Debate: Which game series is the most popular to cosplay?
It's Saturday morning, you've just arrived at a convention, and you're met with a huge crowd of excited cosplayers. In situations like this, I'm always amazed at how little I recognise. I don't know if that's because it's always a blend of film, anime, television show, and video game characters, but there's always a sea of people who just look like they're dressed cool to me rather than being identifiable as a character.
Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I'll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.
However, what this does mean is I am particularly thrilled whenever I do see characters I recognise. One of my fondest memories of working at a handful of conventions was interacting with a number of Cult of the Lamb cosplayers before sheepishly (pun intended) asking for a photo. No, I won't feature it here as I look embarrassingly happy to just be involved, but just know it certainly exists somewhere. I mean, when you see someone paying their respects to one of your favourite games, you sort of have to.
This got me thinking about which games are the most popular in terms of their cosplay base, though. I know this changes depending on what's trending and popular, especially if that lines up with event schedules as well, but there are always fallback options. There are always those concrete, standalone games or characters that people just love to become. But which one would you say comes out on top?
For me, this award has to go to Genshin Impact. The sheer amount of characters lend it perfectly to the cosplayer's arsenal, as there's bound to be someone that matches your aesthetic—or the look you're going for, at the very least. Every single event I've been to has had a constant stream of Genshin Impact cosplayers, even branching out from the cast of characters to the currency as well. Yep, that's right: I met someone cosplaying as a Primogem a few years ago.
The same could be said for League of Legends, given its expansive champion roster. I've witnessed a fair few KDA, Jinx, and Miss Fortune cosplays in my time. This was certainly encouraged by the popularity of the Netflix adaptation, Arcane, which turned even non-League players into avid fans of the characters, at the very least.
But is there a series I'm missing entirely? Is there an overly active fanbase for a game I'm just not aware of? Let us know in the comments below so we know which characters to look out for at our next convention.