Video games have evolved as an art form, starting off as a means of interactive entertainment and transforming into a medium of storytelling. Many modern single-player games with stories set out to deliver powerful and thought-provoking stories with memorable protagonists, but not all of them make the cut. There are some protagonists that stand out purely because of their storytelling and exceptional writing.
These protagonists are usually morally grey with a few unlikeable traits that give them room for development and an interesting story arc.
10 Joel Miller (The Last of Us)
Joel Miller is one of the best-written protagonists in video-game history. A man who has lost his morality owing to the harshest of circumstances, Joel Miller is someone trying to rediscover his humanity in a world that is devoid of it. Throughout the course of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog's storytelling masterpiece, Joel Miller learns what it means to be vulnerable and live life like it has value again. The players are met with the gruesome reality that is a world devoured by the Cordyceps virus.
They navigate it in the shoes of Joel, who is initially a cold, violent man who looks out for no one but himself. That is until he is thrust into a long and tumultuous journey with young Ellie who helps him rediscover his emotions and vulnerability as he grows to perceive her as a daughter figure.
9 Trevor Philips (Grand Theft Auto 5)
Grand Theft Auto 5 really dialed up the eccentricity in the franchise, and that in and of itself is very telling for a series that has become synonymous with pure destructive chaos in a world that appears very similar to the one we inhabit. The series took a bold leap by building its story mode around three playable protagonists. Among these protagonists, Trevor is the character that truly encapsulates the world of Grand Theft Auto.
Grand Theft Auto 5 also took a bold and abrasive direction with its writing. Most of the dialogue in the game is a satirical critique of the idea of "The American Dream", and how the media depicts it. Trevor Philips in his very existence calls out the irony that is otherwise lost in such ridiculous notions of idealism and god-complex. Throughout the course of the game, he drops absolute gems like "Aah... My tax dollars at work".
8 Chloe Price (Life Is Strange: Before The Storm)
Chloe Price is the protagonist in Life is Strange: Before the Storm from the beloved Life is Strange series. She's as lovable and relatable as she is, infuriating. Caught in a world of grief and insecurity that stems from abandonment issues, Chloe has a habit of regularly acting out and self-sabotaging.
While she plays a support role in the first Life is Strange game, players get to understand her perspective and empathize with her in Life is Strange: Before the Storm, a game that offers a lot of insight into her behavior and insecurities.
7 Connor Ratonhnhaké:ton Kenway (Assassin's Creed 3)
Assassin's Creed 3 is one of the most divisive games in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Connor, the protagonist, is a young Assassin, born to a Templar from London and a Native American rebel, making his ancestry quite complicated.
Born and raised in a Native American village that was burnt down by the Templars, his quest for revenge takes him across the frontier where he meets and is either helped or manipulated by various settlers and colonizers. Connor is considered naive and brash by a divided fan base that either loves him or hates him. In truth, there is some depth and complexity to him that goes unnoticed.
6 Jin Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima)
Ghost of Tsushima is an absolutely fantastic open-world video game with a phenomenal story set in feudal Japan, ruled by the Shogun during the Mongol Invasion. Its protagonist, Jin Sakai, stands out as a fantastic character with a well-written story. Jin starts out as a Noble Samurai of royal blood. As the only survivor of a Mongol raid, he must avenge his fellow warriors and retake Tsushima from the Mongol invaders that are ravaging his homeland and planning to make their way towards the mainland.
Along this journey, he matures into a righteous warrior who learns of the futility of the Samurai code of honor and touches base with the common folk across Tsushima to mount a rebellion against the Mongols.
5 Vito Scaletta (Mafia 2)
The Mafia series is renowned for its stories that involve protagonists unwittingly involved in a life of crime, conspiracy, and politics only to discover a bitter truth; violence breeds violence. Vito Scaletta is the main protagonist of Mafia 2, and he grows up as a regular miscreant in the fictional city of Empire Bay. He gets caught and forced to serve in the military during World War 2.
Wounded in battle, he's sent back to Empire Bay until he fully recovers. He immediately gets involved with the local Mafia and starts living life as a mob enforcer. The story plays out and Vito gets a reality check for his life of crime, ultimately growing into a shrewd and capable survivor.
4 Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2)
The Red Dead Redemption series is among the most fascinating and realistic takes on a story set in a Western setting. The open-world feels alive and rich with content that players continue to discover new bits of unto this day, years after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. What truly stands out about the series, however, is its absolutely marvelous storytelling. The protagonists in both games, John Marston and Arthur Morgan undergo definitive character transformations throughout their stories.
This stands especially true for Arthur Morgan, who spends all of Red Dead Redemption II striving to build a better life for the people he cares about after understanding the truth about his violent and criminal lifestyle.
3 Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium)
Disco Elysium is a fantastic open-world RPG that takes players along for a wild ride in the shoes of detective Harry Du Bois. Raised among a group of eight delinquents that survived off petty thievery, Harry Du Bois spent his adulthood in a world that was drastically different from the one he spent his childhood in. He became a successful, decorated detective.
During the events of the game, players must solve a case after Harry wakes up, deeply hungover from a wild bender he'd been on, and with no memory of his past identity. As they solve the case, Harry's memories slowly begin to unfurl and players come to learn more about his past.
2 Kassandra (Assassin's Creed Odyssey)
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is among the biggest and most ambitious titles in the long-running Assassin's Creed franchise. The game is set in Ancient Greece and largely expands upon the successfully implemented open-world formula in Assassin's Creed Origins. The game features both a male and a female protagonist, leaving it to player choice although the story largely plays out the same regardless of who the player chooses.
With that being said, a majority of the fan base largely preferred Kassandra over the male protagonist, Alexios because of her charming personality and fantastic dialogue delivery. She's characterized magnificently, and her story is well-written, doing justice to the Greek Tragedy trope.
1 Kratos (God of War)
God of War is one of the most ambitious franchises in the industry, having achieved cult status and establishing itself as the face of Sony Playstation video games. The developers at Sony Santa Monica studios have gone well out of their way to build a rich narrative in a game world set in ancient Greek and Norse mythologies with impeccable attention to detail and exciting gameplay.
While it could be argued that the games themselves are extremely well-written, the same couldn't be said for their protagonist, Kratos. At least not until God of War (2018) was released.
In the new game, the players are greeted with a significantly better developed and mature Kratos who has transformed into a character that emanates a "calm and reasonable" aura, as opposed to his violent, perpetually enraged past as the Greek God of War.