Who is typically ranked as the most iconic video game character of all time?

Mario from Nintendo's Super Mario series is widely considered the most iconic video game character, recognized globally for his role in popularizing platform games and his consistent presence in gaming culture since 1981.

What criteria are used to define an 'iconic' video game character?

Iconic status is usually based on factors such as cultural impact, brand recognition, longevity, influence on the gaming industry, and cross-generational appeal across multiple franchises.

Are there any female characters on the list of most iconic video game characters?

Yes, characters like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and Samus Aran from Metroid often appear on top 10 lists due to their groundbreaking roles and lasting popularity.

Do characters from modern games ever make it onto lists of all-time iconic characters?

Yes, characters such as Master Chief from Halo (2001) and Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series have quickly achieved iconic status due to their massive influence and strong fan communities.

Top 10 Best-Selling & Most Iconic Video Game Characters of All Time Ranked by Franchise Value

Wikipedia

Fictional Character

Top 10 Best-Selling & Most Iconic Video Game Characters of All Time Ranked by Franchise Value

From Mario's 832 million games sold to Pikachu's $150 billion franchise, these are the ten video game characters whose faces transcended consoles. Ranked by franchise value, cultural reach, and copies sold. Vote for your favorite below!

2026206 viewsJul 14, 2026 Updated Sep 7, 2026

Be the first

Current Rankings

0
#1
Mario (Super Mario Bros)
Mario is the best-selling video game character in history, with over 600 million units sold across 200+ games since his 1981 debut in Donkey Kong. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) grossed $1.36 billion, making it the highest-grossing video game film adaptation ever.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#2
Master Chief (Halo)
Master Chief redefined the first-person shooter genre as the iconic face of Xbox, selling over 82 million copies across the Halo franchise since 2001. His marketing campaigns, notably the "Finish the Fight" for Halo 3, are studied as industry benchmarks, earning 80% more viewer engagement than the average game trailer. The franchise's expansion to novels, comics, and a Paramount+ series surpasses #3 Lara Croft's multimedia footprint in total revenue.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#3
Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
Lara Croft broke barriers as gaming's first mainstream female action icon, with the Tomb Raider franchise selling over 85 million copies across 18 entries since 1996. She appeared on Time magazine's cover, earned a BAFTA fellowship, and inspired two film adaptations that grossed $1.2 billion combined. Guinness World Records recognizes her as the most successful human female video game character.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#4
Link (The Legend of Zelda)
Link embodies the enduring legacy of The Legend of Zelda, a franchise that has sold over 130 million copies across 19 mainline titles since 1986, making it one of gaming's longest-running series at 37 years. His silent heroism and iconic green tunic rival Mario's visual recognition.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#5
Sonic the Hedgehog
Launched by Sega in 1991 as a direct rival to Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog became the fastest-selling character in video game history at the time and has driven a franchise exceeding 150 million copies sold worldwide. He served as Sega's corporate mascot through the 1990s console wars, appeared in two Netflix animated series (Sonic Boom, Sonic Prime), and his live-action film adaptations — Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) — grossed over $725 million combined. His blue spines and attitude defined an entire generation's understanding of what a video game mascot could be.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#6
Kratos (God of War)
Introduced in God of War (2005) for PlayStation 2, Kratos began as gaming's most violently cathartic anti-hero — a Spartan warrior who slaughtered the Greek pantheon with unflinching brutality in a franchise that sold over 23 million units across three PS2/PS3 entries. The reinvention in God of War (2018) transformed him into one of fiction's most compelling studies of fatherhood and redemption, winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards and selling over 23 million more copies. God of War Ragnarok (2022) won BAFTA Game of the Year, and Kratos is now regarded as PlayStation's most powerful narrative icon.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#7
Nathan Drake (Uncharted)
Nathan Drake, the wise-cracking treasure hunter created by Naughty Dog for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007), became the face of PlayStation's cinematic storytelling era across four mainline games and a standalone spin-off, totalling over 41 million copies sold. The series redefined third-person action-adventure with blockbuster set-piece design that influenced almost every AAA game released in the following decade. His likability — charming, fallible, funny under pressure — broke the mould of po-faced gaming protagonists, and Tom Holland's portrayal in the 2022 Uncharted film introduced a new generation to the franchise via a $401 million box office run.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#8
Agent 47 (Hitman)
Agent 47 — the genetically engineered, chrome-domed assassin created by IO Interactive — debuted in Hitman: Codename 47 (2000) and has driven a franchise exceeding 50 million copies sold across ten mainline titles. His combination of cold efficiency, masterful disguise, and the freedom to approach each target through improvised creative methods pioneered the modern stealth sandbox genre. Three film adaptations (2007, 2015, 2021) cemented him as one of gaming's most visually distinctive characters, and the World of Assassination trilogy (2016-2021) is widely regarded as the peak of stealth game design.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#9
Solid Snake (Metal Gear)
Created by Hideo Kojima, Solid Snake first appeared in Metal Gear (1987) on the MSX2 and defined the stealth espionage genre before it had a name. The Metal Gear Solid series — from the landmark PS1 original (1998) through Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008) — is celebrated for cinematic narrative ambition that treated video games as a legitimate artistic medium, earning Snake a place in multiple game industry halls of fame. With the Metal Gear franchise selling over 59 million copies and Kojima's methods influencing virtually every subsequent narrative game developer, Snake's significance to gaming's artistic evolution is unparalleled.
source: wikipediaLearn more →
0
#10
Pikachu (Pokemon)
Pikachu, the Electric-type starter face of the Pokemon franchise, debuted in Pokemon Red and Green (1996) and became the mascot of the highest-grossing media franchise in history — $150 billion in total revenue, ahead of Hello Kitty, Star Wars, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise spans 1,025 Pokemon species, 900+ anime episodes, 23 films, the Pokemon Trading Card Game (45 billion cards printed), and Pokemon GO (the most revenue-generating mobile game ever). Pikachu's yellow silhouette is among the three most recognisable fictional characters on the planet, alongside Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty.
source: wikipediaLearn more →

