It’s not all that often that we mere mortals
get to play God, and it’s probably for that
reason gamers relish the opportunity to create
a video game character from the ground up.
Character creation engines have come on leaps
and bounds in recent years, so far in fact,
that in many instances the only limit on the
appearance of our characters is our own imaginations.
From hair style and colour to the clothes
we wear, height, weight, tattoos, and even
in some instances, erm… “package” size…
It’s all fully customizable.
Maybe you’re looking to replicate your own
likeness with the intent of becoming the big
hero that makes all the ladies swoon. In other words, for Ben Potter, "blonde hair" and "Beard #2"
Or perhaps you want to recreate your favourite
celebrity so that you can watch them do mundane,
everyday things like watch the telly or go
to the toilet.
Or maybe you just want to create an absolute
abomination and watch them suffer through
their miserable existence.
Whatever your poison, these games have got
you covered.
We’ve selected our favourites based on number
of customisation options available, the creative
freedom given to the player, and, of course,the
enjoyment factor, because after all is said
and done, we’re here to have fun.
I’m Peter from TripleJump, and here are
the 10 Best Character Creators In Video Games.
10.
Dark Souls III
For those of us that have lost many an hour
to the soul-destroying difficulty of the Dark
Souls franchise, it’s easy to forget those
heady moments spent at the start of the game
picking your name and class, and kitting out
your character with a fancy beard and a snazzy
dragon tattoo, or making them look like Theresa May
Admittedly, the character creation for Dark
Souls III isn’t the main focus, but it is
very nice to have.
The options are in keeping with the game’s
aesthetic, so there’s not an awful lot of
room for making anything too outlandish,
but creative players can still mold their
character in a way befitting the tone of the
game.
Many people find it much easier to become
attached to a character they’ve spent a good
few minutes shaping in their own image, but then
again, I guess that also makes it all the
more devastating to see them be unceremoniously
splattered across the grey landscape.
9.
Fallout 4
You might be shocked to see a game like Fallout
4 so low on our list, but it is for good reason,
so please bear with me.
The fourth entry in the main Fallout series
was released back in 2015 to a fairly stellar
reception.
The gameplay was brilliant, the story was
engaging, and the graphics were certainly
an improvement over 3.
But before you get to all that you’re in
for a lovely spot of face-molding, as Fallout
4 treats you to a spell in its character creator.
Admittedly, it doesn’t have all the bells
and whistles of some of the other games on
our list, hence its humble position at number
nine, but it does give the player a good degree
of creative freedom, on the face at least.
Re-size and shape your facial features, change
your hair’s style and colour, and even add
some scars if you’d like, because chicks dig scars am I right?
The only area in which it is lacking is
in the modification of anything from the neck
down, for which you basically only have three
parameters to play with.
What a shame, am I right lads?
8.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
This entry will probably come as a surprise
to you, since no one expects the Dragon Age:
Inquisition!
God, who writes this stuff?
Unlike the tenuously linked Spanish Inquisition,
who weren’t really well renowned for their
stylish endeavours, Dragon Age: Inquisition
allows you to get creative with your look.
For the first time in the series, players
are treated to the ability to select not only
their race and their class, but also modify
numerous aspects of their face, including customisable make-up lewks...
...that would leave
Ru Paul gagging.
Unfortunately, there are no body modification
options for this one, however Inquisition
does throw various bits of armour your way
throughout the game, allowing you to customise
your fashion to a certain extent later down
the line.
7.
Conan Exiles
Upon its release back in 2018, Conan Exiles
was reasonably well reviewed, pitting players
against the harsh desert landscape in a bid
for survival after swiftly avoiding execution
by crucifixion (thanks Conan, you’re a top
lad).
Upon first inspection, the character customization
options for this one might seem a little pedestrian.
You’ve got your standard gender options,
a variety of race choices, and physical attribute
sliders for head and body.
Nothing too ground-breaking or provocative
here.
But what sets Conan Exiles’ character creation
mode apart from its peers is… well… how
to put this delicately… the ability to alter
the size of a certain pee-er of your own.
To be honest we’re not really sure this
was a necessary addition to the game.
Everything you’re able to customize is purely
cosmetic, so there’s no gameplay advantage
bestowed upon you by your magnum dong.
Not only that, but it also upset the grown-ups
down at the ESRB who demanded it be censored
in order to avoid an Adults Only rating in
the good ol’ U.S of A.
With all that said though, there is still
a certain level of amusement to be had from
running round the desert with your obnoxiously
large wilson out.
6.Spore
In a sense, it's hard to say whether Spore actually belongs in this list
The entire point of
the game essentially boils down to character
creation and customisation, and Spore does it really well but maybe that means it's way out of this list's league.
Admittedly, the game overall has been called
out on many an occasion for missing the mark
somewhat, and not living up to the full potential
of its premise, however what it did get spot
on was its ability to give players full creative
control over their creatures as they traverse
the tricky terrain of evolution.
