Who Gave the Best Video Game Performance of 2026? The Stars Make Their Case

Published Oct 30, 2026, 10:22 AM EDT Inside the characters of Resident Evil Requiem, Fire Emblem, Cairn, and more The performances that defined 2026: A video game actors roundtable Graphic: Sierra Nutkevitch/Polygon I’ve never understood why only Hollywood A-listers get to have fun waxing poetic on their work at the end of the year when many of the best performances I see all year are ones I’ve played through in games. I wanted that to change — so for the first time, I’m happy to present Polygon’s first-ever actor “roundtable,” a series riding the wave of our regular GOTY Watch coverage. Gathering every actor who had a role in a game we loved this year was ambitious and, thanks to the size of the planet Earth, nearly impossible based on schedules and location. But based on the power of virtual calls, expert planning, and a deft hand in the editing room, we’ve spliced together a handful of insightful, energetic conversations with today’s top voice and motion-capture artists to discuss Resident Evil Requiem, Saros, Cairn, Star Wars: Zero Company, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Control: Resonant, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and Pragmata from the character perspective. I absolutely love what came together. I could listen to Rahul Kohli (Midnight Mass) go on and on about acting and the key advice he got from Troy Baker going into Saros. Nick Apostolides has been playing Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil for years now, and the way he needs to think about the character isn’t far off from how Shai Matheson cracked a new take on the Caped Crusader. Clearly, even digital work deeply affects actors who bring everything to the table for a role — which explains why Sophia Eleni went from voicing a mountain climber in Cairn to climbing herself. And the skill on display here is kinda unreal; Grace Saif’s Diana transformation at the 11-minute mark may melt your brain. Here’s an exciting announcement: This is just the first of a number of GOTY Talk videos we’ll be releasing through the rest of the year on topics ranging from writing, direction, action, and RPG-making. Check back soon for more.