Monkeys have been around in video games since the days of the Atari 2600, and are still a staple in many of today's titles, whether they be enemies, allies, or the main character and maybe even the mascot of a game or series.
Related12 Best Horses In Video Game History
Running in the fields or a loyal companion, these are the best horses from video games.
PostsOver the last four decades of video game history, these simian characters have appeared in so many games that it can be difficult to decide which of them are the best. However, with all the numerous titles released over the last thirty years or so, we've been introduced to some of the most notable simians around.
Updated August 31st, 2024 by Hilton Webster: There's a tendency to equate monkeys and apes as one and the same in the grand scale of the primate kingdom. Did you know one of the easiest signifiers between an ape and a monkey is the presence of a tail? Anyway, here's an updated selection of some great monkeys that definitely don't fall victim to that same crime.
12 Sun Wukong - Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong
Action RPG Released August 20, 2024 Developer(s) Game Science Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PC Powered by Expand CollapseYou might have heard of Journey To The West, the old Chinese novel that chronicles and dramatises the life of Xuanzang. Though the real-life man was by no means a monkey, he did write about a great many folktales that led to the creation of the character Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong has plenty of different renditions, including the well-known Goku of Dragon Ball, though Black Myth's is an interpretation very different from those that came before. He loses much of the slapstick personality that defined him though he assuredly keeps the goddess-given power he has to beat up just about everything that comes before him.
11 Amigo - Samba De Amigo
Samba De Amigo: Party Central
Rhythm Action Released 2023 Developer(s) Sega Platform(s) Switch Powered by Expand CollapseGames can be anything. They are art like anything else and don't need to involve all the tropes we've come to expect. For example, what stops them from getting a little monkey called Amigo to start playing Latin American music and ask you to bop along? He's shaped like a friend, after all.
Related7 Musicals That Would Make Great Video Games
Just don't think too hard about how licensing will work.
Posts 1Amigo is a truly great design. He's blocky, yet immensely animated. And despite his well-known appearance, he only has two games, with the sequel only coming in 2023, 24 years later. Now that's some cultural staying power from one musical monkey.
10 Rajang - Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter World
Action RPG Released January 26, 2018 Developer(s) Capcom Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, PC Powered by Expand CollapseWould you be willing to call a monkey a monster? That seems a tad cruel considering our shared ancestry though when you find yourself in a game called Monster Hunter it seems perhaps a bit more appropriate for you to don the title of 'monster'. And Rajang is indeed a monstrous monkey.
The appearance of Rajang in a Monster Hunter game is a warning. You have your Elder Dragons, your calamitous beings. Monsters that suffer from plagues, that drain the life of others. And then you have Rajang, the most furious and fearsome of them all. The Apex Predator. The monkey to beat them all. Do not feed the Rajang, they will consume you.
9 Powerwild - Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
Action RPG Released September 17, 2002 Developer(s) Square Enix Platform(s) PS2 Powered by Expand CollapsePowerwild is a monkey-like Heartless from the Kingdom Hearts series and is similar to the Bouncywild and Sniperwild enemies, which all look more simian in appearance than the Tricky Monkey and Cymbal Monkey enemies from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
The Powerwild uses quick melee attacks that can be tricky to avoid, rather than the long-distance attacks used by its counterparts. The Powerwild also has the most appearances compared to its counterparts, appearing in a total of five games from the series. For some reason, Powerwild's color was changed for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix but was changed to be closer to its original color in Kingdom Hearts X.
8 Key Dee/Wonkey - Kirby Return To Dreamland
Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Action Platformer Released October 24, 2011 Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Platform(s) Nintendo Wii Powered by Expand CollapseKey Dees, also known as Wonkeys, are a Waddle Dee variant that first appeared in Kirby's Return To Dreamland in 2011 and have appeared in several other Kirby games since. As their name implies, Key Dees are usually seen carrying keys or other useful items that Kirby needs to unlock various things or for other purposes.