Starting from a single cell and evolving all
the way up to a fully sentient, space-exploring
being, you encounter the creature editor at
every stage, allowing you to add, remove and
change bits of your creation in order to achieve
species supremacy.
From the cute and cuddly, to the utterly grotesque,
to the downright ridiculous, you truly are
God here, and the only limit is your own twisted
imagination.
The Spore corner of YouTube contains all kinds of characters from films, TV and other video games
5. Monster Hunter: World
If you like hunting monsters in a world, then
boy, do I have a game recommendation for you.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
or Monster Hunter: World
Whatever you like. Now, I know what you're going to say. Peter, why is this entry so high in the list when
all you can edit is your head?” to which
I say “The script writer did it and
I'm just reading what's in front of me.”
All jokes aside, yes, you are limited in the
parts of your body that Monster Hunter: World allows you to
edit (for more options, why not speak to my
good friend Conan), however you do get to
fully customise everything from the neck up,
with a full rainbow of colours and more sliders
than you can shake a comically sized facial feature  at.
Not only that, but you also get full creative
control over the appearance of your Palico,
the cat-like companion who assists you throughout
the game.
You can change the colour of your fuzzy pal,
the shape of his eyes, length of his tail,
and even the look of his widdle kitty ears.
If that doesn’t convince you that Monster
Hunter: World deserves a spot on this list,
well, I don’t need your kind of negativity
in my life.
4.
The Sims 4
If you play The Sims in the same way that
I do, i.e. spend hours creating a perfect
character, get them a job, get bored, MOTHERLODE
MOTHERLODE MOTHERLODE, spend several hours
building your dream house, get bored, then
burn the whole lot to the ground, you’ll
recognise just how pivotal of a role the character
creator plays on this one.
The Sims has always prided itself on allowing
you to play your way, and the Sims 4 is no
different, allowing you to augment every aspect
of your character from head to foot.
Granted, the options aren’t as expansive
as some of the other entries on this list,
but they are varied enough that you can take
a good chunk of time designing a Sim that
looks almost exactly like you do, if that’s
your thing (and let’s face it, when it comes
to the Sims, it’s everyone’s thing).
Although you can expand the libraries of hairstyles
and clothing options by purchasing add-ons
and expansion packs, there’s really no need
as the base game comes with a plethora of
options for you to get creative with.
It truly is very easy to spend hours in the
character creator alone, tweaking and styling
your Sim, before entering the main game and
drowning them in a pool so you create someone new
That's basically The Book of Genesis, isn't it?
3.
Soulcalibur VI
I think it’s fair to say that most of us
enjoy a good bit of fighty fighty video game fun.
Especially if you don’t have to physically
fight anyone yourself. Have you seen the size of my arms?
It's possible you haven't because they're that small that they're hard to make out. It's much nicer to let pixels do the fighting for you
What’s extra special though, is if you can
pick how those pixels arrange themselves,
which is exactly what SoulCalibur VI allows
players to do.
Choose from a wide variety of different races
and pick your character’s fighting style
(all while he or she does a snazzy little
dance for you), then absolutely go to town
on their appearance.
Pick out an eyepatch and a thong, stick on
a horse head, the world is truly your oyster.
After all, they say that the key to victory
is the element of surprise, and what’s more
surprising than this coming at you?
Number 2 – Saints Row IV
There is one word that you could never use
to describe the Saints Row series, and that
word is “boring”.
Sure, some of the other entries on our list
may let you to nip and tuck your character
to death, allowing
you to create anything from Black Widow to
a hook-nosed Voldemort, and everything in
between.
But what is all that if you haven’t had
a good time doing it?
As Willy Wonka once said, a little nonsense
now and then is relished by the wisest men,
and you’d better believe Saints Row IV delivers
it by the bucket load.
The character creator alone for the series’
fourth entry dials up the absurd to eleven,
and sets the tone for the game ahead perfectly.
It’s got sliders, it’s got hair style
options, all your standard stuff.
But it’s the little things that set Saints
Row IV apart from its peers.
Always wanted a bright green pompadour?
You’ve got it pal.
Head to toe skeleton suit?
It’s yours.
Giant elephant tattoo emblazoned across your
chest?
You do you, friendo.
Number 1 - Black Desert Online
Now I want you all to brace yourselves here,
because the level of character customisation
available to Black Desert Online players is,
quite frankly, nothing short of shocking.
Those of a nervous disposition might want
to look away now.
Pretty much every inch of your character’s
body and face can be tweaked, pulled, enlarged,
shrunk and dragged into whatever shape you
fancy.
You want colours?
You can add ALL OF THE COLOURS.
You want to move that eyelid down by a fraction
of a millimetre?
By golly, you can do that too.
You’re not even tied down by stupid old
symmetry, meaning you can create
absolute
monsters that have no place in a civilised
society.
With the level of character customisation
available to BDO players, there’s little
wonder that many spend more time dreaming
up their character than actually playing the
darned thing.
And that’s our list.
Got any more suggestions for games with great
character customisation?
Shout about it in the comments below.
