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* In ''Elite 2: Frontier'' and ''Frontier First Encounters'', you start out as a freelance space pilot with no particular social status. However, if you become a very successful mercenary for the Duval Empire (and grind a ''lot'' of missions), you will be rewarded with noble titles culminating with "Prince".
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* In ''Elite ''VideoGame/{{Elite}} 2: Frontier'' and ''Frontier First Encounters'', you start out as a freelance space pilot with no particular social status. However, if you become a very successful mercenary for the Duval Empire (and grind a ''lot'' of missions), you will be rewarded with noble titles culminating with "Prince".
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* In ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}'', Kayto Shields starts out as a normal guy from a middle-class background. The fourth chapter of the franchise sees him become an honorary count of [[VestigialEmpire Ryuvia]], though his new status isn't given much focus beyond allowing him to use the Ryuvian flagship as his own.
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*** After the end, the newborn Mercenary Kingdom will have a King that fits as a Cinderella, as he began as a common mercenary who joined Celica's group. [[spoiler:Whether Jesse or Kamui becomes said King, it depends on whether Jesse lives to the end of the game.]]
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*** After the end, the newborn Mercenary Kingdom will have a King that fits as a Cinderella, has gone through the Hard Way, as he began as a common mercenary who joined Celica's group. [[spoiler:Whether Jesse or Kamui becomes said King, it depends on whether Jesse lives to the end of the game.]]
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The second is a young girl living in a secluded forest, who was always told to not leave the tiny village, but didn't know ''why'' she should be in complete isolation. [[spoiler:As she is Cigyun's daughter, Deirdre has minor Loptous blood too ''and'' from her dad's side she is the long lost crown princess of Grandvale with major Naga heritage, but her caretakers refuse to tell her the truth. She leaves the Forest too and marries Sigurd, living happily with him (and having Seliph) until MagnificentBastard Manfroy kidnaps and brainwashes her... to become her half-brother Arvis's wife. And yep, their incestuous child Julius ''does'' become the vessel for Loptous, and kills Deirdre once possessed. Good thing Deirdre manages to spirit away her and Arvis's ''other'' incestuous child, Julia, and who ultimately joins her half-brother Seliph's rebellious group.]]
*** [[spoiler:Deirdre's eldest son]] Seliph and his friends (the kids of the first generation characters) belong to different categories, depending on their backstories. They're most commonly Snow Whites (Seliph, Leif, Oifey, Shannan, Lester and Lana, Ulster and Larcei, Patty, Ares, Arthur, maybe Altena, Fee and Ced, Diarmuid and Nanna), but we also have some Sleeping Beauties (Lene and Coirpre) and Goose Girls/Guys (Faval, Teeny). [[spoiler:Additionally, Lewyn is a subversion: he ''is'' the King of Silessa and should be on the throne, but he rejects his heritage (to the point that he gets pissed off when Seliph calls him "King") and prefers to be the TeamDad for Seliph's group so he can fight for the freedom of the empire. (Besides, if he DOES have kids with Forseti blood, the son will be crowned at the end of the game.)]] Oh, and [[spoiler:the aforementioned Deirdre's daughter/Seliph's half-sister Julia]] is a Snow White, [[spoiler:amnesiac and away from her noble family - thus unable to recall that she's the Imperial Princess of Grandvale and the current holder of the Naga major blood.]]
*** If you don't get the kids of the first generation characters, they're replaced by {{exp|y}}ies who are generally commoners. The exceptions are the stand-ins for Arthur and Tine, Amid and Linda, who are Snow Whites related by blood to the characters they're "replacing".
