Highlights
- Immersive video games with character creation options allow players to fine-tune various aspects of their character, including appearance and stats.
- The PlayStation 5 offers impressive character creators, capable of rendering detailed and realistic character models, in games like Saints Row and Wild Hearts.
- Other notable games on the PS5 with extensive character creation features include Atlas Fallen, GreedFall, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
While most video games tend to place players in the shoes of fully formed protagonists, the more immersive ones let you fine-tune different aspects of your character using a character creator. Some of these go beyond just customizing how your character looks by allowing you to also shape the exact build you'd like through the distribution of stats and attributes as well.
The PlayStation 5 is an absolute beast of a machine when it comes to its graphical prowess, capable of rendering some of the most detailed and realistic character models seen in video games. And as developers continue to push the console to its limits through increasingly demanding games, here are a few with impressive character creators to match.
Updated August 17, 2023 by Dennis Moiseyev: While you eagerly await the launch of the highly-acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5, there are many other RPGs and games with extensive character creation on the console equally matching the fun gameplay and compelling narrative. In these last two months alone, the PS5 has seen four new games with character creation, including Diablo 4, Street Fighter 6, Remnant 2, and Atlas Fallen. All these and more can be found right here.
18 Saints Row
The 2022 Saints Row reboot certainly doesn't live up to the previous games in the beloved series, but it's the first Saints Row on next-gen consoles, and it brings back the signature character creator. The creator menu is seamlessly worked into the opening cinematic, as your character walks into their wardrobe closet while someone requests a conference with them.
Music plays in the background as you check out the extensive features added for you to dedicate the time in making the Boss you'd like leading your fellow Saints into over-the-top, open-world action. You can also go back into the character creator at any point in the game and have hilarious options to even customize the censor bars when the body is exposed.
17 Wild Hearts
Wild Hearts is a newcomer to the RPG monster-hunter genre of video games, so like its predecessors, a character creator is an essential feature it couldn't leave out. And the character creation does not disappoint, as there are loads of settings to play around with and detailed styles to try out before heading to the mystical nature-filled landscapes of Azuma.
The gameplay offers a co-op experience with some unique and wondrous beastly creatures inspired by the fusion of elements occurring in nature called Kemono. The Karakuri system is one that sets the game apart, allowing you to build obstacles and traps, and other items that will benefit you in traversal and combat.
16 Atlas Fallen
This action-adventure RPG is from Focus Entertainment and Deck13, the studio behind The Surge, and the gameplay feels like Dune, Forspoken, and Monster Hunter had a child and named it Atlas Fallen. Your character comes into contact with a magical gauntlet that can manifest weapons and talk, and you traverse the sand-filled landscape and battle various fantasy creatures, also with a co-op option.
The game doesn't start you off with the character creator screen, instead leading into it as a narrative beat with you assuming an Avatar Na'vi-like character in a tutorial section, who happens to be the spirit inside the Gauntlet, and him asking you for help while in conflict with a giant beast. Though only two voice options are available, there are plenty of customization options for either gender.
15 GreedFall
The historical fantasy RPG GreedFall has diplomat De Sardet of Teer Fradee as its main character, who can be male or female and fully customizable via character creation. The hair and other presets are only adjustable through a slider in the customization settings and aren't designed as tiles you can preview, as seen in other games.
The character creation is presented as De Sardet posing for a portrait by a painter in the opening cinematic, and once you have your appearance, you can select a starting class. GreedFall shares a similar essence to Dragon Age and The Witcher series, with its fantasy combat also introducing magical skills and abilities to use against foes.
14 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is developed by the studio behind the Nioh games, Team Ninja, which included a character creator in Nioh 2. Taking place during the Han Dynasty period in China, the environment has been overrun with demonic enemies and ghoulish giant bosses you must defeat in FromSoftware fashion. And there's a co-op option available as well if you choose not to tackle things alone.
