Gaming has come a long way in terms of storytelling. Deep and complex stories have been created within these vast simulated universes. However, the best stories are the ones with the best characters. When players experience a story, they tend to remember the ones that affect the characters they love. This, of course, extends especially to the main protagonist.

Some of these protagonists are just straight-up likable people that are almost impossible to hate. Others are just so well-developed and their journeys are some of the best the medium has to offer. Regardless of why they're held in such high esteem, these are the best protagonists in video game history.

Updated January 24, 2024, By Ben Jessey: The video game industry is filled with great heroes of all different kinds. Some save universes, others cities, while several just save the people they care about. Nevertheless, they're all heroes, and we created this list to give the best ones a bit of the spotlight. In this update, we've added a few more to the list.

The characters made the list based on how heroic, iconic, and interesting they are.

30 Mario (Super Mario Series)

Mario is the most famous video game hero of all time. This is mainly because he's been around for many, many years. In that time, he's not said many words. Yet, it's still easy to appreciate the small Italian plumber. After all, he's the classic underdog.

The regular guy goes up against all sorts of creatures and villains. His main nemesis is far bigger than him and can breathe fire. However, this doesn't stop Mario. Not only does he fling himself into dangerous situations to save princesses and entire kingdoms, but he also always succeeds. That's a great hero.

29 Link (The Legend Of Zelda Series)

Most of The Legend of Zelda games task Link with going on a long, treacherous adventure to save Zelda, the Kingdom of Hyrule, or both. He never complains, though. In fact, he doesn't speak at all.

He is a silent protagonist who uses a mix of weapons, items, and strategic thinking to succeed in his world-saving efforts. Despite his lack of speech, he has stolen the hearts of many gamers. This proves that you don't need to be a dialog-heavy hero to be likable.

28 Max Caulfield (Life Is Strange)

Physical strength or fighting ability isn't a prerequisite for someone to be a hero. For instance, Max Caulfield from Life Is Strange isn't some great combatant, but she is a hero. She proves this throughout Life Is Strange when she uses her newly found rewind power to save people and attempt to save her entire town.

You're partially responsible for how many people she saves during the game since Life Is Strange features player choice. Regardless of what you do, though, Max throws herself into life-threatening situations in an attempt to help people. Plus, she also happens to be very captivating and one of the most iconic main characters in recent gaming history.

27 Gordon Freeman (Half-Life Series)

The lead protagonist of the Half-Life games is Gordon Freeman. He's a silent protagonist who never utters a single word, but that makes him effective in projecting yourself onto him. The person completing all of these important tasks for the sake of saving humanity is you all along.

It feels similar to a power fantasy, and the moment when you return to City 17 later on in the second game is a great example. You've seen people being treated like slaves at the beginning, but now they're full-on revolting and see Gordon as their resistance leader. The moment they tear down Breen's huge monitor, you realize this world is truly changing. Due to how Gordon is handled, he has to be one of the best FPS game heroes.

26 Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden Series)

Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden is a young ninja in his prime entrusted with the Dragon Sword passed down through generations. Ninja Gaiden 2004 is essentially an origin story for the hero Ryu, who is on a path of revenge to kill Doku after he steals the Dark Dragon Blade and kills an old friend of his Kureha.

In Ninja Gaiden 2, he's a full-blown Super Ninja who goes on a globe-trotting adventure to stop the resurrection of the Archfiend. In this title, the developers gave Ryu some sex appeal, which was still pretty rare in 2008 for male game characters. Ryu is like John Wick in that he's not a big talker, but when he talks, his words matter. He's focused and brutal, and out of all the ninjas in gaming, there's no denying that he's the one true ninja.

25 Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza Series)

When you think of the Yakuza series, the first character to come to mind is the Dragon of Dojima himself, Kazuma Kiryu. In a series known for its masculinity, Kazuma goes through seemingly endless brutal fights but often does so for the people he loves and cares for. He has tremendous willpower and is able to fight despite the most dire of circumstances.

A good example of this is the final boss of Yakuza 5, who he fights despite being badly injured. Kazuma doesn't have many serious love interests, which is a rarity in this type of series. This makes him very unique, and his legendary status throughout the series makes him not only one of the best heroes but one of the best Sega characters of all time.

