It’s been a tricky few years for voice actors. Whereas it’s maybe by no means been extra apparent how a lot worth they supply to a recreation’s characters and story – the large success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its beloved forged put the occupation in maybe the brightest highlight it’s ever had – voice actors and movement seize performers face a frightening menace in synthetic intelligence. That’s simply one of many the reason why we wished to honor the artwork of efficiency on this 12 months’s IGN Awards. Actors carry our video games to life, and our digital worlds can 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 the perfect particular person performances in video video games this 12 months:
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 forged animated motion pictures utilizing celeb film stars, video video games have predominantly held onto the concept voice performing and efficiency seize is a definite ability, and that hiring individuals who concentrate on that’s the strategy to go. However whereas Dispatch options trade titans like Laura Bailey and Matthew Mercer, it’s display screen actor Aaron Paul who’s the standout; our evaluate 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 outdoors of his large mech go well with.”
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 can have relied on subtitles to grasp her Japanese-language traces, her supply helped instill each scene with the heavy, advanced feelings supposed 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 Last 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 experience 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 significant purpose her journey rings so true is Jennifer English’s efficiency. Grief is a troublesome 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 recreation 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 cope with 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 vital, a robust ensemble forged can assist 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 the perfect online game ensemble forged 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, your entire forged of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and the crew at Sandfall Interactive, in addition to the casts and growth groups of all of the video games we nominated. For extra from the IGN Awards 2025, you should definitely take a look at our full listing of winners.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Govt Editor of Options.