RelatedRanking Every Main Kirby Game From Worst to Best
The powerful pink puffball has been on some wild adventures. These are the very best Kirby video games of all time.
PostsKey Dees don't attack Kirby like their spear-wielding counterparts but instead run away once they catch sight of him, meaning he has to chase them. Despite being monkey-like, Key Dees do not appear in Kirby And The Forgotten Land alongside the Beast Pack, probably due to their relation to the kidnapped Waddle Dees.
7 Silvapithecus - Dragon Quest 2
Dragon Quest 2 (dupe)
JRPG Released January 28, 1987 Developer(s) Enix, Armor Games Studios Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows Powered by Expand CollapsePlatypunk may be a more recognizable monkey-like monster from the Dragon Quest series, but Silvapithecus is more monkey-like, given that it isn't half platypus.
First appearing in Dragon Quest 2 and at one time known as Silver Batboon or the AG Devil, Silvapithecus is a member of the Demon family that looks like it would feel right at home as a minion of the Wicked Witch Of The West. Slivapithecus also has two stronger palette-swapped versions: the purple Pazuzu, named after the eponymous Mesopotamian demon added to the popular culture lexicon by the Exorcist movie series, and the pink Batmandrill.
6 Andross - Star Fox
Star Fox
Rail Shooter Released March 22, 1993 Developer(s) Nintendo, Argonaut Software Platform(s) SNES Powered by Expand CollapseAndross is a recurring villain in the Star Fox series who made his first appearance in the original 1993 Super Nintendo title. Andross, also known as Emperor Andross and formerly known as Doctor Andross, is a mad scientist banished from Corneria for his dangerous experiments but returned years later with an army to help him conquer the Lylat system.
Andross has appeared in every Star Fox game to date and usually has a similar origin story, given that most of the Star Fox games retell the events of the original, with the exception of Star Fox 2 and Star Fox Adventures.
5 Diddy Kong - Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Platformer Released November 21, 2010 Developer(s) Retro Studios, Nintendo Platform(s) Wii Powered by Expand CollapseDiddy Kong, Donkey Kong's nephew, first appeared in the 1994 Super Nintendo title Donkey Kong Country and got the starring role in the 1995 sequel Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, where he had to save both his uncle and his banana hoard.
The Donkey Kong series is far from Diddy Kong's only claim to fame as he also received his own beloved racing game on Nintendo 64, Diddy Kong Racing, in 1997, as well as its 2007 Nintendo DS remake, and even became a playable character in the Super Smash Bros series. His ape of an uncle may be more famous, but Diddy Kong now has nearly the same level of fame.
4 Specter - Ape Escape
Ape Escape 2
Platformer Released June 30, 2003 Developer(s) Japan Studio Platform(s) PS2, PS4 Powered by Expand CollapseSpecter is the primary antagonist of the Ape Escape series and has appeared in all three of the mainline games as well as several of the spin-off titles. Originally just a monkey with white fur, Specter found a prototype of the Peak Point Helmet, which significantly increased his intelligence, but also increased the evil in his heart.
At first, Specter just wanted his fellow primates to be free and be subservient to them, but after this plan fails, he later attempts to cause the genocide of the entire human race and loses any semblance of sanity that he once had.
3 Aiai - Super Monkey Ball
Super Monkey Ball
Platformer Released November 18, 2001 Developer(s) Amusement Vision Platform(s) GameCube Powered by Expand CollapseAiai is a playable character and the mascot of Sega's Super Monkey Ball series. First appearing in Super Monkey Ball for arcades in 2001, Aiai has become one of Sega's most recognizable mascots, other than the blue blur himself, of course.
RelatedAll Super Monkey Ball Console Games Ranked
We've ranked every Super Money Ball console game from worst to best. Did your favorite make the top spot?
PostsAlthough Aiai is usually seen inside a ball that serves as his usual mode of transportation, he isn't always trapped inside it. He has made appearances in the Sega titles such as Sonic Riders and Sega Superstars Tennis, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, Yakuza 5 and more. Aiai's most recent appearance was in 2021's Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.