*** [[spoiler:Deirdre's eldest son]] Seliph and his friends (the kids of the first generation characters) belong to different categories, depending on their backstories. They're most commonly Snow Whites (Seliph, Leif, Oifey, Shannan, Lester and Lana, Ulster and Larcei, Patty, Ares, Arthur, maybe Altena, Fee and Ced, Diarmuid and Nanna), but we also have some Sleeping Beauties (Lene and Coirpre) and Goose Girls/Guys (Faval, Teeny). [[spoiler:Additionally, Lewyn is a subversion: he ''is'' the King of Silessa and should be on the throne, but he rejects his heritage (to the point that he gets pissed off when Seliph calls him "King") and prefers to be the TeamDad for Seliph's group so he can fight for the freedom of the empire. (Besides, if he DOES have kids with Forseti blood, the son will be crowned at the end of the game.)]] Oh, and [[spoiler:the aforementioned Deirdre's daughter/Seliph's half-sister Julia]] is a Snow White, [[spoiler:amnesiac and away from her noble family - thus unable to recall that she's the Imperial Princess of Grandvale and the current holder of the Naga major blood.]]
*** If you don't get the kids of the first generation characters, they're replaced by {{exp|y}}ies who are generally commoners. The exceptions are the stand-ins for Arthur and Tine, Amid and Linda, who are Snow Whites related by blood to the characters they're "replacing".
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The second is a young girl living in a secluded forest, who was always told to not leave the tiny village, but didn't know ''why'' she should be in complete isolation. [[spoiler:As she is Cigyun's daughter, Deirdre has minor Loptous blood too ''and'' from her dad's side she is the long lost crown princess of Grandvale Grannvale with major Naga heritage, but her caretakers refuse to tell her the truth. She leaves the Forest too and marries Sigurd, living happily with him (and having Seliph) until MagnificentBastard ManipulativeBastard Manfroy kidnaps and brainwashes her... to become her half-brother Arvis's wife. And yep, their incestuous child Julius ''does'' become the vessel for Loptous, and kills Deirdre once possessed. Good thing Deirdre manages to spirit away her and Arvis's ''other'' incestuous child, Julia, and who ultimately joins her half-brother Seliph's rebellious group.]]
*** [[spoiler:Deirdre's eldest son]] Seliph and his friends (the kids of the first generation characters) belong to different categories, depending on their backstories. They're most commonly Snow Whites (Seliph, Leif, Oifey, Shannan, Lester and Lana, Ulster and Larcei, Patty, Ares, Arthur, maybe Altena, Fee and Ced, Diarmuid and Nanna), but we also have some Sleeping Beauties (Lene and Coirpre) and Goose Girls/Guys(Faval, Teeny).(Febail, Tine). [[spoiler:Additionally, Lewyn is a subversion: he ''is'' the King of Silessa and should be on the throne, but he rejects his heritage (to the point that he gets pissed off when Seliph calls him "King") and prefers to be the TeamDad for Seliph's group so he can fight for the freedom of the empire. (Besides, if he DOES have kids with Forseti blood, the son will be crowned at the end of the game.)]] Oh, and [[spoiler:the aforementioned Deirdre's daughter/Seliph's half-sister Julia]] is a Snow White, [[spoiler:amnesiac and away from her noble family - thus unable to recall that she's the Imperial Princess of Grandvale Grannvale and the current holder of the Naga major blood.]]
*** If you don't get the kids of the first generation characters, they're replaced by {{exp|y}}ies who are generally commoners. The exceptions are the stand-ins for Arthur and Tine, Amid and Linda, who are Snow Whites related by blood to the characters they're "replacing".
*** [[spoiler:Deirdre's eldest son]] Seliph and his friends (the kids of the first generation characters) belong to different categories, depending on their backstories. They're most commonly Snow Whites (Seliph, Leif, Oifey, Shannan, Lester and Lana, Ulster and Larcei, Patty, Ares, Arthur, maybe Altena, Fee and Ced, Diarmuid and Nanna), but we also have some Sleeping Beauties (Lene and Coirpre) and Goose Girls/Guys
*** If you don't get the kids of the first generation characters, they're replaced by {{exp|y}}ies who are generally commoners. The exceptions are the stand-ins for Arthur and Tine, Amid and Linda, who are Snow Whites related by blood to the characters they're "replacing".
