Once upon a time, gaming was considered a niche hobby for nerds. That has since changed, and it is now one of the most popular and widely enjoyed entertainment mediums in the world. Even wildly popular celebrities are now jumping on the gaming wagon, and many aren’t afraid to voice their hobby. Many celebrities play video games, and like all of us, they enjoy a wide range of genres. Some like deep and intricate RPGs while others simply prefer a more casual FPS.
Regardless, there’s no denying that the idea of these celebrities being enamored by video games is a pretty cool idea. There are many celebrities who have favorite games of their own that they manage to squeeze in during their busy schedules.
Updated on September 12, 2024, by Mehrdad Khayyat: With all the technological advancements in the video game industry and an abundance of creative games released every year, it’s hard to keep a distance from such a vibrant entertainment, even for celebrities like singers or movie stars with busy professions.
Movies, Music, and Video Games are separate entertainment branches, but one way they all collide is when we have celebrities with a serious gaming passion. From Brie Larson, a big Nintendo Switch fan, to Henry Cavill, who loves PC gaming.
23 Randy Orton
Elden Ring
Few of us were probably aware of Randy Orton’s excessive involvement in gaming before a recent interview where he revealed his obsession with FromSoftware’s unforgettable Elden Ring. Orton says that has over 600 hours of Elden Ring on record, which plainly explains his love for the game.
While Randy Orton has been depicted in the WWE 2K video game series for a long time, it didn’t seem like he was an avid gamer back then, but according to him, the spinal fusion surgery gave him so much free time at home that his obsession with Elden Ring and gaming grew drastically.
22 Ariana Grande
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
The young pop icon has talked about her gaming habits more than a few times in recent years. In the early years of PlayStation 5, Ariana Grande revealed that Sony’s latest console was her favorite platform and that she loved playing Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Later on, she also shared her love for Pokemon: Let’s Go and the Mario Kart series on social media.
Ariana is not just a player though, as she has had a few gaming collaborations as well, the biggest of which was his appearance in Fortnite with a full skin set, which turned into one of the most popular Fortnite crossovers back then.
21 Robin Williams
The Legend Of Zelda
Robin Williams was a gem of a human being, and his wit and introspection made him one of the most beloved actors of all time. His warm and welcoming attitude made him a great presence to watch on both big and small screens, with the man taking on many roles as a father figure and excelling in this regard. His sudden departure from this world was a shock for many, who realized just how huge an icon left this world.
The actor loved his fair share of video games, having a particular soft spot for The Legend of Zelda series. The fact that he named his daughter after a character in this series is proof enough of how much love this man had for Nintendo’s patented adventure series, and it’s a shame that this amazing man never got to check out the magic of Breath of the Wild for himself. Given how wonderful this man was, it’s easy to see why he would’ve loved how Nintendo reimagined the formula for this amazing franchise.
20 Megan Fox
Mortal Kombat
Most people would not peg her as a gamer, but Megan Fox is actually pretty skilled when it comes to Mortal Kombat. Her husband, Machine Gun Kelly, found this out the hard way when she challenged him to a round of some classic Mortal Kombat action and absolutely schooled him. The rapper had no idea that his wife was so good at this game and was completely taken aback by her skills!
Now, it’s rumored that Mortal Kombat 1 will feature real-life characters, including Megan Fox herself! The celebrity must be over the moon that her likeness has been adopted in a game that she genuinely loves, although the idea of having her body brutalized and torn apart in the game may not be all that appealing on second thought.
19 Ronda Rousey
World Of Warcraft
Regardless of all the bad PR Ronda Rousey may have attracted for a multitude of reasons, highlighting these moments without pointing out the huge steps this ex-MMA star made to help mixed martial arts become a sport that both men and women could compete in on the biggest stage. The master of judo did a great job of wowing people by dominating her opponents and throwing them around like ragdolls.
She never really managed to bounce back after her loss at the hands of Holly Holm, but that shouldn’t take away from her amazing legacy in the slightest. Right now, Ronda is currently a star in WWE while also being a huge fan of World of Warcraft.
18 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Mortal Kombat And Rampage
It makes sense that Dwayne Johnson’s favorite game would be from the fighting genre, given his legendary status in the WWE and numerous movie roles where he lets his fists do the talking.
The original Mortal Kombat was released in 1992 and was a hugely controversial release due to the game’s violence, particularly during Fatality finishing moves. The fighting game was able to survive the scrutiny, though, and is one of the most successful fighting franchises today. Dwayne Johnson also revealed that he had a soft spot for Rampage, which was an arcade action game from 1986 made by the same studio as Mortal Kombat.
17 Tom Holland
Uncharted 4
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland revealed that his favorite game was Uncharted 4, which is convenient as he played the game’s protagonist, Nathan Drake, in the Uncharted movie. Truth be told, Tom may have only said Uncharted 4 was his favorite movie for this reason, though it certainly isn’t an odd pick, as it was one of the best action-adventure games on the PlayStation 4.
The English actor named another Sony game, The Last of Us, among his favorites, along with Bethesda’s Skyrim.
16 Elon Musk
BioShock And Mass Effect 2
Elon Musk has become one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world in recent years. This is largely due to his presence on X, ownership of Tesla, and determination to colonize Mars, among other ventures. The entrepreneur often talks about gaming on X and once replied to a tweet with a list of his favorite games.
Elon Musk listed BioShock, Deus Ex, Half-Life 2, Mass Effect 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 3, and Saints Row 4; a solid list of games that were all well-received by critics. He also revealed that he has fully played Cyberpunk 2077.
15 Brie Larson
Animal Crossing And The Legend Of Zelda
One of the newest stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson. Larson has discussed her love of video games a few times over the years, and she also recently launched her own YouTube channel featuring video game content.
