Costumes aren't always an essential aspect of video games but remain important in many, depending on the genre. In some video games, these changes are purely visual, with players switching to alternate costumes simply because they look cool, while in others, different costumes give the characters different or additional abilities compared to their default outfits.
In a handful of more modern games, outfits can be quickly switched between, so players can instantly adapt to specific situations. This ability isn't unique to any one game genre either, as it has been seen in stylish action games, MMORPGs, life sims, and more.
8 Final Fantasy 14
The popular MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 may not let you swap outfits mid-battle or during a boss fight or raid, but when between battles or quests, you can quickly switch to any of your unlocked classes, which will change your armor to either whatever you have set for that class, or will recommend you equipment based on what's in your inventory.
If you don't like how your strongest armor set looks, you can either buy dye to change its color or change it to look like another set by casting glamour on it using glamour prisms, although there are some restrictions, including being the same type of armor for the same class.
7 Kamen Rider Memory of Heroez
Surprisingly the first stylish action game to be based on Toei's ongoing Kamen Rider superhero series, Memory of Heroez lets its three main playable characters, each from separate Kamen Rider shows, swap between their outfits at any time, not just mid-battle but mid-combo, allowing for a wider variety of technique combinations.
Kamen Rider W, pronounced double, has the most outfits, with 12 playable outfits, or forms, total and a 13th non-playable outfit, while Kamen Rider OOO, pronounced O's, has nine forms, and Kamen Rider Zero One has only five forms, as the corresponding series was still airing at the time of the game's launch.
6 Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns
The final entry in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning Returns, gives Lightning a variety of garbs she can quickly switch between in battle. While many of these garbs are unique to the game, others reference past Final Fantasy characters, such as Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 and Yuna from Final Fantasy 10, and change the sound effects, victory pose, and victory fanfare to those featured in each game.
After a battle ends, Lightning will be in whichever garb you selected as her default outfit, meaning you don't have to worry about constantly switching after battles. The colors of each garb can also be customized to your liking, letting you add your own unique flair.
5 World of Warcraft
As of a 2019 Battle for Azeroth expansion update, the ongoing MMORPG World of Warcraft also lets you quickly swap between outfits and has a transmogrification system somewhat similar to Final Fantasy 14's glamour system.
Unfortunately, you have to talk to a Transmogrification NPC to transmogrify your gear, but once you've done that, you'll be able to swap between your preset transmogrified outfits, mixing equipment to create unique appearances without stat reduction. Having to talk to specific NPCs rather than buying a particular item from a variety of locations may be inconvenient, but it's better than not having the option at all.
4 Grand Theft Auto 5
In Grand Theft Auto 5, the seventh entry in Rockstar's mainline Grand Theft Auto series, the three protagonists, Michael, Trevor, and Brad, can go to a clothing store and set outfits to be quickly switched between when in other areas. The protagonists may react positively or negatively through movement, depending on what you put on them.
The items that each protagonist can wear include suit jackets, suit pants, suit vests, full suits, glasses, sports shades, street shades, masks, sweaters, hoodies, jackets, polo shirts, shirts, tops, tank tops, pants, shorts, shoes, and full outfits unlocked after specific requirements have been met, so there's plenty of variety despite having to play as a preset character.
3 Animal Crossing New Horizons
The Nintendo Switch entry of the popular Animal Crossing series, New Horizons, has many clothing items for your character. While you can go into a menu by going to various furniture in your house or other locations, such as dressers or drawers, you can quickly swap out any item you're wearing with any wearable item in your inventory.
Unlike many other games, these changes are purely visual, but characters may react differently depending on what you've changed into. As always, New horizons has plenty of holiday-appropriate outfits, so you'll always be able to celebrate in style as long as you've obtained the proper items.
2 Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Koei Tecmo's meme-worthy action-based prequel to the first game in the Final Fantasy series, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, lets the protagonist Jack and other party members switch between several jobs, but only two can be equipped at the same time, so you'll only be switching between whichever two you have selected.
The base game has eight basic jobs, ten advanced jobs, and ten expert jobs that any party character can be equipped with once they've been unlocked, while the three DLC expansions added seven new jobs total. Like its turn-based predecessor, new jobs in Stranger of Paradise give characters more powerful abilities to take on stronger enemies and bosses.
1 Exoprimal
Capcom's unique dinosaur-fighting team-based action game Exoprimal allows you to switch outfits, called Exosuits, while waiting for the battle to start and directly in battle. This isn't just switching your costume, however, as it also changes your class and the weapons and abilities you have access to.
Want to switch from a DPS Exosuit to a tank Exosuit to be prepared for bigger enemies, or Switch from a tank Exosuit to the Dinosaur-controlling Witchdoctor Exosuit, so you can heal allies and temporarily take down dinosaur hordes while playing as one yourself? All this and more is possible; as long as you pay attention to the brief cooldown and keep out of the enemy's way when swapping.