Some games give us a predetermined character, with a carefully designed appearance. Other games take a different approach, and allow you to customize your character’s looks, using sliders to adjust facial features and body shape, letting you blend presets, and add accessories.
It’s the latter type that we’re discussing today: the games where you can make your own character. Which titles feature the best and the most flexible character customization systems in addition to just being good games? Let’s take a look at a few exemplars of character creation.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Street Fighter 6 | 2023-06-02 | Fighting | CAPCOM |
 | Dragon's Dogma II | 2024-03-22 | Action RPG | CAPCOM |
 | Crusader Kings III | 2020-09-01 | Strategy | Paradox Development Studio |
 | ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON | 2023-08-25 | Mecha | FromSoftware |
 | Dragon Age Inquisition Game Of The Year Edition | 2014-11-18 | Adventure | BioWare |
 | Cyberpunk 2077 | 2020-12-10 | Action RPG | CD PROJEKT RED |
 | Baldurs Gate 3 | 2020-10-06 | RPG | Larian Studios |
 | Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen | 2016-01-15 | Adventure | CAPCOM |
 | Fallout 4 Game Of The Year Edition | 2017-09-26 | RPG | Bethesda Game Studios |
 | Monster Hunter World | 2018-08-09 | Action | CAPCOM |
 | Monster Hunter Rise | 2022-01-12 | Action | Capcom Development Division 2 |
 | Saints Row Iv Game Of The Century Edition | 2014-07-15 | Adventure | Deep Silver Volition |
 | Saints Row The Third | 2011-11-14 | Adventure | Volition |
 | Soulcalibur Vi Deluxe Edition | 2018-10-19 | Action | BANDAI NAMCO Studios |
 | WWE 2k20 Standard Edition | 2019-10-21 | Sports | 2K Games |
 | Xcom 2 Collection | 2016-02-04 | Strategy | Feral Interactive (Linux) |
Street Fighter VI
| Release date: | 2023-06-02 |
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Developer: | CAPCOM |
Street Fighter VI has joined SoulCalibur in terms of having an honestly quite bonkers character creation.
You can make your own character to play the open-world segment of the game, and you can go wild on the sliders to get a pretty damn good representation of what you had in mind. Of course, SF6 also has a strong artstyle, which is worth keeping in mind.
You can change the proportions of your body, like making a weirdly long torso, or weirdly thin (and inexplicably muscular) arms. The results can be truly cartoonish, if you want to it be, especially once you get to the finer details, like hairstyles, really detailed face-sculpting, or body decorations, like tattoos or blemishes. Even color options are so powerful they got their own submenu.
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Crusader Kings III
| Release date: | 2020-09-01 |
| Genre: | Strategy |
| Developer: | Paradox Development Studio |
For its third outing, the Crusader Kings series decided to spare no expense on making the most “extra” character creator it doesn’t even specifically need.
It’s a complex, in-depth simulator of political and social machinations of Medieval nobles. And yet its character creation puts to shame many games even on this list. Head customization is really extensive.
The sliders aren’t afraid to make the change really noticeable, rather than subtle. Subtle is passe, go big or go home. It’s magnificent. After you’re done with all the sliders, you’ll also get to pick various traits, and some of them, like “beautiful”, or certain diseases, will alter the appearance. This creator goes into way further than it has any reason to, and it’s hard not to respect it for this.
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Star Trek Online
| Release date: | 2010-02-02 |
| Genre: | MMORPG |
| Developer: | Cryptic Studios |
Star Trek already has a healthy serving of aliens, but when you’re making an MMORPG and want to put more power in players’ hands, why wouldn’t you let them create their own?
If you don’t want to play Romulans or Klingons or any established species, STO gives you a fantastically powerful system of making your own. Which makes sense, it comes from the people behind Champions Online’s creator.
There’s a host of sculpting and resizing options, in addition to tons of all kinds of attachments, like antennae, accessories, clothes, and more. It’s ridiculously easy to design a completely unique alien without even trying too hard to do something new. If you’ve always dreamed of a Star Trek game that isn’t just a rehash of a movie, STO is a really good choice.
