10 Celebrities Who Love Video Games (& Their Top Picks)

When it comes to narrowing down your favorite game, you might consider a nostalgic pick like The Legend of Zelda or think about recent GOTY winners like Baldur’s Gate 3. Regardless of how you try to narrow it down, it’s pretty hard to settle on just one, and the same is true for some of entertainment’s most notable celebrities.

Asking a celebrity to name their favorite video game is a pretty standard interview question that most celebs are more than happy to answer. Whether it’s their all-time irrefutable favorite or it is just incredibly special to them, here are the classic games that a few equally iconic celebrities have mentioned remain close to their hearts.

10

Steven Spielberg Loves Playing Call Of Duty With His Son

Max Spielberg, Steven Spielberg’s Son, Confirms That Call Of Duty Is Always A Hit With His Dad

When you think of Steven Spielberg, video games probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind, given that he’s responsible for some of the biggest movies in the film industry. That being said, if his stunning adaptation of Ready Player One was anything to go off of, you may have suspected that a passion for gaming existed within Steven Spielberg, and you’d be right.

In an interview with MinnMax, Max Spielberg, Steven Spielberg’s son, spoke up about the fact that his dad is a hardcore PC gamer. Max then goes on to say that of all his recommendations to his dad, Call of Duty is always what gets Steven Spielberg’s seal of approval, and that he especially loves Call of Duty‘s campaigns for the story.

9

Megan Fox Reminds Players That Mortal Kombat Is Legendary

While Promoting The Return Of Nitara, Megan Fox Gushed About MK’s Impact On Gaming

While promoting her role as Nitara in Mortal Kombat 1, Megan Fox spoke up about her thoughts on the franchise. In her interview on Mortal Kombat‘s YouTube channel, she discusses how Mortal Kombat is a genre-defining staple that has “been around since gaming has been around” and that, after growing up playing the game, a role in MK was an opportunity she jumped at.

Despite the fierce competition in the fighting game industry from other long-running series like Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, and even upcoming new releases like Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Mortal Kombat has managed to hold its own. So, whether you’re a particular fan of hers or not, it’s hard to deny Megan Fox’s claims about this legendary franchise.

8

Matthew Perry Played Fallout 3 To The Point Of Injury

Matt Perry Was A Fan Of Fallout Long Before His Appearance In The Franchise

If you’ve played through Fallout: New Vegas, then perhaps you caught a special cameo from Matthew Perry. What you may not have known, however, is that Matthew Perry was a fan of Fallout long before his appearance as Benny. During an interview on Ellen, Matthew Perry revealed a gift he brought to donate for a charity auction: a signed copy of Fallout 3 and an Xbox 360.

In the interview, he stated that he had no affiliation with the franchise, but that Fallout 3 was special to him, and that he had spent so much time playing it that he had to see a doctor for carpal tunnel injuries he had sustained. Considering we could be looking at a remaster for Fallout 3 soon, this is a recommendation you’ll want to keep on your radar.

7

Ben Schwartz Praises Chrono Trigger For Its Impressive Story & Characters

The Voice Of Sonic, Ben Schwartz, Declares This His Favorite Game Of All Time

Being that he is the voice of Sonic in the most recent series of films, you probably expected Ben Schwartz to say that one of the Sonic games is his favorite of all time, but you’d be wrong. While he has expressed his fondness for Sonic, Ben Schwartz couldn’t help but gush when the iconic RPG Chrono Trigger came up in an interview with IGN on its YouTube channel.

Schwartz claims that Chrono Trigger is an “extraordinary game with an extraordinary soundtrack” that offers a story and characters you can easily invest in. He notes that while playing other games like this, there’s often a lack of interest in some characters in your party, but that in Chrono Trigger, every character is just as interesting and worth your time as the others.

6

Zendaya Shouts Out The Last Of Us Part 2

During An IG Story, Zendaya Shared A Clip While Playing What She Declared Her “Fav Game”

Seemingly out of nowhere, Zendaya randomly took to Instagram to share a story with her followers that showed a brief clip from The Last of Us Part 2. In the caption, she tags another well-known actress, Hunter Schafer, and captions the post “replaying our fav game,” indicating that not only is TLOU Part 2 her favorite game, but it is Hunter Schafer’s favorite as well.

