As video games have become more mainstream, they’ve had gradually more frequentbrushes with the other facets of pop culture.
This includes film, television, music, and more than a few professional wrestlers.
Interested actors and celebrities have signed on for both major roles in games’ stories, as well as quick cameos.
10 Best Cameos In Video Games
Celebrities have been appearing in video games for decades. These are some of the best cameos in video game history.
However, working in a celebrity in one form or another isn’t always an exact science.
Sometimes, things get a bit… weird. Some celebrities show up where you least expect them, some have more bearing on the story than you might expect, and others have absolutely no bearing at all.
10Burt Reynolds
Saints Row: The Third
Midway through the story ofSaints Row: The Third, the Boss of the Saints is contacted by the Mayor of Steelport to solve a certain “problem.”
Initially, the Boss is dismissive of the unknown politician.
When they visit his office, though, they discover the mayor to be none other than Burt “F-ing” Reynolds, as the Boss themself exclaims excitedly.
After you help Mayor Reynolds with his problem, you unlock the ability to call him in as a Homie and fight alongside you.
Additionally, you can ring him up at any time to instantly wipe your notoriety level.
9“Rowdy” Roddy Piper
Saints Row 4
InSaints Row 4, the Vice President of the United States is actor Keith David, playing himself.
Late in the story, David is captured and placed in a simulation of his worst nightmare.
When you find him, he’s locked in the fistfight from They Live with pro wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
After rescuing David, Roddy becomes an ally you may call on at will.
In an amusing idle conversation, Roddy asks David if working with him on They Live was his worst nightmare.
David assures that he loved working with Roddy, he just really hated that alley fight scene.
8Penn & Teller
Borderlands 3
Magician duo Penn & Teller have dabbled in the realm of video games as far back as the mid-90s, making small appearances in children’s and educational PC games.
Theinfamous game Desert Busis actually part of a collection of silly games created by the two.
Their first appearance in a big-budget video game, however, came about inBorderlands 3.
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Penn & Teller voiced a pair of boss characters named “Pain and Terror” under the employ of the Calypso twins, both of whom are clearly reflective of their respective voice actors.
Well, Penn voiced Pain; Teller “voiced” Terror in that much like Teller, Terror never says anything.
7David Bowie
In 1999, Quantic Dream released Omikron: The Nomad Soul for the PC.
This… very strange game featured extensive work by the late David Bowie.
Bowie not only composed ten original songs for the game’s soundtrack, but also served as the voice and face of two of its characters.
Bowie appears as the lead singer in a band, who sings several of the game’s songs around the city.
He also plays a more important character, the digital entity Boz, who leads the order of the Awakened.
When Bowiepassed away in 2016, the game was briefly made free to claim in his honor.
6Gary Coleman
In the decidedly not-safe-for-work 2003 game Postal 2, the city of Paradise Falls is graced by a beloved celebrity: former child star Gary Coleman.
He serves a boss encounter at the mall after the police show up to his book signing to arrest him.
Coleman is voiced by himself in this appearance, though how Running With Scissors managed to secure him for the role is a mystery.
Coleman would appear again in the game’s late-stage DLC, Paradise Lost, released in 2015.
Unfortunately, Coleman had already passed away at this point, so his character was relegated to a non-speaking role.
5Fred Durst
Fight Club
In 2004, a very late-stage fighting game was released based on the 1999 film, Fight Club.
It wasn’t very good, as was the case with most licensed games of the time.
Somehow, though, that didn’t prevent the presence of Limp Bizkit lead singer, Fred Durst.
Apparently, every time Limp Bizkit was contracted to have their music appear in a game, Durst would always include a provision that required the devs to add him as a playable character.
Fight Club was one of several games Durst decided he wanted to be in, alongside various WWF wrestling games.
4Leonard Nimoy
The late Leonard Nimoy has popped up several times in video games throughout his long and storied career.
One of his most prominent roles was as Xehanort in the Kingdom Hearts series, for instance.
By far, though, the strangest interaction Nimoy ever had with a game was as the narrator for Sega’s Seaman.
Every time you booted the game up, Nimoy would greet you at the title screen.
He would offer some encouraging words, as well as some advice for caring for your little fish-person.
3Conan O’Brien
Death Stranding
It’s no secret that Hideo Kojima has some friends in high places, given the many celebrity roles and appearances inDeath Stranding.
One of those friends, as it turns out, is late night talk host and comedian Conan O’Brien.
O’Brien appears as a side quest character in the game, rewarding you with a cute otter hood for helping him.
O’Brien documentedhis visit to Kojima Productionsand the process of having his face scanned into the game for his show on TBS as part of an advertising spot for the game prior to its release.
2Nicolas Cage
Dead by Daylight
Dead By Daylighthas become one of the definitive horror franchise crossovers, drawing in characters and creatures from all kinds of famous productions.
In 2023, Behaviour Interactive added another famous face to its game:Nicolas Cage.
Interestingly, this was not Cage playing one of his characters, as was the case with Bruce Campbell playing Ashley Williams.
It’s just… Nicolas Cage. As himself. He’s a playable Survivor character with several unique Perks based on his career as an actor.
An odd choice, to be sure, though it’s hardly the strangest thing we’ve seen Cage get up to.
1Kenny Omega
Like A Dragon: Ishin!
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
In early 2023, as part of a promotion for the newly remadeLike a Dragon: Ishin, Sega contracted the help ofseveral celebrities and influencers.
These individuals included cosplayer Vampy Bitme, actor Rahul Kohli, composer Alex Moukala, streamer Cohh Carnage, VTuber Nyatasha Nyanners, and most interestingly, AEW wrestler Kenny Omega.
Each of them were given an in-game Trooper Card, allowing you to use attacks and abilities inspired by them.
Kenny Omega’s card, Essence of One-Winged Angel, allowed you to perform a sweeping attack named after his favorite finishing move (which is obviously based on a certain other one-winged angel).
The Flash: All Easter Eggs And Cameos
The Flash movie was full of exciting and easy-to-miss easter eggs and cameos. So, here’s a list explaining all of them.