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* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Nia started out as the [[spoiler: [[ReplacementGoldfish adopted]]]] daughter of a bankrupted former Gormotti lord, and upon his death becomes a fugitive of Indol for [[spoiler: her status as a [[CannibalismSuperpower Flesh-Eater]] Blade, something inflicted on her as a part of her status as a ReplacementGoldfish]] before being rescued and joining the terrorist organization Torna, which leads to her meeting Rex and joins his quest for Elysium. After the events of the game and [[spoiler: prior to ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', she's become the beloved Queen of Agnus, a far cry from her original life on the run]].
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* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' had a version of the Snow White. [[spoiler:Princess Zelda is concealed among the Sheikah people to hide her from Ganondorf for seven years.]] %% No references to Sheik's biological sex, please.
** Tetra of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' follows the Sleeping Beauty version of this trope, [[spoiler:though in a partial subversion, she doesn't get to really return to her status as royalty because the entire Kingdom of Hyrule pulls an Atlantis and stays forever sealed at the bottom of the Great Sea. This doesn't really bother her much, though, because she hates being called Princess Zelda anyway.]]
** [[spoiler:Midna]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is another Snow White example.
** The Zelda in ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' is a rather literal Sleeping Beauty.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'', where one of the villains is a tiger crimelord named Rajan, who [[RagsToRiches climbed up from poverty]] through a life of crime . While presenting himself as royalty (via the self imposed title "Lord of the Hills" and his "newly purchased "ancestral palace""), he's a thug in king's clothing with no real title or royal blood.
-->'''Sly''' While (Rajan) goes to great lengths to convince others of his royalty, he's really trying to convince himself.
* In ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'', [[spoiler:Almaz]] is a Cinderella example in two of the endings. [[spoiler:In the Good ending, he ends up marrying Princess Sapphire Rhodonite. In the more jokey "Almaz Ending," Mao's father deems him Overlord of the Netherworld, much to his own dismay.]]
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' and its remake ''Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'' have several characters that fit in one or another way:
*** [[spoiler:Celica]] turns out to be a Snow White, since [[spoiler:she's the missing Princess Anthiese of Zofia, barely saved from her family's massacre by her ParentalSubstitute Mycen. She lives as a priestess of the goddess Mila and then sets out on a quest to find out about the goddess' disappearance, which will lead her to reveal her heritage. In the end, she not only takes over Zofia but marries the Prince of Rigel, and they unite their lands in the newborn Kingdom of Valentia.]]
*** On the other hand, [[spoiler:Alm]] is revealed to be a Sleeping Beauty, [[spoiler:completely unaware that he is the missing Prince Albein Alm Rudolf of Rigel. He joins LaResistance to fight King Rudolf's tyranny, not knowing that Rudolf is his DisappearedDad, and is '''very''' distressed when he finds out the truth ''[[SelfMadeOrphan after fatally injuring him]]''. In the end, he recovers and takes over Rigel, marrying his childhood friend aka the aforementioned Celica and reigning over Valentia with her.]]
*** After the end, the newborn Mercenary Kingdom will have a King that fits as a Cinderella, as he began as a common mercenary who joined Celica's group. [[spoiler:Whether Jesse or Kamui becomes said King, it depends on whether Jesse lives to the end of the game.]]
