Best Video Games for facial animations

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Best for facial animations

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

5.0 feature score

Highest scored product for this feature based on supporting review evidence.

Best overall product

Donkey Kong Bananza

4.4 overall score

Strongest overall product among items with scored evidence for this feature.

See ranked products
#1 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
5.0

Facial animation evidence is uniformly positive, with reviewers highlighting detailed faces, capture, and rendered human contact.

Pros: animation quality, facial animations

Cons: quest design, AI behavior

#2 The Last of Us Part II Remastered
5.0

Facial animation was praised as industry-leading and central to the emotional performances.

Pros: core gameplay loop, level design

Cons: family friendliness, puzzle design

#3 Donkey Kong Bananza
5.0

Facial animations were highlighted for giving DK strong personality and expressiveness.

Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity

Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety

#4 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
5.0

Expressive faces are credited with amplifying the cast's emotional drama.

Pros: world-building, art direction

Cons: mission design, stealth mechanics

#5 Resident Evil Requiem
5.0

Facial animations were specifically praised as increasingly impressive later in the game.

Pros: driving mechanics, protagonist appeal

Cons: platform-specific feature support, checkpoint system

#6 Silent Hill f
5.0

Facial animations received a strong positive note for clearly representing character emotions in Unreal Engine 5.

Pros: voice acting, emotional impact

Cons: family friendliness, menu usability

#7 The Alters
5.0

Facial animation evidence was positive, with one reviewer specifically praising how faces reflect current attitude.

Pros: controls responsiveness, onboarding experience

Cons: crash stability, grind level

#9 Gears of War: E-Day
4.7

Facial animations are singled out as a massive upgrade.

Pros: emotional impact, art direction

Cons: value for money, platform-specific feature support

#10 South of Midnight
4.6

Facial animations were praised for expressive character detail that supported the performances.

Pros: atmosphere, voice acting

Cons: world interactivity, camera behavior

#11 Directive 8020
4.6

Facial animation evidence was positive, with reviewers praising convincing expressions, lip sync, and skin textures.

Pros: user interface design, graphics quality

Cons: combat system, animation quality

#12 Ghost of Yōtei
4.5

Facial animation is praised in cutscenes and Atsu’s expressions, with reviewers noting visible emotion and strong performance capture.

Pros: movement feel, environmental detail

Cons: puzzle design, age appropriateness

#13 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
4.5

Facial work earned praise in one review as an unexpectedly strong visual element for Nintendo.

Pros: world-building, frame rate stability

Cons: companion AI, upgrade system

#14 Rhythm Heaven Groove
4.5

Facial animation evidence is narrow but positive, centered on expressive ninja faces that heighten multiplayer comedy.

Pros: couch co-op quality, accessibility options

Cons: platform-specific feature support, performance optimization

#15 Split Fiction
4.5

Facial animation/lip sync received specific praise from one reviewer.

Pros: puzzle design, level design

Cons: exploration quality, side character depth

#16 Monster Hunter Wilds
4.4

Facial animations were positively noted as more natural and helpful in grounding the more serious presentation.

Pros: art direction, cross-play support

Cons: dialogue quality, monetization fairness

#17 Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
4.3

Facial animations are broadly praised as much more detailed and expressive, though one hands-off preview still found them somewhat hit or miss.

Pros: core gameplay loop, visual effects quality

Cons: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

#18 Pokémon Legends: Z-A
4.2

Facial animations received positive evidence when characters were described as more expressive than before.

Pros: crash stability, gameplay mechanics

Cons: AI behavior, monetization fairness

#19 Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
4.0

Facial animations are generally praised for adding nuance, though some reviewers found certain faces uncanny or off-angle.

Pros: world interactivity, sandbox freedom

Cons: crash stability, learning curve

#20 Doom: The Dark Ages
4.0

Facial animations received a positive single assessment as solid.

Pros: environmental detail, polish

Cons: camera behavior, value for money

#21 Invincible VS
4.0

Facial animation evidence was narrow but positive for exaggerated Powerplex expressions matching his emotional state.

Pros: immersion, frame rate stability

Cons: user interface design, bug frequency

#22 Marvel's Wolverine
4.0

Facial animation/expression drew a positive aside about Logan’s tender eyes during violent action.

Pros: environmental detail, graphics quality

Cons: gameplay mechanics, emotional impact

#23 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
3.8

Facial animations were mixed: one review praised expressive faces, another criticized lip syncing, and another praised facial animation effects.

Pros: character roster, animation quality

Cons: core gameplay loop, polish

#24 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
3.8

Facial animation feedback was mixed: one reviewer noted lifeless dialogue faces, while another praised key character animations.

Pros: soundtrack quality, fun factor

Cons: checkpoint system, family friendliness

#25 Goodnight Universe
3.5

Facial animations had a minor caveat, with one reviewer noting occasional lip-sync issues.

Pros: side character depth, visual effects quality

Cons: user interface design, handheld play suitability

#26 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3.3

Facial presentation was mixed because voice and scenes landed, but lip-sync problems appeared in minor scenes.

Pros: monetization fairness, microtransaction impact

Cons: platforming precision, menu usability

#27 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
2.9

Facial animations and lip sync were more mixed, with explicit criticism of off lip syncing and awkward presentation.

Pros: protagonist appeal, art direction

Cons: camera behavior, tutorial quality

#28 Saros
2.9

Facial animations were a repeated weakness, especially outside cutscenes where faces could not match the vocal performances.

Pros: value for money, fun factor

Cons: map and navigation design, side character depth

#29 Avowed
2.8

Facial animations were criticized in later impressions as not matching next-generation expectations.

Pros: tutorial quality, level design

Cons: stealth mechanics, endgame content

#30 Diablo IV
2.8

One expansion review found some lip-syncing and cutscene quality behind the curve.

Pros: lore depth, art direction

Cons: mission variety, protagonist appeal

#31 Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
2.7

Facial animation evidence was mixed-to-negative overall: one reviewer liked motion capture, but others found faces uncanny or distracting.

Pros: world-building, world interactivity

Cons: enemy variety, stealth mechanics

#32 Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
2.6

Facial and character animations were mixed to negative, with some appreciation for added animation but complaints about stiffness or awkward mouths.

Pros: emotional impact, polish

Cons: bug frequency, crash stability

#33 007 First Light
2.5

Facial animations are a concern from one source, which notes janky character models in close-ups.

Pros: level design, user interface design

Cons: AI behavior, facial animations

#34 Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
2.5

One reviewer criticizes face paint for sometimes blocking traditional facial expressions, limiting expressiveness.

Pros: grind level, originality

Cons: social features, accessibility options

#35 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
2.5

Facial or head rendering received limited criticism, mainly around underwhelming skater heads or NPC appearances.

Pros: core gameplay loop, controls responsiveness

Cons: crash stability, cross-save support

#36 Atomfall
2.0

Facial animations drew a negative review for rubbery, distorted faces during expression.

Pros: art direction, frame rate stability

Cons: boss design, camera behavior

#37 Crimson Desert
2.0

Reviewer evidence is negative or mixed: facial animations was often criticized, even where some reviewers found redeeming moments across 1 review(s).

Pros: level design, replay value

Cons: stealth mechanics, save system reliability

#38 Forza Horizon 5
2.0

Facial animations are criticized as awkward and poorly synced in character interactions.

Pros: controls responsiveness, movement feel

Cons: tutorial quality, animation quality