Horses in video games are far more than just another digital vehicle. They are characters in their own right, and in many cases you’ll form a bond or at least some fondness for your steed. There have been many good horse boys (and girls) over the years, but these are the ones I think are legitimately iconic.
This isn’t a ranked list! They are all great in their own way.
6
Agro (Shadow of the Colossus)
The first time I got to play Shadow of the Colossus someone let me borrow it for 24 hours, and I managed to finish it in that time by not sleeping. It was pretty harrowing, and I didn’t even figure out you can eat lizard tails and fruit to increase health and stamina until years later when I had the internet.
However, in those 24 hours, I developed a pretty strong emotional attachment to Agro, who despite being a primitive 3D model on (by today’s standards) an underpowered old console, seemed absolutely alive to me. This makes a certain later scene near the end of the game hard to watch, but all’s well that ends well for this beloved video game mare.
The animation, the little idiosyncracies of her behavior, and all the details Team Ico managed to imbue her with work together to weave true magic. And yes, I also thought Agro was a stallion back then, but later she was confirmed as female.
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5
Epona (TLOZ)
Now, I am not much of a Zelda fan, but even I know Epona from The Legend of Zelda series. Epona was first introduced to us in The Ocarina of Time where she became a beloved character who has joined Link in numerous subsequent games in his various incarnations. I never had an N64 back in the day, but I can only imagine the sense of adventure and freedom Epona gave players in the still-new world of 3D video games.
4
Roach (Witcher Series)
While I haven’t put much time into the Zelda games, I have spend hundreds of hours on the Witcher games, and in The Witcher 3 the horse Roach comes into their own. I say “their” own because Roach isn’t just a particular horse. Geralt, our hero, can’t be bothered to come up with a new unique name every time he needs to get a new horse, so he just names them all Roach.
If Roach was just a normal video game horse it wouldn’t be on this list, but thanks to a litany of bugs Roach would exhibit all sorts of weird behavior. The most infamous of which is Roach somehow ending up on roofs. Instead of angering fans, these quirks endeared the horse to players, and CD Projekt RED even released a limited Gwent Card commemorating all those times when Roach would do weird things or end up in the most improbable places.
3
Arvak (Skyrim)
Horses in Skyrim are pretty iconic in general. These all-terrain hoofed terrors are always there to get you out of trouble, and with the right inputs at the reigns can take you up a virtually vertical mountainside, but if you want a mount that’s more metal, less hassle, and a literal nightmare, then look no further than Arvak.
Once you complete a specific quest, you’ll learn to summon this skeletal beast, which can’t be permanently killed, doesn’t cost any money, and you can’t lose him. Just summon Arvak again as needed. Even better, Arvak doesn’t count as an undead creature in the game, so spells or abilities that affect the undead have no effect on Arvak.
2
Pebbles (Kingdom Come: Deliverance)
In the first Kingdom Come game, Pebbles is the first horse you get, and in this tough survival RPG getting a horse is a pretty big deal. It’s like someone gifting you a Ferrari or an expensive SUV. You can buy “better” horses later in the game, but in both the first game and sequel there’s a clear attachment between players (and their character) with this mount.
I guess we attach value to the things that were hard to get, or are valuable to us, and you spend so much time with Pebbles before you can scrape enough together to buy more, that it really feels like you should just stick together. I’ve even read threads were players promise to never abandon Pebbles.
1
Shadowmere (Olivion & Skyrim)
Arvak is great, but to me the OG spooky horse is Shadowmere, which features as a mount in both Oblivion and Skyrim. Shadowmere is a reward in Oblivion you get as part of completing the Dark Brotherhood questline, and in Skyrim siimilarly for completing a Brotherhood quest. In Oblivion Shadowmere is the fastest horse and in Skyrim it has extreme resilience and regeneration.
What makes Shadowmere so iconic however, is how it enters our world by rising from a bubbling black pool with red eyes and tons of personality. Whichever of these games I’m playing, Shadowmere has been my horse of choice, although Arvak is always there when I need it.
Horses might mostly be relegated to history as a form of transport in the real world, but gamers can still get a taste of traveling the world with a faithful, four-legged companion in games, and I’d sure like to know about what your favorite horse in a game is.