*** ''Shadows of Valentia'' [[CanonForeigner adds another of these]]: [[spoiler:Celica's half-brother Prince Conrad, also a Snow White. He also survived the massacre of the Zofian Royal Family and was raised away in the Sage's Hamlet, becoming a powerful knight and then reuniting with Celica. If he lives, he becomes a ReasonableAuthorityFigure for Valentia.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'':
*** [[spoiler:Cigyun and Deirdre]] are both Sleeping Beauties:\\
The first [[spoiler:was a young woman with [[HeroicLineage minor Loptous blood]], which was a ''very'' bad thing as her children would either become vessels for the Dark God Loptous or be the parents of a possible vessel. Cigyun escaped her home in a Verdane forest to see the world, married the Lord of Velthomer (from the also noble Fjalar clan) and had a son (Arvis) with major Fjalar blood ''and'' minor Loptous blood; however, she was mentally broken due to how much her husband cheated on her, so she cheated back on him with Prince Kurth, who belonged to ''another'' HeroicLineage (Naga). When the Velthomer lord found out and killed himself, the despaired Cigyun escaped back into to the Forest while pregnant with Deirdre, and died giving birth to her.]]\\
The second is a young girl living in a secluded forest, who was always told to not leave the tiny village, but didn't know ''why'' she should be in complete isolation. [[spoiler:As she is Cigyun's daughter, Deirdre has minor Loptous blood too ''and'' from her dad's side she is the long lost crown princess of Grandvale with major Naga heritage, but her caretakers refuse to tell her the truth. She leaves the Forest too and marries Sigurd, living happily with him (and having Seliph) until MagnificentBastard Manfroy kidnaps and brainwashes her... to become her half-brother Arvis's wife. And yep, their incestuous child Julius ''does'' become the vessel for Loptous, and kills Deirdre once possessed. Good thing Deirdre manages to spirit away her and Arvis's ''other'' incestuous child, Julia, and who ultimately joins her half-brother Seliph's rebellious group.]]
*** [[spoiler:Deirdre's eldest son]] Seliph and his friends (the kids of the first generation characters) belong to different categories, depending on their backstories. They're most commonly Snow Whites (Seliph, Leif, Oifey, Shannan, Lester and Lana, Ulster and Larcei, Patty, Ares, Arthur, maybe Altena, Fee and Ced, Diarmuid and Nanna), but we also have some Sleeping Beauties (Lene and Coirpre) and Goose Girls/Guys (Faval, Teeny). [[spoiler:Additionally, Lewyn is a subversion: he ''is'' the King of Silessa and should be on the throne, but he rejects his heritage (to the point that he gets pissed off when Seliph calls him "King") and prefers to be the TeamDad for Seliph's group so he can fight for the freedom of the empire. (Besides, if he DOES have kids with Forseti blood, the son will be crowned at the end of the game.)]] Oh, and [[spoiler:the aforementioned Deirdre's daughter/Seliph's half-sister Julia]] is a Snow White, [[spoiler:amnesiac and away from her noble family - thus unable to recall that she's the Imperial Princess of Grandvale and the current holder of the Naga major blood.]]
*** If you don't get the kids of the first generation characters, they're replaced by {{exp|y}}ies who are generally commoners. The exceptions are the stand-ins for Arthur and Tine, Amid and Linda, who are Snow Whites related by blood to the characters they're "replacing".
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'' there are many of these.
*** Leif, Nanna and Miranda are Snow Whites fighting to get their kingdoms back, to start. [[spoiler:Eyvel turns out to be an amnesiac Seeping Beauty since she's the long lost Princess Brigid; her adoptive daughter Mareeta and Mareeta's father Galzus are a Goose Guy and his Goose Girl daughter, thrown out of the small kingdom of Rivough when it was conquered years ago.]]
*** In both the second part of ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' and in ''Thracia 776'', the players learn that [[spoiler:Ced and Fee's mother Erinys ultimately became a Cinderella. Despite being only a Pegasus Knight in service to Silesse, Lewyn's mother Rahna trusted her enough to let her succeed the Silesse throne, even if she's not married to Lewyn, and so Erinys became the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure very kind and hardworking]] Queen of Silesse from being a non-noble Pegasus Knight. The downside is that she died a few years before the events of the second half of ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' and ''Thracia 776'' took place, which left Silesse open to attacks and occupation.]]
