Highlights

  • Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 has had a significant impact on players and the internet due to his character development and unique story.
  • Cid from Final Fantasy 16 is an admirable character who fights for equal rights and avoids unnecessary bloodshed.
  • Garl from Sea of Stars is a compelling character with a shocking story arc that adds depth to the game. Other significant characters in 2023's gaming scene include Karlach, Harry Osborn, Lorath, Saga Anderson, Sebastian Sallow, Turgle, and VASCO.

Video game characters are often as important as the stories their respective titles are trying to tell, and in some cases, they can be even more important - or at least relevant to the point that their presence alone reshapes what the narrative is and can be. 2023 came and went, but it was one of the best years for video games and the industry ever, featuring multiple colossal releases that are still leaving a mark and dominating online discourses. Among these massive tiles were a few that had amazing characters capable of winning players' hearts in very different ways.

While 2023's Game of the Year, Bladur's Gate 3, showed what a great CRPG can achieve with the right cast and incredibly dedicated developers, games like Alan Wake 2 elevated horror as a genre to new heights. Both exceptional titles in their own rights, and just some of the best titles 2023 had to offer, these games are great proof of concept of why character development and detail-rich stories can make all the difference in the industry. At times incredibly funny in otherwise serious games, and other times capable of delivering emotional lines to be remembered, protagonists and side characters alike are a crucial component of compelling video games. These are the best game characters of 2023, listed in alphabetical order by their names.

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Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3)

Read Game ZXC's Baldur's Gate 3 Review

With Neil Newbon winning Best Performance at TGA 2023 and Astarion quickly becoming one of the most talked-about characters on the internet for months on end, it becomes clear that the impact this character has and has had so far is immeasurable. The recent Astarion with a gun memes spawned multiple Baldur's Gate 3 mods that give the vampire rogue an actual pistol are further proof that the character has won over many fans. Astarion's background and story in BG3 make him all the more endearing, even when players go for dark runs where he becomes Vampire Ascendant, and all of them speak to the range of emotions one can feel when exploring every possible option for this fragile character.

Cid - Cidolfus Telamon (Final Fantasy 16)

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Final Fantasy 16's Valisthea is a unique place where political and magical powers can easily collide, and it's often the people who pay the price. This landscape is what propels Cid, the dominant of Ramuh, to become a promoter of equal rights and someone who fights for the freedom of the Bearers and the land as a whole - and this is what drives Clive to join his cause. Cid is one of the best characters in Final Fantasy games and one of the best of 2023, showing that regardless of his ability to summon his Eikon in battle, he will actively try not to because he doesn't want superiority over his peers, and he doesn't want unnecessary bloodshed. Cid is never a morally grey character, but rather someone who is reliable and noble, as well as someone who doesn't take himself too seriously.

Garl (Sea of Stars)

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Although Sea of Stars' approach to dual protagonists is interesting, with Valere and Zale sharing some big similarities as well as differences, one could argue that the true main character is actually Garl. The "warrior cook" of the party, Garl is often the voice of the group and even has many story moments where he truly shines above all else, to the point that his death makes for a shocking moment that players may try to prevent, unsuccessfully. Sea of Stars' Garl shows that Valere and Zale needed his level of characterization, and his character arc is one of the most compelling of the year, let alone his starring game.

Harry Osborn (Marvel's Spider-Man 2)

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Harry Osborn wasn't even in the first Marvel's Spider-Man outside of the post-credits cutscene, but players could still discover several things about him through recordings and even his own journal. In Insomniac's version of Spider-Man, Harry is very similar to Peter in many ways, with their relationship being strong and genuine, and their sharing a love for the environment and sciences. When Harry was revealed as Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Venom, players were worried this would pit him against Peter, but he even went to the length of trying to become a hero, inspired by Peter's identity as Spider-Man, also launching the Emily-May Foundation to honor both his mother and his friend's aunt, May.

Karlach (Baldur's Gate 3)

Often considered one of the best characters in Baldur's Gate 3, Karlach transcends that by becoming one of the best characters of the year thanks to her fiery passion for life in the face of terrible conditions and the very real possibility of seeing it all cut short. Even her failing heart, the threat of the tadpole parasite, and the tangible danger of Zariel's hunters tracking her, Karlach never gives up on living fully and experiencing joy, bursting with life at every given moment. Karlach's trauma still accompanies her everywhere she goes, but she can't be contained as much as she won't give up - and that alone makes her a fantastic addition to any BG3 party and playthrough.

Lorath (Diablo 4)

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Voiced by the same actor as FF16's Cid, Ralph Ineson, Diablo 4's Lorath acts as a sort of narrator of the story's events as well as the main companion during most of the players' journeys across Sanctuary, with Nyrelle being a close second. Diablo 4 is not even Lorath's first appearance in the series, as he played a role in the Reaper of Souls expansion for Diablo 3 as well, but in the current timeline 50 years have passed and he is much older. One of the Horadrim, the last of his kind at the end of the game, Lorath is one of the unsung heroes of Sanctuary who rose from humble origins and became the most human character he ever could even when caught between a literal war between Heaven and Hell.

Saga Anderson (Alan Wake 2)

Saga Anderson begins her story in Alan Wake 2 as an FBI agent, but she manages to make a name for herself by becoming much more. Not only is Saga the most reliable narrator of the game, in the sense that the way she arranges Alan Wake 2's Mind Place and tells her own story is all thoroughly organized and linear, but she eventually becomes the co-author of her own story and reality itself alongside Alan. Even in the face of loss and supernatural forces, Saga stays true to herself and what she has fought for in her life, ultimately becoming an empowering force for players and other in-game characters alike.

Sebastian Sallow (Hogwarts Legacy)

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Hogwarts Legacy's Sebastian Sallow wants to save his sister Ann, who is perishing from an uncurable disease, and he thinks the Dark Arts and the Unforgivable Curses will help him. Although his intent is noble, he ends up being pushed away from his uncle when he discovers the path he has taken, which leads to a confrontation between them during which Sebastian ends up killing him with the Avada Kedavra curse. His sister discovers what he has done and destroys Salazar Slytherin's Dark Arts book in order to prevent Sebastian from going deeper down this road. This event distresses him deeply, showing that even good intentions are not enough to fend off one's inner demons, successfully depicting Sebastian as a deeply flawed character, but also a great one.

Turgle (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor)

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Also known as the Prince of Pilfering, the Mayor of Misdemeanor, and the Sultan of Stealth, Turgle is one of the funniest characters to come out of 2023, quickly becoming a fan favorite online for his lovable personality. A writer in the making given he wants to put together a "Guide to Koboh," Turgle is Star Wars' Outer Rim's most notorious trouble-maker, getting involved with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Bedlam Raiders to sell them fake artifacts, only to be found out and almost executed before Cal's intervention. Afterward, the frog will share all sorts of facts and funny bits of dialogue with players, proving he has a big heart and that he must be protected at all costs.

VASCO (Starfield)

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While Starfield's debut and reviews were not the best, with the game's popularity dwindling even more in the months following its launch, it did have its great moments both in terms of story and gameplay. Maybe not the most meme-generating game of the year, Starfield's VASCO was the protagonist of a funny clip where he suddenly punches a quest-critical NPC as she is delivering lines of dialogue, possibly due to a bug making him think she was a threat. Named after the famed explorer Vasco da Gama, VASCO fittingly takes the cake as one of the best companions in Starfield's universe-exploring plot, even among Constellation's ranks. VASCO is as much of a threat in combat as he can be a silly travel partner, and his robotic nature doesn't prevent him from feeling exceptionally human-like, to the point that many players end up looking after him to make sure he's safe.