 16. The maturity of Expedition 33’s themes, especially in its final act, allows Starr to explore a character who must revel in tragedy, but has enough optimism and conviction to never let the darkness overshadow the lightweight.
Winner – Jennifer English (Maelle, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
Maelle is the heart of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and the main reason her journey feels so real is Jennifer English’s performance. Sadness is a hard emotion to grapple with, especially when it’s part of a story that happily devolves into melodrama, but Maelle’s English keeps him perpetually grounded and completely believable. Expedition 33 may be a game with flashy combat, monstrous deities, and an army of goofy brush men, but it’s really about the human condition, and more specifically, how we deal with loss. As Maelle, Jennifer English ensures that Clair Obscur’s loftier, more literary themes and ambitions are never lost among its more video game-like, JRPG-inspired themes.
While individual performances are essential, a robust ensemble can facilitate ensure a consistent immersion in a fictional world. When everyone on the team brings their A-game, there is no doubt that these video game characters are real people. Our picks for the best video game cast are:
- Second place – Yotei Spirit
- Second place – Hades 2
- Second place – shipping
- Second place – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Congratulations to Jennifer English, the entire cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the Sandfall Interactive team, and the cast and development teams of all the games we nominated. For more information about the 2025 IGN Awards, check out our full list of winners.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s executive features editor.