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', some of the girls that the young lord Roy can marry aren't exactly average noblewomen: the GenkiGirl dancer (and adoptive daughter [[spoiler:of an Etrurian general]], but still) Lalum, TomboyPrincess Sue from the nomadic Kutolah tribe (aka the daughter of ''Blazing Blade''[='s=] Rath), ActionGirl and mercenary Pegasus Knight Shanna, and the [[DarkIsNotEvil druid]] Sophia ([[spoiler:who's also a half-dragon]]).
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
*** Lyndis is a mix of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. She knows she's the princess of the Lorca tribe since her DisappearedDad was the chieftain... but she certainly does ''not'' know that her MissingMom was a former member of ''Lycian'' royalty. The first part of the game is dedicated to her finding out about her mom's origins, taking off to meet up with her still-living grandfather ''and'' defeating her [[EvilUncle Evil Great Uncle]]. Also, if Lyn marries either Eliwood or Hector, she can become the co-ruler of either Pherae or Ostia and reassure her Snow White traits.
*** Lyn's not the only potential Cindy, either: Lords Eliwood and Hector have brides who are either mercenary Pegasus Knights (Fiora, for Eliwood; Farina and Florina, for Hector) or a travelling dancer [[spoiler:who's also half-human and half dragon]] (Ninian, for Eliwood).
*** The same game has two Cinderellas: Louise and [[spoiler:Hellene]]. They're two childhood friends who are also members of very minor noble clans, who marry into much-higher families: Louise is HappilyMarried to Pent of Reglay, while [[spoiler:Hellene becomes the Queen of Bern via marrying King Desmond... and it gets worse for her]]. At the same time, we meet ''three'' Snow Whites: [[spoiler:Priscilla and Raymond of Cornwell, whose clan was overthrown due to their supposed corruption; and Rath from the Kutolah tribe, banished away from his tribe BecauseDestinySaysSo.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'':
*** The game has a mixed Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty in [[spoiler:Micaiah, who goes from a cute FortuneTeller on the streets to a JeanneDArchetype-like leader of LaResistance to general to Queen of Daein... in the meantime learning that she is in fact the rightful heir to the empire of Begnion...which she does not end up ruling, and her little sister Empress Sanaki remains in power]].
*** It also both subverts and averts the Sleeping Beauty type with [[spoiler:Pelleas and Soren. Pelleas, a poor orphan who got the power of charming spirits, suddenly found himself the lost prince of Daein and became king - but it turned out to be a big fat lie, and he wasn't royal at all - and, in his case, being thought of as the Prince ''[[BreakTheCutie completely destroyed his life]]'' [[KillTheCutie and caused his death]]. (Unless the player gathers the requirements to recruit him into the group, that is - if he lives through he becomes an adviser to the aforementioned Queen Micaiah, switching from Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella.) Soren, the true prince, never learns of his heritage and remains a commoner -- but considering how things went with Pelleas (and [[ArchnemesisDad who his birth father was]]), it's probably ''much'' better he remained this way.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'':
*** A very, ''very'' twisted Cinderella shows up as an antagonist: [[spoiler:Gangrel, who started as a poor dude from the slums and [[SelfMadeMan became the King of Plegia]]... as well as TheCaligula.]]
*** If a female Avatar marries Prince Chrom, she will become the future Queen of Ylisse and a Cinderella type. Or she can marry the nobleman Frederick and remain as Chrom's [[NumberTwo close friend and advisor]], or get together with Basilio aka one of the Khans of Regna Ferox, [[spoiler:or marry one of Chrom's potential sons (Brady or Inigo) or Lissa's son Owain.]], or marry Virion and [[spoiler:help him recover the Duchy of Rosanne]]. If a male Avatar marries Chrom's little sister Lissa [[spoiler:or his older sister Emmeryn if you recruit her via Spot Pass]], he will also be Cinderella'd into the Ylissean Royal Family; alternatively, he can marry Lissa's best friend Maribelle and be the husband of a future countess, or marry [[spoiler:any of Chrom's possible daughters (Kjelle, Cynthia, Lucina)]]... or marry the ''other'' Khan of Regna Ferox and Basilio's rival, Flavia, or marry close retainers and minor noblewomen like Cordelia, Sully and/or Sumia. [[spoiler:Since the Avatar's ArchnemesisDad Validar is the King of Plegia after Gangrel's fall, the Avatar of either gender is actually a Sleeping Beauty... and the "vessel" of Grima as well.]]