24 Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island Series)

One of the best heroes in all of the adventure games has to be Guybrush Threepwood from Monkey Island. Guybrush is a pirate, which is incredibly fitting for a point-and-click adventure game. What is one of the core things you do in those types of titles? You steal stuff.

Monkey Island takes these core common elements in adventure games and uses them to hilarious effect. Guybrush destroys and screws up many things in the process of completing his quests, and combined with this being an adventure title; it makes him so likable.

23 Solid Snake (Metal Gear Series)

Few gaming heroes have been around as long as Solid Snake. After all, he made his debut in the late '80s. However, he's grown a lot as a character since those days, especially in the more story-focused Metal Gear Solid titles.

Snake is best described as a gruff but compassionate man. And he's certainly a hero, as he spends all of his adult life trying to save people. Even when he's old and grey due to accelerated aging, he still tries to make the world a better place. Unfortunately, he feels a fair amount of self-hatred, so he sees himself more as a killer than a hero. This makes the character even more captivating.

22 B.J. Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein Series)

B.J. Blazkowicz has been around for a long time. Yet, the series only really explored his character from The New Order onwards. In those Bethesda games, his difficult upbringing is revealed. It turns out the man had an abusive and racist father who made their family's life a living hell.

Thankfully, B.J. is nothing like his dad. He is an honorable man who is willing to fight against all the odds to loosen the Nazi's grip on the world. In fact, he's a big problem for the Nazi regime, as Blazkowicz is a one-man army. Not only is he a great combatant, but he can also survive things most people can't.

21 Ellie (The Last Of Us Series)

In the first Last of Us, Ellie serves as a secondary character behind Joel. Yet, in the Left Behind DLC and TLOU2, she becomes the main character. Labeling her a hero is perhaps controversial. After all, it isn't like she attempts to save the world, as her story revolves around survival and revenge.

Yet, she usually tries to protect the people she loves. And if it's been her choice, she may have given her life to cure the virus that wiped out civilization. It isn't her fault that she lives in a broken world where there aren't many chances to be heroic. She does her best, though.

20 Lara Croft (Tomb Raider Reboot Series)

Lara Croft has been around since the '90s and has come to be an icon of the industry. Within that time, Tomb Raider received multiple iterations. The most recent reboot of the series offers the best exploration of Lara's character. This gritty mature version of Lara is far from the quippy invincible original.

Here, she is a fierce warrior who will do anything to survive. She suffers an extreme loss, deals with isolation, processes anger, and gets plenty of outfits. Voice actor Camilla Luddington adds so much emotion and depth to Lara. Her determination to carry on her father’s legacy is a nice motivation to justify why she puts herself in these dire situations.

19 Trevor Philips (Grand Theft Auto 5)

Trevor is perhaps the best protagonist for the Grand Theft Auto series in that he's a total jerk. He perfectly exemplifies the satirical nature of Grand Theft Auto 5's fictional city of Los Santos. One thing that Rockstar has been criticized for is how the characters in GTA don’t always line up with the actions of the player.

Therefore, Trevor is the best type of character for a game like this. When players fool around and cause havoc in the online portion of the game, it feels like Trevor could be right there with them. He is clever and ambitious, but also extremely chaotic without care for consequences. He fully understands the world around him and he’s a product of Los Santos itself.

18 Dante (Devil May Cry Series)

Dante is the epitome of stylish combat and confident heroism. He has been stabbing, slaying, shooting, and styling on demons since the original release of Devil May Cry in 2001. On the surface, he is a jester of sorts and brazenly confident in his own abilities. Each fight holds a little fun for Dante and it takes a massive threat for him to display a more serious tone.

Through the years, Dante has grown from a cocky and young demon hunter to a mentor and a grizzled middle-aged man. Though his attitude still shows through, he reveres the stakes usually at hand, going to extra lengths to protect the team he has built. His heart beats for those around him and helps his caring exterior shine through.

