Top 5 video game mounts of all time

Most action-oriented video game characters find that they have to run or walk across the world they’re trying to save. Having a faithful mount or steed to ride can make covering vast distances much easier and less time-consuming. While video games have offered plenty of entities for this purpose over the years, some turned out to be more memorable than others.

Regardless of the genre, protagonists in gaming titles have got on horses, birds, dinosaurs, or dune buggies to cruise the world. Not all these mounts are available for the entire game they’re featured in, either. This makes them rather exclusive. While there are simply too many mounts that have served the player's purpose greatly, I wanted to highlight one or two as honorable mentions.

Ghost of Tsushima’s Nobu, Sora, and Kage were noble steeds that helped the protagonist get through a significant portion of the game. Though the chosen one met a tragic end, it served players well as they worked their way through the open-world video game.

I also wanted to highlight the glitch-riddled Roach from The Witcher 3. Even if part of what makes it memorable is the mount glitching across the game, that's still a memory worth cherishing.

Caution: This article features some spoilers and reflects the writer's opinions.

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Which are the best video game mounts to ride?

5) Agro (Shadow of the Colossus)

If a gaming title has gut-wrenching tragedies involved, I’m more likely to give it a chance. I'd heard Shadow of the Colossus was in that category, so I had to give it a go. The Wanderer’s loyal horse does more than just help him get to the Colossus battles; it is also key to some combat tactics.

Unfortunately, Agro also meets a fate similar to the Colossus that the protagonist hunts. Sacrificing itself in its final moments, the horse throws the hero to safety after jumping over a bridge falling apart under them. That act of selflessness alone is worthy of remembering this noble video game mount.

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4) Shadowmere (Skyrim)

One of the best video game mounts of all time comes from Skyrim. Shadowmere is one of the many horses in the game. However, it is far and away the most useful. It’s a sleek, jet-black steed that you are rewarded with after completing the quest, A Cure for Madness.

What makes it so great, though? Firstly, the creature is fast. Moreover, The horse of the Dark Brotherhood can also aid you in combat and has 1,637 HP, along with 198 Stamina. It’s only fitting that Astrid’s mount can help you kill things. Additionally, the horse is not likely to die thanks to its incredible health. Shadowmere also felt like it could get you to places that other mounts couldn’t, such as up steep mountains.

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3) Torrent (Elden Ring)

Another combat-themed horse, Elden Ring’s Spirit Steed Torrent is overwhelmingly useful in the vast expanse of Elden Ring. You can’t use it in dungeons or in co-op (unless you mod your game), but the steed is incredibly easy to unlock.

All you have to do is receive Torrent from Melina at the Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace. Then, agree to have her as your maiden, and she will reward you with the whistle that summons the ghostly horse. This entity is going to be a must-use means of travel. Moreover, you can also use it to defeat certain foes in the video game more easily.

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2) Yoshi (Super Mario games)

Originating in the hit video game Super Mario World, Yoshi has appeared in a variety of games in the popular franchise. Sometimes, the entity is a mount for Mario and his friends. Other times, he is his own individual character. Out of all the mounts on this list, he’s only one of two that have received their own side games. That’s one reason he’s such an iconic mount.

Normally, in Super Mario World, you freed him from his egg. This made him present his ridable form. However, occasionally, you’d find baby Yoshis. You had to feed them five enemies or an Invincibility Star so they could mature. Yoshi also had other colors in Super Mario World, each with its own special abilities. In this title, he could fly, swim, stomp the ground to harm others, and spit fireballs; he could really do it all.

Yoshi also made it easier and faster to access secret areas, including his own exclusive coin-gobbling hidden spot. His visage is also stamped on all the game’s dragon coins. This makes him easily one of the most memorable video game mounts ever.

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1) Chocobo (Final Fantasy)

Chocobo is, for my money, the most memorable mount. It's been a ridable video game mount in quite a few Final Fantasy games. While Chocobos, more often than not, are mindless vehicles, they’re adorable and useful. One of the few exceptions is Final Fantasy XIV’s Alpha. In that title, the baby Chocobo wears clothes and appears to be hyper-intelligent.

While the animal made its debut in Final Fantasy II, it was seen in nearly every mainline Final Fantasy title and was ridable in all of them. Though Yoshitaka Amano’s original art featured Chocobos as featherless, weird, pink birds, the cute yellow style they wound up with is far superior. Occasionally, they even come in other colors, which grants them special abilities. In FFIV, Black Chocobos could fly, and White ones could restore your MP. Gold Chocobos, in Final Fantasy VII, are able to travel places even your airship can't.

These variants of the bird also slowly gained more and more movement options. In Final Fantasy IX, Chocobos were a part of a major mini-game. In Final Fantasy X, you could unlock Tidus’ Celestial Weapon through a race involving those birds.

Chocobos also received a few games of their own, such as Chocobo Dungeon and the mobile racing title Chocobo GP. Whether summoned, called, or found in a forest, these mounts are just as iconic and memorable in the video game franchise Final Fantasy as its protagonists are.

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There are hundreds, if not thousands, of amazing video game mounts, and almost all of them are terrific. However, the ones mentioned above seem to have stood the test of time.