How to Get Into Video Game Voice Acting in 2024

As a voice actor, getting into video game voice acting is an exciting prospect — whether you play video games or not — as it allows you to take on complex characters that you’ve probably never encountered before. 

Learn how to get into video game voice acting and explore the different video game genres and roles to help you prepare for the industry below.

In this article

1. Why Get Into Video Game Voice Acting?
2. Most Popular Video Game Genres 
3. Different Video Game Voice Acting Roles
4. How to do Video Game Voice Over
5. Find Video Game Voice Over Jobs

Why Get Into Video Game Voice Acting?

As a voice actor, you have the option of working in a variety of great industries; the video game industry is surely one of them! 

At present, almost every video game contains a form of voice over as video game designers create intricate storylines and narratives to generate a strong connection with their audience. Whether in exciting game-play action or storytelling cut scenes, the voice over used in video games helps players truly engage with the game. 

Each year, more video games are made compared to the last, with yearly video game releases exceeding 10,000! As these numerous and varied games are released, we see more diversity in character development and more inclusive designs for gameplay.

Apex Legends has been praised for its home run on these fronts, and the voice actors involved spoke about what it was like to be a part of one of the most popular games. 

The need to create new and convincing gaming worlds with diverse representation fuels the demand for video game voice overs, causing more and more voice actors to join the rapidly growing world of gaming.

Tech Jury reported that the video game industry’s profits are expected to reach a whopping $256.97B by 2025. Mordor Intelligence shared that the gaming market was estimated at $249.60B in 2023. Being a voice actor, you can be a part of this great industry and take advantage of its expansion, creating a strong career for yourself. 

If you’re planning to become a video game voice actor, you need to know about the various video game genres and roles you may encounter in the industry. Having this sense of familiarity will allow you to select the video game projects that best suit your voice acting skills. 

Most Popular Video Game Genres 

Here are six of the most popular video game genres:

1. Exhilarating Action Video Games

In action video games, players complete their character’s physical challenges by controlling the main action. These games usually require a lot of hand-eye coordination and quick reaction time. 

A good example of an action-packed game would be Apex Legends. If you’re part of an action video game project, you may be voicing several sound effects for the video game’s sequences, such as grunts, yells or squeals. If this is an area of interest for you, be mindful of vocal exercises for warming up and cooling down your voice as these kinds of sound effects can strain the vocal folds.

2. Exciting Adventure Video Games

Games belonging to the adventure genre involve players following the video game narrative to make their way toward an end goal, such as saving a princess or reaching the last level of the game. These games tend to have a lot of dialogue — often required to effectively tell the plot’s story — which allows voice actors to take on exciting characters to keep the players entertained.

For example, Elijah Wood takes on the role of Spyro in Spyro the Dragon: A New Beginning, telling players about his journey as a purple dragon as they move from one level to the next. By the end of the game, players understand Spyro’s destiny and develop an emotional connection with him.

3. Role-playing Games or RPGs

The role-playing game (RPG) is one of the most popular genres in the gaming industry. RPGs usually feature a medieval or fantasy setting, in which players take on complex characters to play the game. These games are unique because you get the option of interacting with other online players when you’re playing the game. Such games focus more on character advancement than on storytelling. RPGs typically have terrific dialogue that helps create a story for the player’s character.

4. Puzzle Video Games

In puzzle games, players solve different puzzles to advance to different levels. The difficulty usually increases with every level. Puzzle games can have a voice over that directs the players during the game, or may give them a few hints in difficult situations. Some puzzle games have unique narrators, showing how the genre can also be highly creative. 

An example of such a game would be LittleBigPlanet 3, a fun puzzle game with unique characters called Toggle, OddSock and Swoop, who narrate their funny stories as players advance through exciting puzzles.

5. Simulation Games

Simulation games are becoming more and more popular every day. They are games that are designed to emulate specific situations, such as playing a football game or flying a dragon, and thus create otherworldly experiences for the player. They use hyper-realistic graphics and strong voice overs to create their own reality, sucking you into an entirely different world filled with wonder and excitement.

Sometimes, simulation games incorporate other gaming devices that enhance the power of the simulation even further, such as virtual reality (VR) glasses. FIFA 15 is a great example of a powerful simulation game. It allows players to enter the game of professional football by becoming one of the world’s most sought-after players, like Cristiano Ronaldo. The game even features athlete voice overs, football commentary, and great graphics — a true treat for hardcore football fans.

6. Sports Video Games

As you can probably tell by the title, sports games mimic real-life sports like golf, football or tennis, letting players compete with a computerized opponent or other online players without having to leave the comfort of their sofas. Some great examples include Madden NFL 24 and Wii Sports. Like simulation games, sports games can also integrate other devices, like tennis rackets, that improve the player’s gaming experience. 

