10 Biggest Video Game Crushes Of All Time, According To Reddit (2024)

If the online reaction to the characters’ new looks in Street Fighter 6 is anything to go by, it’s that gamers still have a huge crush on their fictional “waifus” and “husbandos”. People adore the beauty and strength of these awesome characters with some characters from video game history standing out more than others, such as the likes of Lara Croft and Nathan Drake.

While it will always be subjective who people adore, a few names consistently come up as far as video game crushes go. These beloved characters have longevity in the cultural zeitgeist thanks to their stellar character designs and wonderful personalities.

Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)

Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy 7 is the queen of “first crushes” for the JRPG genre, and it’s easy to see why. Fans were quick to pick up on the contrast between her sweet and somewhat girly personality, and her hard-as-nails composure, and it made her even more charming as a result.

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It also helps that she's a tough and badass bruiser, using her fists where her male party members used weapons. u/santichrist amusingly describes “Tifa fever”’ by saying “Tifa in her wife beater and suspenders, the thirst was off the charts”. With the remake, Tifa continues her reign as queen of JRPG crushes.

Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil)

In sharp contrast to the no-nonsense Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy has undergone a lot of changes throughout the video games. He was already rather adorable as the naive rookie cop in Resident Evil 2 but fans truly started fawning over him when Resident Evil 4 rolled around, making him one of the best characters in the Resident Evil franchise.

Leon Kennedy had turned from a babyface cop to the suave U.S. Federal Agent, and he had the skills and confidence to back that title up. However, his corny sense of humor and naivety does still come around from time to time, making him all the more adorable. u/lutea lovingly says “He's lovably dumb and uncool. If he visited Reddit he'd be a frequent poster on /r/dadjokes.”

Samus (Metroid)

Samus is widely celebrated as one of the first major female protagonists in video game history. The reveal at the end of Metroid that this bulky armored badass was in fact a girl shocked audiences at the time, and the developers didn’t even intend on making her the icon she is now.

Samus is beautiful outside of the armor, but the fact that she breaks the mold of female character designs at the time by wearing it often was awesome. With her addition to Super Smash Bros, even more, people were introduced to her. So much so that u/YogurtxPretzels when asked who their video game crush is responds with “Samus.. and I never even played Metroid”.

Snake has many versions, be it the original Naked Snake, the iconic Solid Snake, or his legion of evil clones such as Solidus and Liquid. Still, they all follow the same template: Naked Snake, and that’s the version most people fell in fictional love with. The man who would later turn into the notorious Big Boss.

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Naked Snake was, even by Metal Gear Solid standards, a bonafide weirdo. It just so happens he was also rogueish and handsome. The bizarreness added a lot to his charm, and many players found themselves sympathizing with the tragedies he goes through in Snake Eater. u/SanicIsMyPersona, when asking others who their gaming crush was, broke the ice by saying “Mine would be Raiden or Naked Snake.”

Link (Legend of Zelda)

There are multiple versions of Link, the premiere pretty boy of the video game world. Although he barely speaks a word in any of the games, he still manages to showcase a surprising amount of goofiness and grit through his expressions and body language. With every game, he just adds more charming qualities to his repertoire.

Breath of the Wild is the apex of this, with boys and girls alike adoring his new design. The Gerudo Outfit was certainly a huge boost to his popularity among the LGBTQ community, amusingly called a "bisexual awakening" by many. u/pravoutgordone shamelessly admits their love for Link, saying “I have a huge crush on Link in this game.", and was met in the comments by fans saying that every adult version of Link was hot.

Princess Zelda (Legend of Zelda)

As far as video game princesses go, nobody beats Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda, in terms of popularity (sorry, Princess Peach). Although a seemingly classic tale of a damsel in distress, Zelda has proven time and time again that she’s just as strong and capable as the silent hero, Link; and in each game, she plays a major role in saving the world.

She was certainly a huge contrast to other princesses in video games at the time. Far from waiting for salvation, she goes her own way to save her kingdom in every single time, even as far as the first. When asked who their first video game crush was, u/TappedManna responds with “I think it was Zelda, can't remember liking one before her.”

Tali’Zorah (Mass Effect)

Mass Effect is not lacking in romance options. Be it the compassionate Liara, suave Garrus, or volatile Jack, players have a great roster to romance. Still, by far the most popular of the romance options was the nomadic explorer Tali’’Zorah, and it’s not hard to see why once gamers got to meet her.

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Introduced fighting off some gangsters, the Quarian quickly stole the hearts of first-time players. Her steadfast loyalty to her race, nerdy passion for all things regarding spaceships, and surprisingly emotional side made her very lovable. u/Realcbear says as much, by saying “Tali’Zorah Vas Normandy, and she’s the only one I’ll ever need”.

Majima Goro (Yakuza)

Majima Goro is one of the main protagonists of the beloved Yakuza franchise. Even as far back as Yakuza 0, Majima has always been pretty strange, and that's exactly why people adore him. True, Kazuma Kiryu is often cited as great husband material, but as the official character popularity poll showed Majima Goro adds that spice of life that fans adored.

While he was mostly known as the "Mad Dog" for most of the franchise's life, Yakuza 0 fleshes out the character in a way that made even more fans for him. Despite this emotional backstory, he's still the same old silly Majima. This r/yakuzagames regular posted a meme of herself proposing to Majima, jokingly saying "pls marry me Majima", and received an outpour of upvotes.

Chun Li (Street Fighter)

While Chun Li technically wasn’t the first woman in fighting games, she was the first prominent woman in fighting game history. Her presence as the only woman on a roster comprised of men in Street Fighter II was not missed by gamers at the time. She stood tall and became an icon for female representation in fighting games, using her powerful thighs to take down the muscle-bound men of the franchise.

Chun Li was a toughnut cop who stood up against evil megalomaniacs, all while being an attractive and compelling fighter. u/attractdistract reminisces about her by saying “My young self just recognized there was something about Chun Li and the feeling stuck around to this day, so she's less a crush and more my first video game love.”

Dante (Devil May Cry)

Wacky Woohoo Pizza Man is the king of the spectacle fighter genre, and it’s not even close. Dante is a slam dunk of character design, personality, and memorable dialogue. The charm of the Devil May Cry franchise has always been Dante’s goofiness in the face of absurdly powerful demons that could crush most other humans without a thought.

In addition to his daredevil attitude, he’s also famously handsome. White-haired bishonen has always been a staple of Japanese video games, but Dante takes it to the next level. u/esoldelulu remembers her first time seeing Dante by saying “My first reaction: “Ooh! They can make them look like this?!!!” I didn’t think I’d like white-haired dudes but he proved me wrong. But they have to look exactly like him hahaha.”

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