Best voice generators for NPCs (2025)

Dec 1, 2024 • 17 minutes reading time

Want to create lifelike voices for your game's NPCs? Look no further. Discover the best AI voice generators for NPCs in 2024

A music production setup with a computer monitor displaying audio waveforms, a microphone on a stand, headphones, a keyboard, and a smartphone on a wooden desk.

Gone are the days when video game developers need to hire voice actors when creating Non-Player Characters (NPCs).

Generative AI technologies like ElevenLabs’ text-to-speech model has opened the door for synthetic voice creation with cutting-edge customization and precision, allowing unprecedented efficiency, creative freedom, and global accessibility for game developers.

This article delves into the best voice generator platforms for NPCs, highlighting their key features, advantages, and potential limitations. Whether you need husky, nasally, squeaky, or deep voices, this article will show you how to create them using AI voice generator platforms.

Key takeaways:

AI voice generators make it quicker and easier for video game developers to create NPC voices.
The top tools curretly on the market include ElevenLabs, Replica Studios, Speechify, PlayHT, Synthesia, Murf.ai, and Listnr.
When selecting a tool, prioritize those with lifelike voices and

The top NPC voice generators

Platforms	ElevenLabs	Replica Studios	Speechify	PlayHT	Synthesia	Murf.ai	Listnr
Features	Voice Library, Text-to-Speech, dubbing	AI voice actors used by big studios	Natural voiceovers, a wide selection of voices	Industry-quality voices, multilingual support	Diverse voices, preview feature	All-in-one voice generator, AI voice cloning	Generative AI Engine, voice cloning
Pros	Rich voice library, language flexibility	Lifelike AI voices, trusted by partners	Unlimited uploads, ease of use	Real-time generation, capacity for a range of authentic voices	Wide voice variety, helpful instructions	Easy to use, some high-quality voices	Rapid generation, trustworthy software
Cons	Limited free usage, Text-to-Speech focus	High price points for full features, complexity	Limited generation, lack of customization	High cost, teething problems	Slow generation, pronunciation issues	Quality issues, audio glitches	Robotic voices, limited accents
Pricing	Free trial, subs from $5/month	From $10/month	From $24/month	From $31.20/month	$29-$87/month	From $23/month	Free plan, paid from $5/month
Rating	4/5	3/5	2/5	4/5	2/5	3/5	2/5

1. ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs offers three dynamic tools for AI-driven character voice generation: an extensive Voice Library resource, an industry-leading text-to-speech model that synthesizes life-like character voices, and dubbing, which can smoothly adapt character voices into multiple languages.

Pros

A rich resource: ElevenLabs' comprehensive voice library is ideal for voicing NPCs—having a wide availability of diverse voices ensures life-like variety for game worlds.

Multilingual capabilities: With ElevenLabs, you can create voiceovers in a range of languages, helping you localize your video games.

Realism: ElevenLabs’ synthetic character voices use natural pauses, and proper intonation, and respond to emotional cues. This creates true-to-life characters that enhance the in-game experience

Cons

Limited free usage: ElevenLabs' AI synthetic voice generation can be trialed for free, but only allows for 10,000 characters per month. Subscriptions start from $5/month.

Pricing

ElevenLabs' text-to-speech tool is available for a trial at no cost. For more comprehensive use, subscription plans vary based on your needs—from $5 for individuals to $330/month for company use.

Rating

5/5

2. Replica Digital Voice Studio

Replica Studios were the first to open the floodgates on AI usage for game character voices. They’ve been building up the capabilities of their AI voice actors since 2021, and last year announced Replica Smart NPCs, promising NPC-specific software for gaming that can fully voice 100s of characters in no time.

Pros

Lifelike process: Taking inspiration from the traditional voice acting process, creators using Replica’s tools can audition and direct the ‘performance’ of their AI voice actors.
Trusted software: Replica’s voice API is trusted by some pretty serious partners—Google Cloud, GlobalLogic, and Unreal Engine, to name a few.
Multiple Export Formats: A range of export formats ensure compatibility with new games.

Cons

Expense: reflecting their use by big clients, Replica’s premium features come at a high price point.
Tricky to use: Replica offers a complex model with a range of uses. While this software is well-suited for established studios, its tools are not designed with the new or emerging developer in mind.

Pricing

Solo developers can expect to pay $10/month for Replica software, with their first month free. The more comprehensive Indie Plan is $30/month, while pros will pay $100/month or more according to their needs.

Rating

3/5

3. Speechify

The Speechify Voice Over Generator creates natural voiceovers from text, allowing the user to select from 100+ AI voices in 60 languages.

Pros

Accessibility: Speechify has an intuitive, simply designed user interface—it’s used by anyone from students, editors, and readers to workplaces.
No limits on audio upload: Unlike some software, Speechify has no limit on the amount of text the user uploads to be converted, well-suited for large chunks of NPC dialogue.
Commercial usage rights: Speechify’s AI voices grant the user rights for full commercial usage, including in video games.

Cons

Limited voice generation: Users can only generate 50 hours per user per year, which is unlikely to be enough for game developers.
Lack of customization: While Speechify offers a choice between 60+ synthetic voices, it doesn’t generate new voices from scratch, limiting the app’s scope as a creative tool.
Not game-specific: While other software on this list was developed with gaming in mind, Speechify is mainly used as a transcription service, and is therefore not best suited to the purpose of generating NPC voices.

Pricing

Speechify is costly. Users can test out the tool online for free, but to download your generated voices, plans start at $24.00/month.

Rating

2/5

4. PlayHT

PlayHT’s voice cloning and text-to-speech tools are designed specifically for use in games, movies, and animation. Voices generated are industry quality and offer