20 of the Most Iconic Video Game Characters of All Time

Over the course of the years, certain characters gained and earned a certain level of respect. Whether it be the all time face of gaming, such as Mario and Sonic, or Nathan Drake, and Master Chief, all these characters earned a certain degree of respect to their home consoles. Some which are returning to the current gen consoles, such as Crash Bandicoot or Nathan Drake in the form of a remaster.

These characters are what made certain games very relatable and nostalgic.

Sonic has been around for 25 years, and in honor of their anniversary Sega has unveiled a brand new game releasing in 2017. Kratos the iconic PlayStation character is receiving a brand new game that is also set to release in 2017; the series sets in Norse Mythology.

A handful of Nintendo exclusive characters such as Link, Mario, and Princess Peach are very iconic to the gaming franchise. All three characters are still getting new games to this very day, in the form of Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild, Paper Mario and much more.

Which is your favorite iconic character? Feel free to let us know in the comments below and for more check out some of today’s newest stories.

The Mario games have been around since the early 1980s, and since then it has been a dominant force within the Nintendo franchise. In fact, Mario is still getting new (and enjoyable) games to this day.

The Sonic the Hedgehog series is mainly composed of speed-based platforms, with several spinoffs taking the franchise in different directions. Sonic has been running a long 25 years, with a brand new game planned for 2017.

The master treasure hunter himself, Nathan Drake has been one of Sony’s premiere exclusives over the course of the years. The long awaited final chapter, Uncharted: A Thief’s End, is currently available for purchase on the PlayStation 4.

The elite soldier, Master Chief has been spearheading one of Microsoft’s biggest exclusives since the early dawn of the first Xbox console. Since then, we have seen a legend’s story unfold, with more to come in the future.

God of War’s Kratos and his signature has always been one of Sony’s most recognized characters. A new God of War game revealed at this year’s E3 will be taking the icon into Norse mythology, and exploring his softer side as a father.

The highly skilled special agent soldier Solid Snake has been around since the early PS1 era. Since then, we’ve received the missing story, MGS V: The Phantom Pain, that completes the tale’s timeline in chronological order.

Jill Valentine, the main protagonists from the first Resident Evil game, has captured the image of survival horror. With a few games from the series released on the current-gen consoles, the next entry is set to release in early 2017.

A few faces pop up in your mind when you hear the word fighting game and one of them is Ryu. This character has been around since the early 1890’s when you had to use a joystick to pull off the best combos.

Link refers to several reincarnations of the main protagonist in the hit Nintendo exclusive series, Legend of Zelda. Yet another entry in the series is set to release in 2017 – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Megaman is one of Capcom’s pride possessions,  launching first on the NES and selling over 50 million games across multiple systems to this day

Known as the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft has quickly become one of the most iconic characters in gaming due to her crazy transformation over the years and fun, action-packed games.

Pacman has received multiple transformations since his early 1880s arcade title. Immensely popular from the original release, Pacman himself has received many different games within the series.

Love it or hate it, the Assassins Creed series has become a well-recognized franchise within the gaming community. Ezio, one of the original protagonists, became an instant fan-favorite.

Representing Sony’s most iconic paltformer, Crash Bandicoot has been around since the early dawn of the PS1. With a recent reveal of a series reboot, Crash fans can get their hands on all three games remastered for the PlayStation 4.

Dr. Gordan Freeman is the brilliant (and silent) protagonist who appeared in the Half Life games. He was equipped with a wide range of futuristic weapons to take down aliens like headcrabs, though he’s most known for his trusty crowbar.

Pikachu appears in video games, animated television shows, movies, trading card games, and comic books. The famous Pokemon star is recognized globally as an unforgettable icon.

The other infamous fighting face: Scorpion. The undead ninja is the very first image you think of when playing any of the Mortal Kombat games.

Among the many iconic Final Fantasy characters, Cloud takes the spot as the most iconic in the series. He is a former member of the elite warrior unit called the SOLDIER and has now turned into a mercenary. Cloud is the main protagonists of FF VII, and is featured in numerous other spin-off titles within the series.

Samus Aran is the main protagonist of the Metroid science fiction action-adventure series by Nintendo. She is also an ex-soldier of the Galactic Federation who turned into a Galactic bounty hunter. Samus appeared in every Metroid game and also appeared as a guest character in Captain N: The Game Master and Super Smash Bros.

GLaDOS is an artificially intelligent computer system that appears in both Portal and Portal 2, and as a guest character in the toys to life game, Lego Dimensions. She’s violent, witty, and kind of pure evil – all the best sentient robot qualities.