NPC

abbreviation or noun

ˌen-ˌpē-ˈsē 

plural NPCs

1

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

NPCs can be programmed to detect and react to what is happening in the game …

—Robin Johnson

The pigeon barista served coffee to players and NPCs at The Roost Café in previous Animal Crossing installments …

—Elise Nelson

Believe me, as someone who has been paralyzed by a mob of angry zombies, it leads to an authentic feeling of … relief and gratitude when your NPC teammate saves you from a gruesome fate.

—Scott Rigby and Richard M. Ryan

called also non-player character

compare avatar sense 1

2

: 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

… the Dungeon Master exists to keep the world moving for the players. This usually entails rolling all the dice for the NPCs …

—Timothy Christopher

… when I first encountered [Dungeons & Dragons] I only played it once, with my mother and younger brother. … I clearly remember her inability to role-play the healing cleric NPC …

—Esther MacCallum-Stewart

At the Hudson Park Library show, we spoke with the people who played the NPCs. … Both of them first experienced the show as players in past productions, but volunteered to play NPC roles.

—Charles Battersby

called also non-player character

Examples of NPC in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just like with Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles X tells its story through experiencing the world, being immersed in its cultures, and using exploration as the driving force rather than relegating exposition to cinematic cut-scenes or NPC banter. —Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025

The patch also improves NPC behaviour, with Automatons now more aware of their surroundings, and better handling of AI calculations, at the slight cost of some performance. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025

Key catalysts were optimism around potential policy moves following the National People’s Congress (NPC). —Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

Vance recently placed third in the 2024 NPC Battle of Texas in the women’s physique division. —Scott Thompson, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined at sense 1