As the video game medium continues to improve and evolve, with greater stories and characters written, we’ve seen more great performances to match them. More and more we are seeing actors from tv and film embracing video games as a worthy artform, and we as players are lucky enough to enjoy it.

Here are our picks for the Top 5 Best Video Game Performances in 2022.

– Ashley Hobley

5.) Ashly Burch (Aloy) 

Horizon Forbidden West

Aloy is one of my favourite characters to date. Ashley has done a remarkable job of portraying her story. Coming a long way from her YouTube days, the star of ‘Hey Ash, Whatcha Playing?‘ And countless other roles leading to her first foray as the lead protagonist in the Horizon series. Ashley’s portrayal of Aloy is near perfection, with the subtle irritation in their voice when speaking with people stuck in their ways as she is trying to save them. With the emphasis on emotions when talking to friends, Ashly should feel proud of the character she allows to permeate her acting prowess. The progress made from Zero Dawn to Forbidden West is remarkable for the series Aloy and her voice counterpart. As we have seen Aloy grow, we also have seen the actor’s capability for immersion in the role to encapsulate the characters’ complexities.

Aloy is a fantastic character, full of depth, and there are many sides to her. We see the caring friend Nora Warrior, the hero. She knows what she must do, and even in her darkest times, she finds the strength to pull through and do what needs to be done. This is all portrayed with the narrative and is enhanced by Ashley’s performance which allows it to transcend the screen and radiate into a loveable character that players can enjoy.

– Jacob Hegarty

4.) Richard Schiff (Odin)

God of War Ragnarök

I couldn’t have ever guessed the direction Richard Schiff’s Odin would go in God of War Ragnarok. The soft-spoken but well-aware of his power villain is hard not to love every time he’s on-screen. And as he attempts to lure the characters in the game in his guise and make himself out to be the loveable Norse God, I bought into it thanks to the performance of Schiff. I liked Odin — until I didn’t. It’s like none of the directions I’ve seen Odin taken in anything before, and Richard Schiff delivered one of the most exciting villain performances in recent memory. 

– Dylan Blight

3.) Sunny Suljic (Atreus)

God of War Ragnarök

Sidekicks in all forms of media can be annoying, and at times the same could be said for 2018 God of Wars’ Arteus, who often caused more harm than good and struggled to come to terms with his life (which was somewhat understandable all things given). Now with God of War Ragnarok behind us, we can look back and be proud of both Arteus and Sunny Suljic; both have grown before our eyes in the four years since the original release. Arteus stepping into a more central and leading role allowed Sunny to explore the character in ways beyond just being the “boy”. Bringing so much more depth to the character has shown Sunny’s growth as an actor to the point where he can live up to his “father’s” legacy with his 7-minute speech at an award show in years to come. 

– Ciaran Marchant

2.) Danielle Bisutti (Freya)

God of War Ragnarök

God of War Ragnarok is a game as focused on motherhood as it is fatherhood, and Freya dealing with the loss of her son following the events of 2018’s God of War is a highlight of this. From the outset, we see Bisutti giving a raw, powerful and loud performance. Playing a woman on a mission for revenge, living for it, you feel sorry for her but can’t see how she can save herself from self-committed exile. But Freya’s arc in Ragnarok is, like all things in this game, much more interesting than the direction you think they’re heading in, and Danielle Bisutti delivers a layered and standout performance. 

– Dylan Blight

1.) Christopher Judge (Kratos)

God of War Ragnarök

Christopher Judge proved that God of War was no fluke as he returned to the character that he helped to reimagine. Whereas in the first game, we saw Kratos dealing with his own grief while trying to connect with his young son Atreus, Ragnarok sees a version of Kratos that is trying to hold on to this connection with his son so tightly while the prophecy of his own death hangs over his head.

Judge plays this version of the character perfectly, a calm more wisened version, one who now does more than a grunt or say “boy”. One who may make a funny remark or consider violence as a second option. Who would have guessed 18 years ago that Kratos would become a beloved character that we are emotionally invested in? Certainly not me, and we have Christopher Judge to thank for bringing this iteration of the character to life.

– Ashley Hobley

Dylan Blight, Ashley Hobley, Ciaran Marchant, Wil James & Jacob Hegarty compiled this Top 5 list. The Video Games nominated must have been released or had a sizable update between December 13th 2021 – December 13th 2022 and have been released in Australia.