Stop in the Game of Love: Ranking Video Game Characters by Attractiveness

Part of the appeal of playing video games is the characters you get to meet along the journey. Sometimes those characters are the villains, sometimes they’re just a small part of the video game story, or sometimes you are the character. No matter the role, these characters are a major part of the video game experience.

The more you play these video games, the more attached to some of these characters you can become. Sometimes, that attachment can feel more like a crush, especially if the character is attractive. But which video game characters are the most attractive? In a survey of more than 800 video game players, Hearts.Co ranked 50 popular characters to find the most (and least) attractive.

Most Attractive Video Game Characters

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most attractive, the video game character Tifa Lockhart from the Final Fantasy series comes out on top with an average score of 4.20. Yennefer of Vengerberg from The Witcher franchise comes in second, with a score of 4.03.

One of the most well-known female video game characters, and historically known as one of the most attractive, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider ranks third with a 3.95. 

Jill Valentine, Princess Zelda, Chun-Li, Aloy and Kitana round out the top 8 for most attractive video game characters. Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher and Joel Miller from The Last of Us rank 9th and 10th, respectively, and are the only two male characters to crack the top 10 for most attractive video game characters.

Video Game Character Attractiveness

When it comes to some of the least attractive video game characters, Guybrush Threepwood from The Curse of Monkey Island comes in last with a score of 1.49. No heart eyes for Guybrush! 

Other popular video game characters that rank lower on the scale of attractiveness include Professor Oak, Donkey Kong, Mario, Luigi, and Gordon Freeman. Mario and Luigi still beat out the villain Bowser in the end though - ranking a few places above Bowser’s 45th. 

Although not the most attractive video game characters, there’s no doubt that some of these are the most beloved!

Video Game Character Crushes

Characters can have a huge impact on the game itself, as 1 in 4 players buy games based solely on the characters in the game. Sometimes that fandom extends beyond the game itself. Nearly 1 in 3 (30%) have purchased art featuring some of their favorite video game characters.

Almost half (44%) of video game players admit to crushing on these virtual characters. When you spend so much time playing as them or with them, it can be easy to develop feelings! Who are the characters that have captured the most hearts of gamers? Tifa Lockhart once again comes in first and is followed by Lara Croft, Cloud Strife, Chun-Li, Geralt of Rivia, Link, Arthur Morgan, Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, and Yennefer of Vengerberg. 

Sometimes those crushes are elevated to the next level, with 56% of gamers saying they’ve been sexually attracted to video game characters. Hopefully, none of these characters will ever break your heart.

Methodology

In May 2023, we surveyed 877 Americans who play video games and had them rate the attractiveness of 50 popular video game characters on a scale of 1 to 5. Respondents were also asked questions about video game crushes. Respondents were 46% female, 50% male, and 4% non-binary with an age range of 18 to 76 and an average age of 36 years old.

Fair Use

When using this data and research, please attribute by linking to this study and citing hearts.co