The 10 Weirdest NPCs in Open World Games

One of the best parts of open world games is stumbling across characters you’ll never forget. Heroes and villains may drive the main story, but it’s the eccentric, bizarre, or downright unsettling NPCs that often leave the strongest impression. These are the ones that make you laugh at their absurd antics, cringe at their strange behavior, or scratch your head wondering what on earth the developers were thinking.

Some are comedic side characters who exist purely to lighten the mood. Others are intentionally creepy, designed to put you on edge every time they appear. And then there are the ones who are simply inexplicable – characters so weird that players debate their meaning years later.

Here are ten of the weirdest NPCs in open world games, what makes them unforgettable, and why players still talk about them long after the credits roll.

1. Cicero (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

If you’ve ever joined Skyrim’s Dark Brotherhood, you’ve met Cicero – and probably never forgotten him. The Brotherhood’s so-called “Keeper” is dressed like a court jester and talks in a high-pitched, sing-song voice that swings between playful and terrifying. He dances around, laughs to himself, and shows an unsettling level of devotion to the Night Mother, who happens to be a corpse.

• Why They’re Weird: His unpredictable mood swings and obsession with the Night Mother make him feel dangerous even when he’s on your side.
• Role in the Game: A central NPC in the Dark Brotherhood questline, and later an optional follower.
• Player Impact: Some players love him as comic relief; others execute him at the first opportunity.
• Legacy: Cicero has become one of Skyrim’s most quoted NPCs thanks to his bizarre voice lines and antics.

Cicero is living proof that Skyrim’s world is as strange as it is deadly – and his presence keeps players off-balance in the best way.

2. Patches (Dark Souls / Elden Ring / Bloodborne)

Every FromSoftware game has its mysteries, but one of the few constants across them is Patches, a trickster NPC who exists solely to troll players. He always pretends to be helpful, only to betray you by pushing you into traps or tricking you out of loot.

• Why They’re Weird: His entire purpose is to deceive players, and somehow he keeps showing up across multiple, otherwise unrelated games.
• Role in the Game: Recurring NPC who shifts between villain, merchant, and occasional ally.
• Player Impact: Players know to expect betrayal, but still fall for his tricks.
• Legacy: A cult-favorite character – the ultimate video game troll.

Patches is so weird because he feels like an inside joke between the developers and players. You hate him, but you’d miss him if he wasn’t there.

3. Trevor Philips (Grand Theft Auto V)

In GTA V, Trevor Philips is one of the three main protagonists, but he feels more like a chaotic NPC that Rockstar unleashed on the world. He’s violent, unhinged, and unpredictable – one moment making crude jokes, the next flying into terrifying rages.

• Why They’re Weird: He has no filter, no restraint, and no predictability. He feels like a parody of GTA itself.
• Role in the Game: Playable character, but when you aren’t controlling him, he acts like the world’s most dangerous NPC.
• Player Impact: Missions with Trevor are some of the most unpredictable in the game.
• Legacy: One of Rockstar’s strangest and most iconic characters, beloved for his insanity.

Trevor is weird not just for his actions, but because he feels like he’s constantly breaking the invisible boundaries of what a protagonist should be.

4. Moira Brown (Fallout 3)

In the middle of Fallout 3’s bleak wasteland, you find Moira Brown – and she’s weird in the best way possible. Cheerful, upbeat, and endlessly curious, she hires you to help her write The Wasteland Survival Guide. The contrast between her optimism and the nightmare around her is surreal.

• Why They’re Weird: She treats irradiated deathtraps as exciting opportunities for research.
• Role in the Game: Quest giver for one of Fallout 3’s longest and most memorable questlines.
• Player Impact: Players find her either endearingly eccentric or unbearably irritating.
• Legacy: A fan-favorite NPC, remembered as Fallout’s weirdest optimist.

Moira is proof that even in the apocalypse, someone will still have an unshakable smile – and that weirdly makes the Wasteland feel more real.

5. The Gourmet King (Yakuza: Like a Dragon)

The Yakuza series has no shortage of quirky characters, but the Gourmet King stands out for his ridiculous appetite and flamboyant personality. He challenges Ichiban to absurd eating contests, treating food like an arena sport.