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Code Vein
| Release date: | 2019-09-27 |
| Genre: | Action |
| Developer: | SHIFT |
Code Vein is a game about becoming a vampiric defender of the last human sanctuary in a post-apocalyptic world.
It’s quite a concept, and has a distinctly anime-like aesthetic to match. This character creator isn’t going to offer much in terms for sculpting, but despite that there’s still a lot to play with, especially if you like accessorizing.
There are tons of pre-made options, clothing patterns. There also editable attachments which can be oriented on XYZ axes around certain pre-defined hardpoints to move with the body part you anchor them to. While there’s a limited total “weight” of attachments you can put on the character, it’s not overly prohibitive, and you can get really creative with the game’s silly number of options.
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Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
| Release date: | 2023-08-25 |
| Genre: | Fighting / Mecha |
| Developer: | FromSoftware |
There are plenty of games on the list with humanoid-based character creators, but it’s not the limit of imagination, is it?
Which is why Armored Core VI: Fire of Rubicon is on the list thanks to its awesome mecha customization system. While AC has its own specific ideas of what it wants its mecha to look like, it’s happy to provide you with plenty of freedom within these boundaries.
As a result you can assemble your engine of war from a large selection of available pieces, and once you’re done with assembly, it’s time to splash in some personality, too. You can apply colors to the entire mech or individual pieces as you prefer, add textures and decals, even use one of many weathering patterns if you want a less polished look. You can really make the build your own.
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Dragon’s Dogma 2
| Release date: | 2024-03-22 |
| Genre: | Action RPG |
| Developer: | CAPCOM |
The original Dragon’s Dogma’s character creation was already powerful, with tons of flexibility and even a mechanical effect.
However, DD1 is now over a decade old, so if you’d prefer something more modern… good news! Dragon’s Dogma 2 is fresh and powered by the RE Engine which has already served multiple Capcom games very well.
First of all, a substantial expansion compared to DD1’s creator are the Beastren, catlike humanoids who join humans as a payable species option in DD2. On top of that, you have a good array of skeleton- and musculature-sculpting options, including satisfying face-shaping. Both species get decent options for hair, tattoo, scarring, etc., but beastren also get advanced fur pattern customization. Neat!
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The Sims 4
| Release date: | 2024-07-25 |
| Genre: | Simulation |
| Developer: | Maxis |
Customizability is one of the most important features of The Sims series.
The series relies on players being able to make the kind of house they want, sensible and nonsensical alike, and on them being able to design the kinds of family they want for the playthrough. Luckily, in The Sims 4, Create-a-Sim is mighty indeed, and with seemingly very few meaningful limits.
When you Create-a-Sim, your control over a character is almost absolute. You get to sculpt the face seemingly any way you want, change body shape, and pick preferred clothing for a variety of occasions. But wait, there’s more: you also get to define the Sim’s personality and ambitions, generating a character with internal motivations. It’s really fun to just make Sims, let alone see them live their little lives.
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Warframe
| Release date: | 2013-03-13 |
| Genre: | Action RPG |
| Developer: | Digital Extremes |
When you start out in Warframe, the extent of customization isn’t staggering, but soon enough things start flowing in.
There are skins and helmets for your warframe, cosmetic armor attachments, capes and other back-mounted ornaments. Everything can be colored, usually with several specific independent colour “slots” for different texture types, plus the tint of lights and energy emanations.
But wait, there’s more! You can get customizable symbols to put on your chest and back, there are also “ephemeras” – cosmetic auras for your armor. Even weapons can be customized with colors, skins, and adjustable holster position. Some of these options take platinum, the premium currency, some are only available from events or as rewards for just being a returning player, and plenty you get by playing.
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Dragon Age: Inquisition
| Release date: | 2014-11-18 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | BioWare |
Dragon Age: Inquisition face-sculpting options are just a shade or two below Fallout 4, by which we mean: there are pretty hefty without being overwhelming like Black Desert Online.
There are four species (humans, elves, dwarves, qunari) to choose from, each with several head presets which you can further customize from the chin up with sliders and a precise customization box where applicable.
With a bit of effort you can make faces very different from the presets you selected at the beginning, and there’s a good chance they’ll look really good, unless you go completely wild on the sliders. You can even pick a voice: the choice is rather binary, but it exists. Later down the line you’ll also get to customize your armor via a surprisingly satisfying crafting system.