Current Rankings

Share this list

206 views

Get ranking updates

Get the weekly gaming rundown

The most-voted lists across every category — curated weekly. Join the early readers.

The most-voted lists across every category
Exclusive early-access to new categories
Reader picks vs editorial picks compared

No spam. One email per week. Unsubscribe anytime.

Readers Also Ranked

More Lists Like This

Steam Weekly Top Sellers & Deals — Aug 10–Aug 16, 2026

#1Steam Machine
#2Steam Machine
#3Steam Machine

Top 10 Best Horror Games of All Time

#1Resident Evil 4 Remake
#2Silent Hill 2
#3Resident Evil 2 Remake

Top 10 Best Strategy Games of All Time

#1StarCraft II
#2Civilization VI
#3Total War: Three Kingdoms

Discussion

Have a take on this ranking?

Comments are how the argument actually happens here. Posting one needs a free account — it takes about a minute.

Create a free account Already have one? Sign in

No comments yet.

The first comment sets the terms of the argument.

Would your top 10 look different?

Publish your own ranking of this topic. Your list gets its own page, and readers vote on it the same way you just voted on this one.

Build your own Top 10

Play ranking game →Seal as Time Capsule?→

More Characters Rankings

Top 10 Most Iconic TV Characters

160 views · @admin

Top 10 Greatest Literary Characters Ever Created

161 views · @admin

Top 10 Villans in Movies

178 views · @admin

Top 10 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of All Time

192 views · @admin

Top Pokemon — Dragon-Type

37 views · @admin

Lists like this

If you liked this, you might love these

GAMING

You might also want to rank…

Top 10 Most Overrated Game Franchises

Top 10 Best RPGs Ever Made

Top 10 Most Iconic Boss Fights

Top 10 Worst Game Sequels

Explore more Gaming rankings on Top10Grid

People Also Explore

Because you're viewing Gaming

Top 10 Best Multiplayer Games of All Time

125 views · 0 votes

Top 10 Best Racing Games of All Time

125 views · 0 votes

Top Pokemon — Generation 1

126 views · 0 votes

Top 10 Best Strategy Games

129 views · 0 votes

Top 10 Chinese Video Games & Mobile Games

130 views · 0 votes

More in Gaming

See all

Top 10 Board Games for Adult Game Nights

10 items · 185 views

Top 10 Best Open World Games Ever Made

10 items · 187 views

Top 10 Most Anticipated Video Games of 2026

10 items · 187 views

Current Rankings

Mario (Super Mario Bros)

Master Chief (Halo)

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Kratos (God of War)

Nathan Drake (Uncharted)

Agent 47 (Hitman)

Solid Snake (Metal Gear)

Pikachu (Pokemon)

Current Rankings

Tags

Get the weekly gaming rundown

Readers Also Ranked

More Lists Like This

Steam Weekly Top Sellers & Deals — Aug 10–Aug 16, 2026

Top 10 Best Horror Games of All Time

Top 10 Best Sports Video Games of 2025

Top 10 Best Strategy Games of All Time

Discussion

More Characters Rankings

Lists like this

Top 10 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of All Time

Top 10 Best Retro and Classic Games of All Time

Top 10 Steam — Top Sellers — Sep 7–Sep 13, 2026

Top 10 Mobile Games That Are Actually Worth Your Time

Top 10 Worst Gaming Community Behaviors

Top 10 Best PC Games of 2025

You might also want to rank…

People Also Explore

You might also like

More in Gaming

Current Rankings

Mario (Super Mario Bros)

Master Chief (Halo)

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Kratos (God of War)

Nathan Drake (Uncharted)

Agent 47 (Hitman)

Solid Snake (Metal Gear)

Pikachu (Pokemon)

Lists like this

Top 10 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of All Time

Top 10 Best Retro and Classic Games of All Time

Top 10 Steam — Top Sellers — Sep 7–Sep 13, 2026

Top 10 Mobile Games That Are Actually Worth Your Time

Top 10 Worst Gaming Community Behaviors

Top 10 Best PC Games of 2025