17 Captain Price (Call of Duty Series)

Captain Price has taken the spotlight in quite a few Call of Duty games. Whether it is the one from the Modern Warfare era pre-reboot or the supposed grandfather present in the first two CODs, Price is a leader on a mission. He leads Task Force 141 with extreme care for his team as well as the ability to execute what many might think are suicide missions.

Price has come up against threats to global peace and does some of his best work in the shadows. A stellar tactician and better leader, Price is someone you want by your side until the end. If you do happen to meet your end, you can be sure Price will avenge you. There's even a chance he will assault the enemy in a juggernaut suit, throwing caution to the wind to make things right. He also delivers some great words of wisdom, too.

16 Jill Valentine (Resident Evil Series)

Jill Valentine has faced more trouble and biological terror than most. Starting with her introduction in 1996's Resident Evil, where she escaped from a zombie-infested mansion, Jill has learned how to survive the worst situations.

A former army and STARS team operative, Jill has no shortage of skill, which she puts to use in her fight against the Nemesis and further bioweapons. Jill was briefly turned into a fierce antagonist, thanks to a mind-control device embedded in her chest by Wesker. During this time, Jill seemed to add acrobats to her vast tactical repertoire. She has since fully recovered and become a noble heroine once again.

15 Clementine (Telltales Walking Dead)

There are few stories as human and visceral as Clementine's. Her journey through the The Walking Dead apocalypse began when she was only eight. While she probably gained much from her parents, it seems much of who Clementine is was formed from her time spent with Lee Everett.

Lee was a balanced and caring leader, taking special care to lead Clementine in the new ways of the world. These are traits that Clementine would adopt through her eight years of surviving as she and AJ moved from group to group. While many characters grow older and change through their series, few do so with the players that control them. Clementine has earned a special place in players' hearts and is a beacon of hope and spirit in a downtrodden world.

14 Mae Borowski (Night In The Woods)

Night in the Woods presented a deceptively simple narrative about an anthropomorphic cat named Mae. The indie game created by three people exploded in popularity due, in part, to the sincerity of its main character. Mae is complex, earnest, and grappling with something she can never define.

Not only is this extremely relatable, but the town she lives in also hits home for many people. Her friends are people the players themselves might know in real life. What's more, Mae makes bad choices sometimes. And she has to deal with the consequences of those actions. The game allows the player to navigate these difficult moments where Mae can grow. Mae being the emotional core of the NITW experience makes her an exceptional protagonist.

13 Max Payne (Max Payne Series)

Max Payne is a tortured soul who just wants to avenge the death of his family. But even after Max gets his revenge, he’s a complete mess. What players love about Max Payne is his brutal honesty about himself and others. Max isn’t someone who has to lie to himself, and by extension, lie to the player.

Players also can’t help but look away as he descends further into depression. They have to maintain the hope that something will snap him out of it. It also helps that he’s a total badass with that bullet-time mechanic. Max Payne 3 is definitely the best iteration of his character despite his humorous look towards the last act of the game.

12 Samus Aran (Metroid Series)

Samus Aran, the largely silent protagonist of the Metroid series, shocked gamers when they were revealed to be a woman at the end of the original Metroid. Completing the game quickly enough enabled you to see Samus outside her Power Suit, which led to the initial revelation.

Samus' space adventures and heroism led to her quickly rising in popularity, right alongside one of her inspirations from the Alien series, Ridley. Though Samus spares her words, she speaks through her actions as an intergalactic bounty hunter. She has wiped out the Metroid race, decimated Space Pirate bases, and disobeyed direct orders to save others. Even outside her Power Suit, Samus is a deadly foe.

11 Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed Series)

Assassin’s Creed 2 really set the bar for the series that it would eventually become. Much of that can be attributed to its main historical protagonist: Ezio Auditore. Ezio's suave and charismatic personality was a welcome addition since Altair was a bit wooden and boring.

Ezio was a man who only cared about fighting and pursuing the ladies. It isn’t until his family is executed that he discovers his true purpose. During AC 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations, Ezio becomes the savior that the Brotherhood needs. Players love his determination to overcome every obstacle put in front of him. His journey shows how far he progressed from the young naive adolescent first introduced.