ElevenLabs Agents for Game NPCs - A Unity-Ready Alternative
ElevenLabs sets the bar for AI voice quality, and ElevenLabs Agents (formerly Conversational AI) wraps speech recognition, an LLM and text-to-speech into one managed voice pipeline. ElevenLabs even lists "dynamic NPCs in games" as a use case.
So why do game developers keep looking for something else? Because a voice agent is not yet a game character.
What ElevenLabs Agents gives you
From ElevenLabs' docs and pricing (checked October 2026):
- A managed voice pipeline with turn-taking, interruptions, tools, a knowledge base and a visual workflow builder.
- Choice of LLM from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, hosted open models or your own.
- SDKs for Python, JavaScript, React, React Native, Swift and Kotlin, plus a raw WebSocket API.
- Per-minute pricing for conversations, with LLM costs billed on top.
What a Unity developer still has to build
- A Unity client. There is no Unity SDK, so microphone capture, the WebSocket connection and audio playback are yours to write in C#.
- Game integration. Nothing ties the agent to your game state, animations or scene objects.
- Cost control. Per-minute billing means your bill grows with every minute players spend talking.
ElevenLabs Agents vs Neocortex at a glance
| ElevenLabs Agents | Neocortex | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Voice agents for web, mobile and phone | AI characters for games |
| Unity | No SDK, write your own client | Unity SDK with voice samples |
| Other engines | Via WebSocket | Unreal, Godot (beta), Web API |
| Character design | Prompt plus workflow builder | Visual node editor: personality, emotion, knowledge, intents, actions |
| Gameplay hooks | Generic tools | Actions, interactable objects, per-line emotions |
| Pricing | Per minute plus LLM costs | Monthly plans with included credits, free plan |
| Local AI | Not documented | Local LLMs in Unity via Ollama, self-hosted deployment for studios |
Why game teams choose Neocortex
Voice that is already in your engine. Install the Unity SDK, open the Audio Chat sample and talk to a character. Microphone input works in WebGL builds too.
Characters, not just voices. Clone a voice from a short recording or design one from a description, then give it a personality, knowledge and actions in the visual editor.
Built for gameplay. Characters trigger actions in your game, notice tagged scene objects and label each line with an emotion you can animate.
Predictable cost. Monthly plans with included credits, and testing in the browser editor is free.
When ElevenLabs Agents is the right call
If you are building a voice assistant for a website, a mobile app or a phone line, ElevenLabs Agents is one of the best options available. If you are building a game, Neocortex gives you voiced characters that live inside your engine.
Competitor details were last checked in October 2026.
Written by
Sercan Altundas
Date
Oct 17, 2026
Read time
3 min