A recent commercial for Nintendo Switch featured Larson playing some of her favorites like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. She also had previously revealed she was a huge fan of Super Mario World 3D, though Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was her new favorite.
14 Matthew Perry
Fallout
While he was likely best known for his role on the hit 90s series Friends, Matthew Perry also voiced Benny in 2010’s Fallout: New Vegas, which came after Perry’s revelation that he was a huge fan of the Fallout series.
Perry revealed on Ellen that he played so much Fallout 3 that he began to develop carpal tunnel syndrome and had to see a doctor. Perry also gave Ellen DeGeneres a copy of the game, which ultimately led to his role in Fallout: New Vegas.
13 Zachary Levi
Call Of Duty And Destiny
It might not be that surprising to learn that actor Zachary Levi is a gamer, considering some of his biggest roles have been in projects like Chuck. Levi starred as the titular gamer tech guru turned secret agent, who would have fanboyed over his own later roles in the Thor franchise and 2019’s Shazam.
While Levi loves first-person shooters like Call of Duty and the Destiny series, he’s also devoted some time to hits like Battlefield and third-person shooter Gears of War. This only further cements him as a fellow gamer, which hopefully means more gaming-related projects from Levi in the future.
12 Rosario Dawson
Call Of Duty
The live-action Ahsoka Tano from the Star Wars universe may be a well-known celeb gamer to some fans, as she has frequently discussed her history with and love for video games. Her passion for video games has also extended to her professional work.
She starred in the animated Ratchet & Clank movie and helped promote Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and the series’ inclusion of a female character option in the campaign and multiplayer. She is clearly passionate about the representation of women in gaming, and rightfully so.
11 Will Arnett
Call Of Duty
Bojack Horseman and Arrested Development‘s Will Arnett is a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise which led to his appearance in 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He also has previously revealed that he plays Call of Duty online with celebrity friends like Jason Bateman and Jerry O’Connell.
Arnett also hosted his own show for Xbox called Game Chat alongside fellow comedians as they hilariously played games together, though the short-lived series stopped airing new episodes after briefly moving to Twitch.
10 Vin Diesel
Call Of Duty And Dungeons & Dragons
Vin Diesel is easily one of the most popular celebrity nerds, as he hasn’t shied away from his love of Dungeons & Dragons. He is also a devout player of video games, a fan of pretty much everything ranging from MMOs to RTSs to traditional first-person shooters like Call of Duty.
He is so devoted to quality video games that he founded a development company called Tigon Studios, which helped with the release of the critically acclaimed The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, AKA one of the best, and best-looking, games released for the OG Xbox.
9 Mila Kunis
World Of Warcraft
It may not look like it at first glance, but Mila Kunis is a die-hard video game player. Back in the day, she was reported to be addicted to World of Warcraft, just like the rest of us. Now just imagine Mila Kunis sitting in front of a computer and playing that game. Yeah, it’s definitely pretty hard to picture.
She reportedly no longer plays that specific game but has moved on to less time-consuming games like Call of Duty. She’s an absolute gem of a human being, and the fact that she’s a gamer is the icing on the cake.
8 Samuel L. Jackson
Pong
Samuel L. Jackson had a memorable role in the Grand Theft Auto series, voicing Officer Tenpenny in GTA: San Andreas. He’s truly a gem of an actor who was enamored with this medium during the classic years of this industry.
His obsession with games like Pong is well documented, and the actor who portrays Nick Fury has a rich history with this medium indeed. He’s a great person in every way, and gamers will love to call him one of their own! A few years back, Samuel revealed that he was an OG gamer, from the age of Space Invaders.
7 Jack Black
Red Dead Redemption 2
Another not-such-a-surprise here with Jack Black! Black has been involved with the video game industry in the past, famously voicing Eddie Riggs in the criminally underrated Brutal Legend. He also revealed to Kotaku that one of his proudest accomplishments was completing Project Gotham Racing, a popular racing game released back on the original Xbox.
In 2018, he created a YouTube channel called JablinskiGames, and he has been seen playing old arcade games and Minecraft alongside PewDiePie. Maybe not a devout gamer, but a gamer nevertheless. His love for Red Dead Redemption 2 is seen in a recent song, with the man outright calling it one of the most epic Shakespearean stories in gaming history.
6 Henry Cavill
World Of Warcraft And Warhammer 40K
Cavill reportedly enjoys playing World of Warcraft, and the story goes that he was playing the game when he learned that he won the role of Superman. He’s an internet darling for many reasons, and his love for PC gaming as well as the Warhammer 40K series is one of them.
He also plays Geralt in Netflix’s The Witcher adaptation, and it’s pretty obvious that he played the games for research purposes. After all, if he likes World of Warcraft, chances are that he would enjoy The Witcher as well.
5 Michelle Rodriguez
Doom
Michelle Rodriguez, much like her Fast and Furious co-star Vin Diesel, is reportedly a big gamer. However, unlike Diesel, she’s not much into fantasy. She told Yahoo that her brother introduced her to Doom back in the day and that she subsequently became obsessed with both that specific game and first-person shooters in general.
Clearly, she and Vin don’t get together to play Dungeons & Dragons or anything, but it’s entirely possible that they have Call of Duty nights. That is bound to be pretty cool!
4 Zac Efron
Halo
Zac Efron certainly was a big gamer back in the day. Like everybody in the mid-2000s, Efron was a huge fan of the Halo series. Back in 2007, when Zac was 20 years old, he attended a Los Angeles midnight launch party for Halo 3 and turned it into a certified event.
After showing up, he and a producer reportedly played the video game until midnight, and it was then that he helped sell the very first copy to a consumer. People wonder if that guy still has that copy. It’s probably worth a pretty penny.
VIA: GameRant.com
