Best gaming beards
1. Kratos
Kratos was never known for his beard before. If anything, you thought of his distinct ghost-white skin and red markings. However, God of War (2018) changed that... to an extent. He's still got his signature look (courtesy of an oracle's curse forever burdening him to wear the ashes of his dead family) but now he's sporting a hefty beard, completing his transformation into a true dad. It's not as elegant as Rost's from Horizon Zero Dawn (see below) but damn do we love it and everything it brought to his character. -Jennifer Locke
2. Geralt
Geralt's beard is so well-known and tied to his video game character that fans were in an uproar when it was announced that Henry Cavill would be playing Geralt sans beard in Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher. Honestly, you can't blame them. Just look at his beard. He may be called the White Wolf, but he's really a silver fox. What makes his beard even better is that The Witcher 3 actually allows you to style and cut it at a barber because it will grow as time passes, just like in real life. -Jennifer Locke
3. Arthur Morgan
Arthur Morgan doesn't ask for a lot. He wants a stable environment where he can rob to his heart's content. He also sometimes just needs a good shave. In Red Dead Redemption 2, you're quickly given a shaving kit in camp, which you can use to craft Morgan's ever-growing beard however you want. He's on this list not just because he has extraordinary facial hair, but because the player can craft it themselves. Want mutton chops? A mustache? A goatee? The world is your oyster. -Carli Velocci
4. Joel
I don't think Joel's beard will win contests anytime soon, but it's a staple of his character that he looks wrong without. Joel without a beard is Cursed™, but I digress. It's a decent beard in its own right and perfectly suits his face. He obviously did himself a favor by letting it grow out from the point it was at in the beginning of the game. You can shave or trim it, but I like to think that it's fine as it is. Why fix what isn't broken? -Jennifer Locke
5. Rost (Horizon Zero Dawn)
There are plenty of epic beards out in the video game world, but few of them manage to have the intricacy and sheer length of Rost from Horizon Zero Dawn. This post-apocalyptic father figure has a beard that reaches halfway down his torso in a flawless braid. It has three separate strands in smaller braids that meet in one braid that nobody else can match. How does this man get dressed with a braid that long hanging from his chin? I don't know; I only know that if you love robust beards, he has to get a shout out. At the edges of his jaw, there are also smaller pieces that turn into itsy bitsy dreadlocks, and throughout the beard is the same blue and red paint you see on his face. 10/10 for beard game is what I'm saying. -Jen Karner