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Cyberpunk 2077
| Release date: | 2020-12-10 |
| Genre: | Action RPG |
| Developer: | CD PROJEKT RED |
Having a drab character creation wouldn’t fly for Cyberpunk 2077.
The game takes place in a setting where looking cool is essential and cybernetic implants are a common sight anywhere you go. As a result we get a quite detailed character creator, which includes a boatload of sliders with a whole bunch of options in each. If you’re into this kind of detail, you can even customize the private parts.
You also get to change the appearance of some basic cyberware V (your character) has on their face, if you want to look more cyber. Finally, you have to pick your character’s lifepath – essentially your backstory, and assign attribute points, to define V’s core competencies and natural aptitude. Later in the game you’ll also new cyberware, which might be visible on your model, depending on the type.
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Baldur’s Gate 3
| Release date: | 2020-10-06 |
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developer: | Larian Studios |
Baldur Gate 3’s customization was substantial even in Early Access, and got expanded pleasantly in the full version.
Each of the playable species has several dedicated facial presets, and the full-version exclusive Dragonborn have a completely different range of options. You can pick from a range of reptilian customizations such as horns, frills, scale patterns, etc. and they’ll look cool no matter what.
One of the nicest features is that although each playable species has a “canon” selection of skin/hair/eye colors, it takes only a single click to unlock ALL the colors, and, for instance, give your human fighter the burning eyes of a tiefling if you want to, no problem. And, of course, there’s the typical D&D customization in terms of class, species, skills and attributes to complement the look.
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Black Desert Online
| Release date: | 2017-05-24 |
| Genre: | MMO |
| Developer: | Pearl Abyss |
Black Desert Online’s character creator is easily one of the most impressive on the market, especially where fine control over details is considered.
Few games allow the user to adjust things like haircut. Usually once you select the -do, it’s static and you can’t do anything about it other than pick a different one. Black Desert Online? It lets you move your hair around, change its length and apply highlights.
That freedom extends to other features of your prospective character as well: limb proportions, face shape, minute changes to eyes or nose, or what have you. And the game’s beautiful graphics make all but the wildest creations look incredible. The one potential downside, depending on your preferences, is that characters made in this creator all look like potential Final Fantasy cast members.
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Bloodborne
| Release date: | 2015-04-24 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | FromSoftware |
“Extensive character’s appearance customization” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind upon being asked about Bloodborne, and yet this game has it as one of its features.
The game has so many sliders for so many separate aspects of a character’s appearance, that it allows a creative player to go wild and create incredibly monstrous humanoids as well as virtual cosplays of real and fictional people.
Better still, like FromSoft’s Dark Souls games it has a “Similar Face” feature, creating new faces based on presets and things you’ve already created. You can make a character much scarier than anything in the game, or play as, say, the Joker. Or some kind of weird Toucan Man. The point is, the options are very powerful even though you’re not likely to pay attention to your looks when you’re being killed.
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Champions Online
| Release date: | MMORPG |
| Genre: | 2009 |
| Developer: | Cryptic Studios |
Don’t be fooled by Champion’s Online cartoonish style.
The character creation in this game is a gateway to creating some of the wildest comic book rejected concepts you could imagine. You start by customizing you body’s dimensions: nothing’s stopping you from making a fantasy dwarf, a towering Stickman/Slenderman mash-up, or an overly muscular character with tiny feet and chest the size of a car.
Then we get into facial features and numerous options for your superhero costume. From underwear to leotards and armor pieces, you have an incredible freedom in designing your champion. There are also accessories, some of which can be layered. One could spend hours in the character creation screen, recreating their favorite heroes, or making something original.
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Fallout 4
| Release date: | 2017-09-26 |
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developer: | Bethesda Game Studios |
Fallout 4’s character creation is terrifyingly robust.
In addition to the quite uncanny degree to which the characters’ (you get to design both parents of an unlucky child, although you only play as one) facial structure can be changed, there’s much more to tweak still, letting you create a detailed recreation of whatever human you imagined would fit in with your idea for the playthrough.
