When I was young, my dad and I had a tradition of spending the weekend playing Mario Kart. Eventually, I moved on to other games, building new memories and laughing over each awkward line of dialogue. Even now, those memories never fail to make me smile, especially when I remember some of the most iconic video game quotes.
Of course, most of the quotes on this list aren’t just famous in gaming circles. Even if you’ve never played any of the games these lines are from, chances are you’ve seen memes referencing them. So with that being said, let’s see how many of these quotes you’ll recognize!
71 Epic Video Game Quotes You All Know and Love
Nostalgic Video Game Quotes That Will Make You Want to Revisit Your Favorites
1. “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.” — The Legend of Zelda
2. “Welcome to your doom!” — Altered Beast
3. “Another visitor! Stay awhile. Stay forever.” — Impossible Mission
4. “The president has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?” — Bad Dudes
5. “Hey dudes, thanks for rescuing me. Let’s go for a burger…” — Bad Dudes
6. “Wake me when you need me.” — Halo 3
7. “What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.” — Dracula, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
8. “Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?” — BioShock
9. “The cake is a lie.” — Portal
10. “You and your friends are dead. Game over.” — Friday the 13th
11. “Thank you, Mario! But our princess is in another castle!” — Super Mario Bros.
Iconic Video Game Quotes, Catchphrases, and Zingers
12. “It’s-a me, Mario!” — Super Mario 64
13. “I’m-a Wario! I’m-a gonna win!” — Super Mario 64
14. “Show me your moves!” — Super Smash Bros
15. “I have fury!” — Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
16. “What are ya buyin’?” — Resident Evil 4
17. “Stay a while, and listen!” — Diabolo II
18. “Snake? Snake? Snaaake!” — Metal Gear
19. “ARES!” — God of War
20. “Hadouken!” — Street Fighter
21. “Sonic boom!” — Street Fighter
22. “FUS-RO-DAH!” — The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
23. “Boomshakalaka!” — NBA Jam
24. “Do a barrel roll!” — Starfox 64
25. “Hey! Listen!” — Navi, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
26. “Job’s done.” — Warcraft II
27. “Objection!” — Ace Attorney
28. “It’s time to split!” — Timesplitters: Future Perfect
29. “Frankly, I’m ashamed.” — Professor Layton and the Curious Village
30. “First blood!” — Unreal Tournament
31. “Headshot!” — Unreal Tournament
32. “Killtacular!” — Halo
33. “I need a weapon.” — Halo
34. “Damn, you’re ugly.” — Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
35. “Revive me!” — Gears of War
36. “Die monster. You don’t belong in this world!” — Richter, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
37. “Get over here!” — Mortal Kombat
38. “Finish him!” — Mortal Kombat
39. “Toasty!” — Mortal Kombat II
Unforgettable Video Game Quotes That Send a Chill Down Every Gamer’s Spine
40. “War. War never changes.” — Fallout
41. “War has changed.” — Metal Gear Solid 4
42. “Keep the gods out of it. Swear on your heads. Which I will take if you break your vow.” — Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher
43. “Nothing is true, everything is permitted.” — Assassin’s Creed
44. “Requiescat in pace.” — Assassin’s Creed III
45. “Everything is teetering on the edge of everything.” — Spec Ops: The Line
46. “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.” — Half-Life 2
47. “You can’t break a man the way you break a dog or a horse. The harder you beat a man, the taller he stands.” — Far Cry 2
48. “A man chooses; a slave obeys.” — BioShock
49. “Would you kindly…” — BioShock
50. “Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?” — Far Cry 3
So Bad It’s Good! Cheesy Video Game Quotes That Were Immortalized in Memes
51. “All your base are belong to us.” — Cats, Zero Wing
52. “X-Men, welcome to die!” — Magneto, X-Men Arcade
53. “I am the great, mighty poo, and I’m going to throw my sh*t at you!” — Conker’s Bad Fur Day
54. “Congratulation. This story is happy end. Thank you.” — Ghosts ‘n Goblins
55. “Congratulation. You have completed a great game. And proved the justice of our culture. Now go and rest our heroes!” — Ghostbusters
56. “A winner is you!” — Pro Wrestling
57. “Hey hey hey, it’s time to make some CRAZY money! Are ya ready? Here we go!” — Crazy Taxi
58. “Jill, here’s a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you.” — Resident Evil
59. “Press F to pay respects.” — Advanced Warfare
60. “It’s time to kick ass and chew bubble gum… and I’m all outta gum.” — Duke Nukem 3D
Intentionally Hilarious and Clever Video Game Quotes
61. “Why, that’s the second biggest monkey head I’ve ever seen!” — The Secret of Monkey Island
62. “I’ve covered wars, you know.” — Dead Rising
63. “I never asked for this.” — Deus EX: Human Revolution
64. “You were almost a Jill sandwich!” — Resident Evil
65. “This is your fault. I’m going to kill you and all the cake is gone. You don’t even care. Do you?” — Portal
66. “Oh, hi. So, how are you holding up? Because I’m a potato!” — Portal 2
67. “Why men throw their lives away attacking an armed Witcher… I’ll never know. Something about my face?” — Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
68. “Alright, I’ve been thinking. When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s gonna burn your house down… With the lemons!” — Portal 2
69. “You have died of dysentery.” — Oregon Trail
70. “Tell my wife… I had another wife…” — Saints Row IV
71. “I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee.” — The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
To Conclude
As an adult, I still love playing new games, but I’ve never reached the same high I felt when winning in Mario Kart against my dad. And really, they don’t make them like they used to — we rarely see the kinds of catastrophic grammar mistakes that used to be so common in game dialogue.
Still, we’re getting plenty of new, memorable lines to quote with each passing year. “Press F to pay respects” is from a game that came out in 2014 — and it’s still being used even outside of the gaming community! So I’m sure the future will only bring more epic video game quotes I’ll be able to parrot for years to come.