The appearance templates already have some pretty solid character designs, but many have already found their way around all the intricate details to bring iconic real-life figures to life in this fantasy Han China setting, such as singer Michael Jackson or horror and rock icon Rob Zombie. So this already seems like a legendary creator system.
13 Marvel's Midnight Suns
This Marvel turn-based strategy game from Firaxis found a creative way to implement character creation, which happens here mid-gameplay rather than prior to the start of the game. There's already an epic roster of Marvel characters in Midnight Suns you can play as, but a new hero known as The Hunter is awoken after a few missions, and you can customize their appearance.
From their introduction, The Hunter will be a part of your main squad of Marvel heroes for missions thereon out. Midnight Suns' turn-based battles involve building out card decks that contain a hero's relevant skills or attacks. You'll also be able to switch all kinds of outfits for every squad member to make them look their comic book best.
12 Grand Theft Auto Online
GTA Online is one of the most popular multiplayer experiences around. You can create your own character to live in the sprawling GTA city sandbox, letting them do everything from owning businesses to completing heists and customizing luxury cars. It's a great online mode with a Pandora's Box of content you and your friends will definitely gain a ton of mileage from.
The character creator in GTA Online opens with you walking into the Los Santos police station's mugshot room, where your avatar even holds up the black and white sign of the suspect's name and number. The UI matches the classic GTA 5 menu, and you can customize your clothing and shoe wear styles, which is the coolest aspect of this mode.
11 Biomutant
Biomutant is a game that definitely showcased a ton of potential before release. One area in which it really shines is the character creation system. You can create an extremely unique mutant to your liking, with their abilities influencing their looks, by selecting from one of six Breeds followed by a distinct Class like Commando, Sentinel, and Psi-Freak.
As in the name, part of the character creation is being allowed to mutate your animal creature, which can make for some really funky and odd designs that also show how the stats will change. There are many fun characters to be made in this open-world fantasy RPG that mixes gunplay with hack-and-slash melee combat.
10 Code Vein
Similarly to Atlas Fallen, the anime-inspired Soulslike Code Vein introduces its character creation system with a character talking to you at the very start. You'll have the option of first giving your character a name or jumping right into the creator. And some cool characters can result from it, given the purifier mask options and possibilities of resembling protagonists from other video games, like 2B from NieR: Automata.
And similar to NieR: Automata, you're also in an apocalyptic world, except this one is called Vein, and you're battling an entirely different threat called Revenants, or vampiric reanimated corpses with parasites in their hearts. There's a more supernatural element to this game, but one that delivers better gameplay and story than Redfall or Evil West.
9 Crusader Kings 3
Crusader Kings 3 is one of the most accessible grand strategy games released by Paradox Interactive. If you want to roleplay as a ruler during medieval times, this title will be right up your alley. And it has received several updates over the course of its run, including an option that lets you create your own ruler.
It's an incredibly detailed creator system, using customization points as cost for a slew of attributes, including diplomacy skills, Faith, family, and even genetic traits. Getting to design your ruler in precisely the way you desire certainly makes a playthrough more engaging, although it comes at the cost of having a very low probability of survival for the dynasty.
8 Final Fantasy 14
Despite its original version launching in a less-than-ideal state, Final Fantasy 14 has grown to become one of the most popular MMORPGs currently available. This is doubly so after the launch of the Endwalker expansion pack forced Square Enix to temporarily suspend sales of the game, just to keep the demand on their servers in check.
The core game itself boasts a robust character creator that allows players to define all relevant aspects of their character. These include race, gender, and clan, as well as starting values for attributes like strength and dexterity. Most notably, the game also includes a character creator in a separate benchmark tool for those yet to download the game, making it easy for such players to import their creations from the tool into the main game.
7 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Originally released on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2011, Skyrim is a game that continues to prove popular with RPG fans and casual gamers alike. Most of that comes down to its ability to fully immerse you in an epic adventure, as well as its genuinely fun gameplay.
