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Video Game Voice Over: Turning Up the Volume

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Video Game Voice Over: Turning Up the Volume

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Remember Tetris? Did you know the game was first released back in 1984 – more than four decades ago? This gaming classic and its addictive gameplay, although now buried under the sands of time, remains widely recognized by old school, seasoned gamers. Video games from the older eras, such as Tetris, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, or Space Invaders, were simple but challenging to play – they worked your brain with puzzle-solving elements and were fast-paced enough to keep you on your toes.

Although you might like to turn back the clock and revert back to your younger self to relive the first-time gaming experience with these gamer classics, there’s still a lot to look forward to in gaming today. Since then, game developers have made audacious efforts to come up with bolder concepts and incorporate more captivating storylines, hyper-realistic graphics, and ultimately – outstanding video game voice acting. What’s not to love about that? These efforts have evidently paid off too. In fact, Newzoo reports that the global games market topped $200 billion for the first time in 2025, closing the year at $201.6 billion. And this number will continue to rise.

Now let’s turn our attention to voice over, before our time spans run out. In this article, we take a look at a few brilliant video game voice overs and what made them so hugely successful, featuring examples you’ll absolutely love. Turn up the volume and let’s go!

Key Takeaways:

Voice acting in video games has grown from a technical afterthought into a craft that shapes reviews, sales, and fan loyalty.
A single performance can define a franchise: Michael Mando’s Vaas made the unhinged villain a casting benchmark for the industry.
Weak line delivery ages a game fast – The House of the Dead 2 is remembered as much for its awkward voice work as its gameplay.
Bringing performers in early, as film and TV do, gives characters the depth players remember.
In localization, the translated script sets the ceiling – even a gifted voice artist can’t rescue lines that miss the mark.
Since July 2025, AI voice replicas in games require performer consent under the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement.

When a game’s voice acting gets insanely good – Far Cry 3 is by far the definition of insanity!

Far Cry 3 is a first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal. This game has witnessed colossal success during its lifetime and is perhaps gamers’ favorite installment in the series. While the luxuriant setting, stunning graphics, and awesome gameplay made it truly stand out amongst fans, the video game’s voice over also helped with setting it apart.
Vaas, the game’s iconic villain character, transitions between a calm and soothing tone to a brutally angry one almost seamlessly and instantaneously. The voice actor’s skills contributed to the game’s blockbuster-level success without a doubt, and set the pattern for this type of character in the gaming industry altogether.

So who is Vaas’ voice actor in Far Cry 3?

Well, it was none other than Michael Mando, also known for playing Nacho Varga in Better Call Saul and Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He returned to the role in 2021, when Ubisoft made the villain playable in Far Cry 6’s Vaas: Insanity DLC. Having one of the best voice actors give life to Vaas certainly helped enhance the game’s acoustic appeal. You might want to give the game another go (and another) after listening to his performance.

When a video game’s voice over betrays the plot – The House of the Dead 2

Next on our list is Sega AM1 (Wow Entertainment)’s shooter The House of the Dead 2. Although acclaimed for its impeccable graphics, music, and well-crafted plot with various surprising twists and turns, the game’s bad voice over was criticized here and there.
Lest we forget, the game was released in 1998 when voice acting in video games was not given much thought. And it shows. If you listen to a few of Goldman’s lines, it’s almost impossible to hold back a chuckle at the sound of that jerky, robotic-sounding voice. Here’s a memento:

However, that did not prevent the game from being adapted several times and popularized on other platforms. Some of the adaptations include The Typing of the Dead, which later became an independent series; The House of the Dead III, a sequel; and even a remake The House of the Dead 2: Remake.
With so many variations on the same theme, The House of the Dead 2 leaves gamers scratching their heads. How could the voice over quality be so off-key? Was it on purpose?
One gamer states it loud and clear: “I don’t mean to make fun of The House of the Dead’s vocal cast, either. Don’t know if their deliveries were this way on purpose. I do know that, every time I felt like the gunplay, action, or gore were about to overwhelm me, one of their voices would take some pressure off.”

When a game deserves an Oscar for voice acting – Sarah’s Death in The Last of Us

The zombie thriller survival story developed by Naughty Dog counts as one of the best video games the industry has ever played… for many obvious reasons – the most important being the game’s power to move players to tears with its compelling story. And of course, that wouldn’t have been possible without the video game’s voice over, which pours heaps more emotion into the story.
The Last of Us throws you into the tormenting depths of its astounding plot right from the start, as soon as Sarah dies. Hana Hayes, giving voice to Sarah, gives a stunning performance. Troy Baker, playing Joel, Sarah’s father, also has an Oscar-worthy performance as he gives in to feelings of grief and melancholy following the loss of his daughter, artfully fusing them into his voice acting.