Sports games can also feature celebrity sportsmen and women, like Lionel Messi or Serena Williams. As a video game voice actor, you can expect to voice both dialogue and sound effects for such games.

Different Video Game Voice Acting Roles

Knowing the most popular video game genres is not enough. You must also understand the kind of roles video games contain to get started as a voice actor in the industry. This will help you understand different video game projects and see if they appeal to you as a voice actor. 

Here are some of the major voice acting roles that you will encounter in video games:

1. Video Game Narrators

Video games can feature varying styles of narrators, such as a main narrator or an absent narrator. The main narrator can be the protagonist or any other character who explains the game’s storyline and plot to the players as they move through the game. 

On the other hand, an absent narrator is a character who isn’t directly a part of the game. It can be a mysterious being who creates a lens to analyze the narrative of the game. 

Narrators are very important in adventure games and RPGs because their dialogue helps game designers connect crucial aspects of the game to the storyline, such as new characters, antagonists or settings.

2. Video Game Protagonist

Being a video game protagonist is a thrilling role for voice actors. Video game creators usually spend the most time designing great protagonists for their games. From deciding the look of the character to the entire backstory, the whole process is treated very seriously. This attention to detail results in the creation of brilliant characters, like Nintendo’s Mario. Mario not only entertains players in every game in which he is featured but also carries the weight of the strong legacy created by Nintendo. He is the face of their company, marketing campaigns, and more.

If you’re voicing a protagonist, you need to have a thorough understanding of the character sketch, because your character is the main focus of attention. This understanding will help you create a fitting personality for the protagonist. Your performance carries the potential to elevate the whole gaming experience, making the character truly iconic and unforgettable.  

Also, you get to become something you probably never dreamed of, like a swashbuckling pirate or a brilliant superhero, so just have fun with it and create something amazing!

3. The Video Game Antagonist

As the voice of a video game antagonist, you may plan to take over the world — or steal a bunch of donuts — jumping from one diabolical plan to another, from level to level. Just like the protagonist, you also have an in-depth design and backstory, but instead of saving the world and upholding the main narrative of the game, you appear in ‘boss levels’ or during specific situations in the game. The voice over styles most video game antagonists display are aggressive, bossy and villainous. However, this is not always the case. 

In Nintendo’s Mario series, Bowser has been the archenemy of Mario since his first appearance in the 1985 video game Super Mario Bros. His ultimate goals are to kidnap Princess Peach, defeat Mario and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. He has a very deep and loud voice, showing off his strength and strong personality.

How to do Video Game Voice Over

Voice acting for video games requires a lot of time and effort, making it important for you to know the best video game voice over tips to deliver a great performance.

Here are three of the best tips to help you get started:

1. Get into Character

Just like any other acting role, it is crucial to understand the idea, plot, setting and characters of the video game project you’re acting in. This will help you understand the story and personality behind your video game character. By understanding the whole concept of the game, you can easily slip into the character and create a strong and impactful performance. Getting into character is a crucial part of any acting job, so you must be prepared to take the process seriously.

It is also important to note that this may be challenging when you’re a little purple dragon or a talking egg, but if you know the character’s story and traits, you can use some of your creativity to give them a great voice.  Consider experimenting with voice changer software to help create the character’s voice.

Conducting research will also help you prepare for video game voice overs. As an experienced voice actor, Maya Tuttle advises aspiring video game voice actors to “play the types of video games they’re interested in auditioning for” because it can help you prepare for video game projects.

2. Use Your Body

Recording action lines for a video game project can be very challenging because you have to imagine yourself being a part of the action as you perform the script. 

You have to come up with sounds for actions like summoning elements, gaining magical powers or anything else that a gaming designer comes up with. 

This is why you should use bodily movements while you’re voice acting, so the sounds you make are convincing. To properly achieve this, make sure the recording booth doesn’t restrict your movements.

3. Take Breaks and Protect Your Voice

As mentioned above in the action voice over genre section, video game voice acting requires a great amount of attention, energy and time, which can put you at risk of straining your vocal cords. To avoid this from happening, you must always avoid prolonged recording sessions.

This is especially important when it comes to video game voice acting roles that require constant shouting and screaming. Roles like this can have a huge impact on your vocal health and can potentially force you to take time off to heal. 

Always remember to take proper care of your vocal health and openly communicate this need with the people involved in the project. Learn more about protecting your vocal health.

Find Video Game Voice Over Jobs

Looking for video game voice over jobs doesn’t have to be intimidating, even when you’re new to the gaming industry. Online voice over marketplaces like Voices are great for voice actors looking to get into video game voice acting. By creating a voice actor account, you can start auditioning for cool video game voice acting jobs and become a part of gaming projects.

Are you interested in becoming a video game voice actor? Which video game genres appeal to you?