It’s been a troublesome few years for voice actors. Whereas it’s maybe by no means been extra apparent how a lot worth they supply to a sport’s characters and story – the large success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its beloved solid put the career in maybe the brightest highlight it’s ever had – voice actors and movement seize performers face a frightening risk in synthetic intelligence. That’s simply one of many the reason why we needed to honor the artwork of efficiency on this yr’s IGN Awards. Actors carry our video games to life, and our digital worlds could be poorer with out them.
As with our different awards, we requested the IGN crew to appoint their favorite performances from throughout the previous 12 months, after which all of us voted for which one we felt was the easiest instance. These are our picks for one of the best particular person performances in video video games this yr:
Runner-Up – Erika Ishii (Atsu, Ghost of Yotei)
The position of a revenge-seeking samurai is well-trodden floor, however Erika Ishii breathed refreshing new life into Atsu, the protagonist of Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei. Lending the character a plausible “tough across the edges” really feel, Ishii ensures that Atsu’s bloodlust has depth.
Runner-Up – Aaron Paul (Robert Robertson, Dispatch)
Not like Hollywood, which has lengthy solid animated films utilizing celeb film stars, video video games have predominantly held onto the concept that voice performing and efficiency seize is a definite ability, and that hiring individuals who specialise in that’s the method to go. However whereas Dispatch options business titans like Laura Bailey and Matthew Mercer, it’s display screen actor Aaron Paul who’s the standout; our evaluation explains that he is in a position to ship “a nuanced efficiency as a person struggling to carry onto his optimism whereas reconciling with who he’s exterior of his big mech swimsuit.”
Runner–Up – Konatsu Kato (Hinako Shimizu, Silent Hill f)
Lending each her voice and likeness to Silent Hill f’s protagonist Hinako Shimizu, Konatsu Kato dropped at life one of many collection’ most tortured heroes. Whereas many people could have relied on subtitles to grasp her Japanese-language traces, her supply helped instill each scene with the heavy, complicated feelings meant by the script’s nuanced story.
Runner-Up – Ben Starr (Verso, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
In Verso, Ben Starr was in a position to take the gruff, darkish hero voice he adopted for Clive in Remaining Fantasy 16 and ideal it. The maturity of Expedition 33’s themes, significantly in its ultimate act, permit for Starr to discover a personality who should enjoy tragedy, however who carries sufficient optimism and conviction to by no means permit the darkish to obscure the sunshine.
Winner – Jennifer English (Maelle, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
Maelle is the guts of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and a serious motive her journey rings so true is Jennifer English’s efficiency. Grief is a tough emotion to wrestle with, particularly when it’s a part of a narrative that fortunately leans into the melodramatic, however English retains Maelle eternally grounded and fully plausible. Expedition 33 could also be a sport with flashy fight, monstrous deities, and a military of goofy paintbrush individuals, however what it’s actually about is the human situation and, extra particularly, how we take care of loss. As Maelle, Jennifer English ensures that Clair Obscur’s loftier, extra literary themes and ambitions are by no means misplaced among the many extra video game-y, JRPG-inspired tropes.
Whereas particular person performances are necessary, a powerful ensemble solid might help carry a stage of constant immersion to a fictional world. When everybody in an ensemble provides their A-game, there’s no fracture in your perception that these online game characters are real individuals. Our picks for one of the best online game ensemble solid are:
- Runner-Up – Ghost of Yotei
- Runner-Up – Hades 2
- Runner-Up – Dispatch
- Runner-Up – Loss of life Stranding 2: On the Seashore
- Winner – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Congratulations to Jennifer English, the whole solid of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and the crew at Sandfall Interactive, in addition to the casts and improvement groups of all of the video games we nominated. For extra from the IGN Awards 2025, make sure to try our full checklist of winners.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Govt Editor of Options.