From the voice of Nathan Drake in Uncharted to Ares in God of War, here are some of the best video game voice actors.
Today’s gamers demand much more than a few text boxes or robotic dialogue. They’re looking for authenticity and depth from the best video game voice actors in the industry.
Through the decades, many voice actors have risen to fame in the video game industry, elevating the art form and helping to contribute to the iconic characters we know and love today.
What qualities do you enjoy in a video game voice actor? Whether it’s the commanding presence of Keith David or the chameleon-like versatility of Jennifer Hale, there’s someone for everyone.
Let’s take a look at the best video game voice actors, shall we?
🥇Nolan North
@ReallyNolanNorth on Instagram.
California-based voice actor Nolan North is arguably one of the best video game voice actors in the business, having a career voicing video game characters since 1999.
One of North’s most notable roles includes voicing and performing the motion capture for Uncharted’s Nathan Drake. After his amazing performance, he would return to voice the character for the next three instalments of the game.
After Uncharted, Nolan went on to voice an array of characters from many of the world’s favourite games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops One, Two and Three.
The video game voice actor has since won a Special Award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for his “outstanding contribution to video games.”
🥈Jennifer Hale
@JHaleGram on Instagram.
Regularly dubbed one of the best video game voice actors in the industry, Jennifer Hale is a talent that avid gamers are eager to hear. The Canadian American voice actress has featured in a wide range of video games throughout the years.
Hale began her career as a voice actor solely focused on animation, but after the animated TV show Skeleton Warriors was made into a video game, she gained her first opportunity to work in the gaming industry.
Afterwards, Hale’s major video game breakthrough would be with Baldur’s Gate in various roles, which would allow her to act in games such as Final Fantasy XIII, Mass Effect, and No More Heroes 3.
🥉Troy Baker
@OfficiallyTroyBaker on Instagram.
Troy Baker has been in the video game voice acting industry since the early 2000s, originally starting off as background characters and working his way up to main characters – such as Joel in The Last of Us.
Baker is also known for his contributions as the Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins and Booker DeWitt in BioShock. It’s fair to say that the much-loved video game voice actor has an impressive range, bringing life and passion to every character he plays.
Troy is also a musician, having worked on the original soundtracks of the Silent Hill series.
4. Matthew Mercer
@MatthewMercerVO on Instagram.
Would the best video game voice actor list be complete without legend Matthew Mercer? We think not. Mercer is one of the most prolific voice actors of this decade, with a portfolio spanning both video games and animation.
One of Matthew’s more recent video game roles includes Cole Cassidy in Overwatch, the gun-slinging cowboy with similarities to Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2. You can also find Mercer in Baldur’s Gate 3, Resident Evil 6, and Batman: The Enemy Within.
5. Grey DeLisle Griffin
@GreyDelisle on Instagram.
More known for her roles in animation instead of video games, Grey DeLisle Griffin has still successfully proven herself as one of the best video game voice actors.
Griffin’s best-known roles include Mystique in X-Men: Legends, Catwoman in the Arkham game series, and Captain Marvel in Marvel vs Capcom Infinite. Many avid gamers may also recognise her for her background roles in the Star Wars games.
Outside of video games, Grey is most famous for voicing Daphne in the early 2000s animated Scooby-Doo movies.
6. Tara Strong
@TaraStrong on Instagram.
American-born actress Tara Strong is one of the best video game voice actors in the industry, with over 200 roles in both animation and video games combined.
Tara began voice acting at the age of 12 and has become well-known as the voice of Harley Quinn in the Arkham series, as well as Doctor Octopus in Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions.
Other notable roles include Final Fantasy X, X-Men: Legends II, and the LEGO games.
7. John DiMaggio
@TheJohnDiMaggio on Instagram.
Most will recognise John DiMaggio from his iconic character Bender from Futurama or Finn from Adventure Time, but the American voice actor is famous for his roles in several video games, too.
Many may recognise DiMaggio from video games such as Gears of War, Destiny, Final Fantasy, and Halo Wars 2. John describes his work as a voice actor by saying, “As long as I’m working, I’m happy,
“You see my face – great. You don’t see my face – too bad, I don’t care. I’ll keep going.”
8. Terrance Carson
@OfficialTcCarson on Instagram.
Terrance Carson often doubles for Samuel L. Jackson in a number of video games – a true talent – which we believe makes him one of the best video game voice actors.
Carson features as Darth Vader in Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds and as Mace Windu in multiple Star Wars: Clone Wars video games. Featuring in over 40 video games, you may also recognise Carson from Saints Row IV, God of War, Far Cry, and Green Lantern in DC Justice League: Cosmic Chaos.
9. Merle Dandridge
@MerleDandridge on Instagram.
Merle Dandridge will be most recognisable to all for her portrayal of Marlene in The Last of Us HBO TV series, but before that, she was the voice actor of Alyx Vance in Half-Life 2 and its following episodes.
Before The Last of Us premiered on HBO as a live-action adaptation of the video game, Merle was the original voice actor of Marlene in the original game. She explains this by saying, “It was quite emotional to do that, to see her elucidated in the physical rather than a rendering by these amazing Naughty Dog artists.”
You can also find the voice actor in games such as Uncharted 4, DOTA 2, and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture.
10. Yuri Lowenthal
@YuriLowenthal on Instagram.
Credited across more than 350 games, Yuri Lowenthal is undoubtedly one of the best video game voice actors.
He is most known for his portrayal of Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man, and he was even nominated for a Best Performance award at the Game Awards in 2018.
Many will also recognise the American voice actor from video games such as the 2023 remake of Mortal Kombat, Helldivers II, and Diablo IV.
Yuri can also be found in Genshin Impact as Dainsleif.
Conclusion
Behind every iconic hero or villain lies a talented voice actor whose skill and passion breathe personality into each character they portray. Ever dreamed of becoming one of the best video game voice actors?
Discover How to Become a Video Game Voice Actor
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