This probably explains why it has been ported to more consoles and devices than most games ever tend to be. The PS5 version (dubbed the Anniversary Edition) was released to coincide with the ten-year anniversary of the game, bringing with it a host of visual upgrades that include 4K resolution and up to 120 FPS. Visuals aside though, the character creator in Skyrim still ranks as one of the best ones out there, offering a large number of customization sliders so you can tailor your character to your specific needs.
6 Remant 2
The sequel to Remnant: From the Ashes once again has you create a character right from the beginning, before the opening cutscene can even start. While the details should look familiar, the main change is done to the voice options. Remnant 2 offers much more variety for the male and female player character voice options, providing six different types for each, all from quite noteworthy actors.
Your class selection happens later in the game when you reach Ward 13, with a much older version of Wallace taking you through the process. The gameplay sees the return of all the previous characters and the Soulslike gunplay combat, and the Root once more the enemy that needs to be dealt with across worlds.
5 Street Fighter 6
Drastically switching things up from the previous installment's story mode, Street Fighter 6 returns with a new single-player mode called World Tour, where you can create a personal avatar and travel to different cities in an open-world RPG design and beat up foes like in Yakuza. But there's so much more this mode has to offer.
The character creation menu appears as icons at the top of the screen rather than the standard view on the side, and it goes into extreme depth to allow for endless hilarious combinations with height and body composition. You can have an overly large head and a small body or a massive build and the height of a giant but a thick neck and a small head.
4 Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 had something of a rocky launch, to say the least, but following more than a full year of bug fixes and upgrades, its native PlayStation 5 version now receives much better reception than upon release. The first thing that probably comes to mind when thinking of the character creator in the game is its customizable genitals – not the amount of customization you were expecting.
But if nothing else, this speaks to just how detailed and granular its character creator manages to get. Considering the wealth of customization options available for players to tinker with, you could easily spend hours crafting a unique character before heading off into Night City.
3 Diablo 4
As standard for a Diablo game, you can choose from the traditional five classes – Necromancer, Rogue, Druid, Barbarian, and Sorcerer – and can fully customize your player avatar prior to your terrifying journey into Sanctuary and battling Lilith's forces. There's a generous selection of colors to play around with for eyes, hair, skin tones, and even the paint on your markings (should you want to have some).
Diablo 4 is not only a game with excellent visuals, graphics, and character creation on PS5, but has one of the best storylines you can experience on the console. The gameplay is designed around a top-down RPG aesthetic, and you meet some friendly allies around the atmospheric lands to help you along the way.
2 Elden Ring
The Soulsborne genre has traditionally been angled at those that appreciate more of a challenge. But with the arrival of Elden Ring, many are discovering the thrills of the FromSoftware formula for the very first time. And the game's biggest draw is its vast open world and the freedom players are given to tackle the various monstrosities that call it home.
Part of that freedom includes the ability to create fully customizable character builds that cater to different play styles. This of course starts with the character creator, where players can adjust their appearance, as well as choose a class with different values for stats like strength, endurance, and intelligence. You'll be spending most of your time in the game decked out with armor from head to toe, but it is still nice to see the depth of options available to those willing to spend the time to create the perfect avatar.
1 Demon's Souls
The original Demon's Souls had released on the PS3 in 2009, and while it had been praised for several innovations at the time, one of its biggest shortcomings was its severely limited character creator. So you can imagine the relief felt by fans when they learned that the PS5 remake of the game was being handled by Bluepoint Games.
Aside from a graphical overhaul that makes great use of the PS5's bells and whistles, the Demon's Souls remake also greatly improves upon the character creator from the original game. Players are no longer forced to play with characters that often look like monsters in their own right. The new game includes all the customization options you would expect from a recent RPG title. And coupled with the shiny new graphics, those characters have never looked as lifelike and detailed as they do running on the PS5.