Video game protagonists don’t have it easy. Whether they’re defying world-ending villains or navigating teen romance, they go through a lot. Luckily, they don’t have to go through it alone.

This National Best Friends Day, we looked at some of the teammates and besties who are there to help lift you up when you need it most. After all, isn’t the true adventure the friends we made along the way? It certainly is for these games. Check out a few of our favorite video game friendships and watch out for SPOILERS along the way.

Ori and Ku – Ori and the Will of the Wisps

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Moon Studios’ Ori and the Blind Forest asks how far you will go for your home. Its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, asks how far you will go for family—and really, isn’t that the same thing?

Taking place immediately after the first game, Will of the Wisps sees Ori and their found family raising Ku, a baby owl who hatches from Blind Forest antagonist Kuro’s last egg. Little Ku is born with a damaged wing, but her family gives her Kuro’s wing, creating an aid that finally lets her soar like other birds. Ku and Ori take off on a joyful flight and end up separated by a storm in a strange land.

Thus begins Ori’s adventure—and their quest to get his friend back. The world is fraught with darkness and danger, but Ori’s determination and their love for Ku shines just as bright as his little spirit body.

Gregg and Mae – Night in the Woods

Pizza, Crimes, and Growing Up

Night in the Woods is a 2D, story-driven adventure published by Finji and developed by Infinite Fall and Secret Lab that sees Mae—a 20-year-old college dropout—trying to readjust to being back home. She discovers what anyone returning to their small hometown does: everything is different, and absolutely nothing has changed. It’s a cynical world, full of economic hardship and nosy neighbors, but her one bright source of joyful familiarity is Gregg, her friendly and excitable high school best friend.

It’s not all just visiting Gregg at work and committing petty crimes around town together. Mae has to navigate mental health challenges, disappearances around town, and dark secrets rooted in her home’s history. Through it all, your choices define your friendships with everyone, including Gregg.

But Gregg has his own challenges to face—including getting the heck out of town with his boyfriend, Angus. As he and Mae try to find themselves in the overwhelming uncertainty of young adulthood, they both learn that sometimes, moving forward means letting each other go your separate ways.

When push comes to shove, though, Gregg is there to help you explore the town, investigate dark secrets, and get through it all in once piece. It just goes to show that Gregg is the kind of friend who might not always be at your side, but will always have your back when you need him.

Sable and Mikaela – Dead by Daylight

Shadow Sisters

Most of the Survivors in Behaviour Interactive’s Dead by Daylight are strangers who rely on each other to outsmart the Killer and escape the trials, but not Sable and Mikaela. Friends since the third grade, the two girls share a love of horror and the occult—a love that brought them both to the shadowy realm of the Entity.

When Mikaela disappears in a chilling black fog one Halloween night, Sable blames herself. Fearing that her recent obsession with supernatural horrors led to her friend being taken, she starts investigating local disappearances—and the abandoned theater they all seem to revolve around. Her search leads her to the set of stairs Mikaela dreamt about before her disappearance.

And as that same, chilling black fog rises to claim her, too, Sable embraces it, determined to see her friend again. The two best friends might be stuck in the eternal torment of the Entity’s games, but at least they can face the danger together.

Bloom and Rage – Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

Covens and Riot Grrrls

Developer Don’t Nod is no stranger to writing great friendships. Who doesn’t love the lifelong dedication between Max and Chloe in Life Is Strange or the unshakable bond between Sean and Daniel that made Life Is Strange 2 so emotional? Lost Records: Bloom & Rage continues this legacy with protagonist Swann and her three best friends: Kat, Autumn, and Nora.

It’s the summer of 1995, and 16-year-old Swann is nerdy, awkward, and as self-conscious as any nerdy and awkward teenager would be. But when a run-in with a bully introduces her to the other three girls, she experiences just how life-changing friendship can be. From band practices in Nora’s garage to sleepovers at the mysterious, abandoned cabin they found in the woods, they spend the summer growing close and making unforgettable memories.

Or so they thought, because part of the game’s narrative also takes place 27 years later, where 43-year-old Swann has reunited with her friends to address a strange package addressed to their old band, Bloom & Rage. Even stranger than that, none of them remember much of their time together, and they certainly can’t remember why they ended the summer by swearing to never see each other again.

As Swann gets to know her friends for the first time in the past and again in the present, you as the player learn their values, their unique senses of humor, their fears, and their aspirations. Each of them has their flaws, and they’re all well aware that Swann does, too. As a result, all four girls help each other grow and discover new things about the world and about themselves. Every moment of the game—from the peaceful moments spent chilling together to the tense encounters with dangers both human and supernatural—feels that much richer because you’re facing it with your friends.

The Survivors – Left 4 Dead

Safety in Numbers

If you’re going to survive the zombie apocalypse, you need to have a good group of people around you. Luckily, the Survivors in Valve’s Left 4 Dead aren’t just badass—they’re interesting, funny, and fun to be around (that’s important when you’re some of the only living people left in the world).

Bill, Francis, Louis, and Zoey come from vastly different backgrounds, but they make an excellent team as they fight through hordes of infected. From Francis and Louis’s banter to Bill and Zoey’s father-daughter bond, their interactions keep morale high even when they have to face dangerous zombie mutations, massive explosions, and apocalyptic bad luck. As long as they have each other’s backs, nothing can break their survivor spirit.

Grace and Freddie – Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical

To Hades and Back

The musically mythological adventure of Humble Games’ and Summerfall Studios’ Stray Gods has protagonist Grace singing with a fascinating cast of characters. Some try to help you, some try to manipulate you, and some try to eat you alive (looking at you, Medusa).

But of your many duet partners, the one that believes in you the most is Freddie. As Grace’s roommate, fellow band member, and ride-or-die best friend, Freddie has her back whether she’s dealing with the looming uncertainty of young adulthood or a looming death sentence from the gods.

After a murder and a misunderstanding force Grace to prove her innocence or be executed by the remaining members of the Greek pantheon, she embarks on a journey to investigate former muse Calliope’s death. As the story and the score unfold, Grace has the chance to side with many different characters. Depending on your choices, you might end up making powerful enemies or starting passionate romances.

But no matter what you do, Freddie remains an unwavering friend. Even when the two of you argue, Freddie is always there to help with her deep knowledge of mythology and her even deeper faith in you.

Mio and Zoe – Split Fiction

Write or Die Best Friends

No two stories are the same, and so neither are their writers. This is painfully obvious in the case of Mio and Zoe, two unpublished authors who differ from each other in every way—from the genres they like, to where they group, to whether they enjoy making small talk.

As Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction kicks off with a machine simulation gone wrong, the girls are forced to work together not just to protect their intellectual property, but to escape their own stories in once piece. They face Mio’s dystopian sci-fi cities, Zoe’s bloodthirsty fantasy trolls, and many more dangers, but none of them compare to having to deal with each other.

It’s impossible to write a story without putting a little bit of yourself in it, though. As the girls explore the worlds they’ve created, they learn more about each other and the things they’ve gone through. What starts as reluctant cooperation to survive turns into a deep bond of trust, understanding, and admiration. Against them, not even the nastiest villains—sci-fi, fantasy, or otherwise—stand a chance.

What are your favorite video game friendships? Give them a shout out so we can play them too and have a happy National Best Friends Day from all of us at NeverMore Niche!