There are plenty of make-up designs, tons of various blemishes and scars, and numerous hairstyles and facial hair shapes. You could make virtually anyone’s likeness if you spend enough time adjusting the details. The celebrity faces Fallout 4 community managed to recreate include Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, and even the late Sir Christopher Lee.
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Monster Hunter World
| Release date: | 2018-08-09 |
| Genre: | Action |
| Developer: | CAPCOM |
Character creation in Monster Hunter World, much like in many other games, is based on presets, but it’s very easy to stray far from the pre-generated faces.
The creator is quite simple to get the hang of, and, while lacking sliders, allows for quite a lot. The community has taken with aplomb to recreating characters from around the pop culture or their own faces, with interesting results.
It was also a stroke of genius for the developers to include lighting changes in the creator. This will help you make a character which looks good even outside of a featureless void. There’s also a second character creator, dedicated to designing your character’s catlike Palico companion, including fur colors and patterns, ear shape of tail style. More games should let players customize pets/companions!
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Saints Row (esp. 3 & 4)
| Release date: | 2013-08-22 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Deep Silver Volition |
Many a character creator only let you design your avatar’s face, which is then bolted onto a standardized body. Saints Row doesn’t do that.
At character creation you have a triangular slider of “slim”, “fat” and “muscular”, and a pointer you can place anywhere between the three. The game will even pretty competently adjust all available clothes (really, all of them) to match your avatar’s model.
Better yet, after the character creation you can still easily edit your character, including their outfits. The game has a staggering selection of clothes, and you can use any (or none) of them. You can also, of course, customize the character’s face. SR’s graphics lean away from realism, so you’re not going to see much detail, but it fits in well with the generally humorous, over-the-top tone of the series.
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SoulCalibur VI
| Release date: | 2018-10-19 |
| Genre: | Action |
| Developer: | Project Soul |
SoulCalibur VI’s custom character creator had been the talk of the gaming side of the Internet for weeks after launch, and with good reason.
The things people were able to create with it, even before mods came into play, boggle the mind. Nightmarish renditions of Kirby and Sonic, or surprisingly faithful recreations of other characters from pop culture.
The secret lies in an extremely flexible accessory and clothing systems, which have tons of diverse pieces, all configurable regarding their position, rotation, color etc. It’s quite similar to Champions Online’s creator, but with much better graphics and even more freedom. There was even a person who used Voldo’s bizarre fighting style to make a character who transforms into a Magicarp.
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WWE 2K (series)
| Release date: | first game: 2000 |
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Developer: | Visual Concepts |
Given American wrestling’s propensity for creative outfits and outlandish personas it’s no wonder that a game aiming to simulate that show/sport gave the players a way to create their own heels or faces.
Depending on edition, the options might change, but virtually every single modern game in the franchise offers a degree of customization that’s in a way completely at odds with an otherwise realistic game.
Some editions even allow you to upload a photo and morph the in-game model to fit the image, potentially creating truly cursed, but inherently entertaining results. It sounds bad? Maybe, but it proves how flexible the creator is in allow you to create unholy abominations in the same system that allows you to make regular human beings.
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XCOM 2
| Release date: | 2016-02-04 |
| Genre: | Strategy |
| Developer: | Feral Interactive (Linux) |
A part of the XCOM experience is making your soldiers look like your friends and then trying to keep them alive during deadly missions.
While XCOM 1 was okay at it, the sequel goes all in. Every armor has several variants and you can mix and match between sleeves, chestguards, and trousers as you see fit. You can also pick from a stunning variety of headwear, lower and upper face accessories, tattoos..
You can also customize the paint patterns of your weapons and armor. The options include both various military camo patterns as well as smiley faces or hearts, if you prefer to make love, not war. There is also a great selection of faces, hairstyles, and facial hair, even attitudes which define some animations. Finally, the Steam Workshop support invites even more options, including rips from movies or games.
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Finish creating?
That’s the end of our list of the best games with great character customization, some of which may appeal to you. Whether you want to create a facsimile of yourself or your friends, kill monsters as Bart Simpson, or find a good creator to visualize your tabletop RPG character, this list surely has something to suit your needs, and our marketplace has irresistible offers.