non-player character

noun

non-play·​er character ˈnän-ˈplā-ər- 

variants or less commonly non-playable character

ˈnän-ˈplā-ə-bəl- 

plural non-player characters also non-playable characters

: npc:

a

: a character in a video game that does not represent and cannot be manipulated by a player

During the adventure, players will get the opportunity to travel with several different non-player characters.

—Charlie Hall

Every single non-playable character has a unique background—occupation, hobbies, relationships, felonies, special abilities—all of which are generated by the game's "Census" system.

—Lewis Gordon

compare avatar sense 1

b

: a character in a role-playing board game, card game, or live-action game that is controlled or performed by an organizer, facilitator, or supporting participant

Often, leaders of these [Dungeons and Dragons] games will create an entire world of their own, with their own special monsters, weapons, and non-player characters.

—Dara Edwards

What happens on the adventure is dictated by the Dungeon Master, who serves as a storyteller of sorts. Using a campaign book, the Dungeon Master sets the scene, interprets and relays the rules, and voices any of the non-playable characters you'll meet along the way.

—Liam Martin

Examples of non-player character in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The most obvious thing to do in Minecraft is build a house out of wood and stone, but players can also create functioning machines, trade with non-player characters (NPCs), and even build working circuitry. —Issy Van Der Velde, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2025

Muse users are able to visually tweak the behavior of non-player characters (NPCs) and the environment by drawing directly onto the frame. —IEEE Spectrum, 11 Mar. 2025

Nvidia has long promised to bring smarter non-player characters (NPCs) to video games with its Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE). —Barry Collins, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in Gaming Gaming is set to be transformed by AI agents acting as autonomous non-player characters (NPCs). —Michele Zanello, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2025

Some common uses of AI within gaming include altering in-game landscapes or changing the behavior of non-player characters (NPCs) based on human player decisions. —Andreas Bubenzer-Paim, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

There's probably also going to be a lot of AI profiles, like AI people sharing things, non-player characters in our feeds. —Lauren Goode, WIRED, 23 Jan. 2025

The game engine appears to have far more power available to it now, and that power has been devoted to populating towns and villages with double or triple the number of non-player characters. —Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2024

Much like BioWare's iconic sci-fi franchise, Exodus is an action-adventure RPG filled with third-person combat encounters and interactions with non-player characters. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above