The perfect harmonization between the voice acting and plot development as the emotional charge peaks makes The Last of Us one of the best games of all time. Hear Sarah’s performance for yourself.

And if you’d like to find out how the game’s other translations fare compared to the original, read The Last of Us Localization Review – the Good & the Bad for a full, through-and-through review.

So is there a secret formula for high quality voice acting? With so many games out there, it’s about time game developers raised the standard if they want their games to become blockbusters.

Creating memorability with video game voice over – how can the gaming industry improve?

The 2022 edition of GamesBeat Summit in Los Angeles emphasized the need for voice actors who engage with the game while it’s still under development.

Jennifer Hale, voice actress and summit panelist, compared game voice acting to film and television production, where actors are involved in every stage of the development, in contrast to what happens in the gaming industry.

“It was such a technically driven media for so long, but now the role of story and character is so important… It all comes back to collaboration and cooperation, not competition,” said Hale.

Involving voice actors during the story-making process is essential to creating a memorable game. This way, the actors are given ample space to supercharge their character’s interpretation with emotion and work closely with producers to deliver quality-sounding results.
But this is only one side of the story. What about localization? Don’t leave the page just yet as we discuss voice-over localization shortly.

How voice over localization fits into the picture

Voice over localization is the linchpin of your game marketing strategy, especially if you’re looking to expand beyond your domestic market. So how exactly do you do it? After all, you won’t change the storyboard every time you enter a new market. And a voice artist cannot work miracles with a poor script.
To cut down on costs, game studios sometimes choose to translate the storyboard themselves, with some doing a better job than others. In most cases, the developers will have done their research, managing to give the script a decent sound in the target language. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as sometimes, game translations result in outbursts of laughter.
Tales of Berseria, a Japanese action role-playing game developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment, makes for a prime example. While most of the game’s translation has been handled with due care, once players stray away from the main quests, something weird starts to happen… The quality shifts so drastically you’d assume the characters have stepped into a different world where language has been viciously butchered.

Disney is written literally in Chinese

This is a case in point of how localization can make or break gameplay. At least Magilou’s line achieved meme status. Joke aside, poor game localization can cost your brand dearly in the long run. Seeing your brand become the target of online banter is not something to be proud of. Quite the contrary…

Where Does AI Fit in Video Game Voice Over?

AI voice tools have moved into game production fast, and studios now test synthetic voices for background chatter, placeholder lines, and early builds. For main characters, though, the industry has drawn a firm line – and it took an 11-month strike to draw it.

In July 2024, SAG-AFTRA’s video game performers walked out demanding AI protections. The dispute ran until members ratified the 2025 Interactive Media Agreement in July 2025. The contract requires consent and disclosure whenever a digital replica of a performer’s voice is used, along with a 15.17% pay increase. For developers, voice replication is no longer a technical shortcut but a licensing decision with obligations attached.

Localization raises the stakes further, since every target language repeats the same question: who voices the character there, and on what terms? Audiences can tell when a machine, not an actor, is doing the talking, which is why flagship releases still cast trained performers across their markets.

Raise the standard for your game’s voice over with professional voice actors

Working with a professional video game voice over localization agency, like Pangea Global, can save you massive pain and headaches, as well as time and resources you would otherwise need to spend on market research, language and culture study, and everything else you’d need to localize your game with impact (on how to do that, check out our Game Localization Definitive Guide).
Pangea Global has a solid footprint in the European, US, and Latin American markets, hiring over 600 video gaming professionals, localizers, translators, and voice artists in every market where it operates. Ready to talk game localization and voice-over?

FAQ

How much do video game voice actors make?

Rates depend on the project, the market, and union status. Under SAG-AFTRA’s 2025 Interactive Media Agreement, union performers received a 15.17% raise upon ratification, with further 3% increases through November 2027. Non-union and international rates vary widely, and localized versions are typically cast and paid per market.

Who are the most famous video game voice actors?

Troy Baker (Joel in The Last of Us) and Jennifer Hale (the female Commander Shepard in Mass Effect) top most lists. Nolan North, the voice of Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, and Laura Bailey, who played Abby in The Last of Us Part II, round out the shortlist.

Why do some games still ship with bad voice acting?

Budget pressure and timing are the usual culprits. Lines are often recorded before the game is finished, so actors perform without seeing the scene. Localized versions then inherit every flaw of a rushed script, and skipping direction or context notes in the booth shows up in the final delivery.

Should you dub your game or stick with subtitles?

In games, the choice is tougher than in film, because players have to read subtitles while also playing. Full video game dubbing pays off in markets where players expect native audio, such as Germany, France, and Japan. Many studios mix both, dubbing story-heavy titles and subtitling the rest – our guide to video translation walks through the workflow.

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