While the post has since gone away due to being a 24-hour IG Story, fallior on Reddit took the time to record and share it, so that others can see this Naughty Dog shout-out. Given Zendaya’s likely preference for intense emotional performances, based on her work history, it’s no surprise that she enjoys this story-heavy franchise.

5

Tom Holland Became Addicted To Uncharted While Filming Spider-Man: Homecoming

Tom Holland’s Passionate Interest In Uncharted May Have Led To The Eventual Film Adaptation

Given that Tom Holland is the face of the Uncharted film, you might suspect that he picked up the games to prepare for his role, but it’s actually the other way around. Between takes for another Sony project, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland found himself in his actor trailer with plenty of time to kill and a stack of PlayStation games, one of which just so happened to be Uncharted.

During a speech at CES 2022, Tom reveals that upon starting the games, he immediately fell in love with this action-adventure franchise, so much so that he even found it hard to step away when it was time for the cameras to begin rolling again. This passion eventually led to him pushing for the creation of a movie adaptation of Uncharted with Sony, which he then starred in, as none other than Nathan Drake.

4

Jack Black Says Red Dead Redemption 2 Isn’t A Game, It’s A “Way Of Life”

During The Pandemic, Jack Black Logged Over 400 Hours In RDR2 & Didn’t Regret A Minute

Not every celebrity has so blatantly stated what their absolute one game recommendation would be to anyone, but in the case of Jack Black, there’s a clear answer. During an interview with ComicBook, Jack Black and Jason Momoa went over their personal gaming history while promoting the Minecraft movie, and Jack Black was quick to praise for Red Dead Redemption 2.

After sharing that he had put over 400 hours into the game during the pandemic, he states that if anyone opts to try out just one game, that’s the one to pick. Of course, that’s not the only place Jack Black has expressed his love of the franchise, as a Tenacious D song, “Video Games,” has several verses that praise the RDR2‘s magical world and Shakespeare-like storytelling.

3

Matthew Mercer Has Been A Final Fantasy VII Fan Since Day One

Matt’s Role As Vincent Valentine In FFVII Rebirth Is One Of His Fondest Memories

While you may know him primarily as Critical Role‘s legendary Dungeon Master, Matt Mercer also has a long history with the gaming industry, specifically as a voice actor. In addition to his iconic roles as Ganondorf in Zelda: TOTK, Cassidy in Overwatch, and Leon Kennedy in RE6, one of Matt Mercer’s most significant roles was none other than Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

As a collector of all the original action figures for FFVII, Matt Mercer has shared that it was a day-one release for him and remains one of his most-played games. Having been offered the opportunity to record a few NPC lines for the remakes, Matt went into the studio only to then have it revealed to him in the booth that he would actually be playing Vincent Valentine, which he noted as one of his fondest memories in this clip from Square Enix‘s YouTube channel.

2

Robin Williams Named His Daughter After His Love For The Zelda Franchise

The Legend of Zelda Was A Significant Part Of Robin Williams’ Life

If you were around for the release of some of the slightly older The Legend of Zelda games, like the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time, then you might remember seeing ads starring Robin Williams and his daughter, Zelda. While it might have seemed at the time like this was just a cute ad showcasing a lovable, popular celebrity and his daughter, it was much more than that.

In several interviews throughout his life, Robin Williams speaks highly of Zelda, indicating that the franchise was one of his first interactions with video games and that it still holds a special place in his heart, which is evident in his daughter’s name. While he never confirmed it, there’s speculation that his son, Cody, was named after a character from Final Fight, showing how much video games truly meant to the late legendary comedian.

1

Hideo Kojima Says Super Mario Bros. Is “One Of Mankind’s Greatest Inventions”

Without Mario and Shigeru Miyamoto, Kojima May Have Never Started Making Games

With as much weight as Hideo Kojima’s name holds in the gaming community, there’s perhaps one more that tops even him, and that’s Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario Bros. Having credited Miyamoto and Mario as being the reason he got into gaming, I’m sure even Kojima would agree with that statement.

In the November 2010 issue of Nintendo Power, Kojima laid out all his thoughts on Mario in honor of its 25th anniversary, stating that Super Mario Bros. “altered the future of gaming” using just two simple actions— run and jump. From there, he goes on to say that “the game truly deserves to be hailed as one of mankind’s greatest inventions” and even equates it to being the Big Bang of the gaming universe, which might be the most intense statement I’ve ever heard about a video game.