The Best Character Designs in Games- 2023

Game characters are the heart of the game, and are usually the window into the world of the game, making character design a vital aspect of game design. Digital art for games can expand not only into characters but environments and UI elements as well.

Unfortunately, many triple-A titles in recent years have followed the same formula of making characters as realistic as possible, often at the cost of removing all their personality. This is why games with outlandish character designs are worth mentioning. Here are some of the best character designs so far.

Pyramid Head - Silent Hill 2

No Silent Hill fan is unaware of Pyramid head or the importance of imagery in the series. Over twenty years later, the game's design still has the desired effect, making it one of the most influential games ever made. People couldn't stop talking about Pyramid head when he first appeared, discussing his design and origins.

He has even inspired The Evil Within character, The Keeper (sometimes called Box Head), who has a safe for a head strung with barbed wire.

The Gods - God Of War

Gods in the series of God of War always aim to be as terrifying as possible, with their designs often incorporating their towering size over Kratos. The Gods' size extends to boss fights where Kratos must use inventive methods to reach weak spots instead of whacking body parts until they fall.

Using Greek and Norse mythology as inspiration, these designs go far beyond just making characters look cool. A lot of thought has gone into how these designs might work in motion, during battle, and as the plot's guiding force.

Trico - The Last Guardian

In Fumito Ueda's The Last Guardian, your character is an unnamed boy, but the real star is Trico, a half-bird, half-mammal baby you have to guide through the wilderness. As an enormously powerful, but ungainly, vulnerable, and easily spooked creature, Trico requires a lot of attention and can vary from being adorable to being completely terrifying.

Trico can be persuaded to perform certain actions, but it's like herding a ten-ton kitten; his personality often conflicts with the tasks you're trying to accomplish, driving you to distraction but ultimately bringing success.

Master Chief and Cortana – Halo series

The game Halo (2001) defined the early days of Microsoft's Xbox, and it continues to do so to this day. Master Chief, the Spartan soldier who leads the battle against the Covenant Armada, and Cortana as well as the sharp-witted artificial intelligence who guides the Chief through the games, are two of Bungie's classic characters. 

These two characters are some of gaming's most iconic characters because of their banter and continuing relationship.

Colossi - Shadow Of The Colossus

Most people would remember the first time their favorite game broke them. For many of the millennials, this moment first happened when completing Shadow of the Colossus, when kids realized the Colossi they had been slaughtering for the entire game were not evil. As a result, this revelation can give the audience a strange feeling.

While the Colossi look cuddly, perhaps like something from an animated children's movie, their stature, and inability to communicate with the protagonist influence us to believe they're threatening. There is no doubt that the Colossi are unique for their play on animals and folklore, but perhaps what makes these designs even more impressive is their story connections.

These were some of the best character designs which were created by adept concept artists. You can learn the core aspects of character design by enrolling in a MAGES Institute of Excellence course. MAGES Institute conducts courses in Concept Art, Game Design, Data Science, and Full Stack Web Development.