• Why They’re Weird: He acts like a professional athlete, but for binge eating.
• Role in the Game: Side quest NPC tied to eating challenges and comedic cutscenes.
• Player Impact: Pure comic relief that breaks up the intensity of the main story.
• Legacy: One of many unforgettable weirdos that make Yakuza side quests legendary.

He’s over-the-top, ridiculous, and oddly charming – the perfect example of why Yakuza NPCs are some of gaming’s strangest treasures.

6. The Adoring Fan (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion)

Win the Arena in Oblivion and you’ll earn a… reward? The Adoring Fan is a golden-haired NPC who latches onto you after your victory, following you around endlessly and showering you with praise.

• Why They’re Weird: He’s sycophantic to the point of parody, constantly flattering you but offering no actual help.
• Role in the Game: Optional follower, though practically useless.
• Player Impact: Most players respond to his annoying presence with creative ways to get rid of him.
• Legacy: An Oblivion meme legend – the internet is full of stories of players gleefully sacrificing him.

The Adoring Fan is so weird because he feels both like a reward and a punishment. He’s the ultimate reminder that fame can have some very strange consequences.

7. Handsome Jack’s AI (Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel)

Handsome Jack is already one of gaming’s most iconic villains, but in The Pre-Sequel, he lives on in digital form as an AI. Even as a disembodied voice, he manages to be just as sarcastic, arrogant, and absurd as ever.

• Why They’re Weird: He’s equal parts helpful guide and obnoxious backseat driver.
• Role in the Game: AI companion, quest giver, and occasional antagonist.
• Player Impact: Players love his humor but hate his arrogance.
• Legacy: Jack’s AI ensured that even in death, he remained the star of the Borderlands universe.

It’s rare for a villain to be both despised and beloved, but Jack pulls it off – making his AI one of the strangest “companions” in gaming.

8. The Happy Mask Salesman (The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask)

The Happy Mask Salesman is one of Zelda’s most unsettling characters. At times kind and helpful, at others terrifyingly intense, he shifts moods without warning, making him feel unpredictable and strange.

• Why They’re Weird: His sudden expressions and cryptic dialogue leave players unsettled.
• Role in the Game: A guide and quest giver tied to Majora’s Mask.
• Player Impact: Fans still debate his true nature decades later.
• Legacy: A cult favorite NPC often cited as one of the creepiest in Nintendo history.

His weirdness lies in how he straddles the line between helpful mentor and something much darker – making him unforgettable.

9. Uncle (Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2)

Uncle is one of the laziest characters in Rockstar’s history, but also one of the funniest. He spends most of his time drinking, napping, or complaining about his mysterious “lumbago.”

• Why They’re Weird: He contributes almost nothing to the gang, but sticks around anyway.
• Role in the Game: Camp follower and comic relief.
• Player Impact: Endearing in his uselessness, often the target of affectionate mockery.
• Legacy: A Rockstar fan-favorite, remembered for the running “lumbago” gag.

Uncle is weird because he feels so mundane – but in a game filled with larger-than-life gunslingers, his laziness makes him oddly special.

10. M’aiq the Liar (The Elder Scrolls series)

M’aiq the Liar is a wandering Khajiit NPC who pops up across multiple Elder Scrolls games. His dialogue is always strange, often referencing fan debates or developer jokes in a way that breaks the fourth wall.

• Why They’re Weird: He delivers bizarre, meta one-liners that poke fun at the game itself.
• Role in the Game: Random encounter NPC.
• Player Impact: Players actively seek him out just to hear his lines.
• Legacy: A long-running Easter egg character beloved by fans.

He’s part in-joke, part lore character, and entirely weird – exactly the kind of NPC that keeps Elder Scrolls worlds feeling alive.

Final Thoughts

Weird NPCs are often the secret sauce of open world games. They may not advance the main story, but they shape the tone of the world in unforgettable ways. Cicero’s manic laughter, the Adoring Fan’s endless praise, and M’aiq’s meta jokes are the details that stick with players years later.

These characters remind us that open worlds aren’t just about epic quests and dramatic battles – they’re about personality. They add humor, tension, or just plain strangeness that makes a digital world feel more unpredictable and alive.

In the end, the weirdest NPCs may not be heroes or villains, but they’re the ones who make us laugh, shiver, or shake our heads in disbelief – and that’s why we keep talking about them.