*** The female Avatar can also subvert it if she falls for either [[spoiler:the post HeelFaceTurn Gangrel and/or Walhart (neither is a ruler anymore), or Yen'fay (he's a Fallen Prince from an alternate timeline).]] Same goes to the male Avatar if his bride is [[spoiler:Say'ri (as Yen'fay's sister, she's a FallenPrincess - though she ''might'' have a chance to get Chon'sin back in the future.)]]
*** Note that this also applies for any other prospective bride or groom of the above mentioned royals. The most obvious example is the [[GirlNextDoor nameless village maiden]] that marries Chrom if [[DevelopersForesight all his other potential brides are unavailable for one reason or another]] (married already, dead, don't have enough love points with him, etc.)
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
*** This can potentially happen to [[spoiler:Shura]]. Said character fits as a Cinderella, since [[spoiler:he used to be a vassal in service of the Principality of Kohga, which was destroyed by Kotaro from the Principality of Mokushu. But if he makes it to the end of the game, he rebuilds Kohga and becomes its leader (if he doesn't marry the Female Avatar and become her NumberTwo, that is).]]
*** Note, again, that there are quite a few royals that can be married off, including the Avatar this time, who's a member of the Hoshido royal family [[spoiler:and becomes ruler of Kingdom of Valla in the GoldenPath]], so anyone who marries said Avatar, their best friend Lady Azura, any of the royals from both the Nohr and Hoshido families, any of the other minor lords and rulers in those games, [[spoiler:Odin, aka [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Owain]]]], or their respective children, counts if they aren't already royal themselves.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
*** In the [[spoiler:Golden Deer and Church of Seiros]] routes, [[spoiler:a Byleth of either gender]] becomes leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, despite being [[spoiler:the common-born child of a mercenary]], thanks to their key role in unifying the continent in the first place, while on the Crimson Flower or Azure Moon routes, they can become the consort of Emperor Edelgard or King Dimitri respectively.
*** Dorothea (an opera singer who grew up an orphan on the streets), Dedue (the son of a blacksmith), Ashe (the son of restaurateurs who was adopted into nobility), Mercedes (the adopted [[spoiler:ex-noble]] daughter of a merchant), Raphael (the son of merchants), Leonie (the daughter of a hunter), Ignatz (the son of merchants), Manuela (a former diva-turned-professor), Hanneman (a former noble-turned-researcher), Cyril (a war orphan who works as a servant), and Shamir (a former mercenary-turned-knight) can all marry into royalty if they pair up with (depending on the character) Dimitri (crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus), Edelgard (crown princess of the Adrestian Empire), Petra (heir to the throne of Brigid), [[spoiler:Claude (crown prince of Almyra)]], and [[spoiler:Byleth (if they become leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan)]].
* ''VideoGame/FableII'' gives us an interesting example. TheHero is a pauper as a child, but then his/her SecretLegacy is discovered, which is that he/she is descended from a badass master of strength, marksmanship/litheness, and magic. After the tragic death of his/her sister at the hands of the BigBad, he/she grows up, masters the aforementioned skills, and defeats the BigBad. However, rather than marry into royalty, he/she forms his/her '''own''' monarchy, and because he/she is a Hero (master of said skills), he/she and his/her children, the main characters of ''VideoGame/FableIII'', are referred to as nobility, and having royal blood.
** Which comes back to bite said family in the ass in the ''VideoGame/FableIII'' DLC "Traitor's Keep", when a general who was imprisoned by the Hero's despotic son stages a coup, and argues that the royal family is tyrannical and unnecessary, with no real claim to rule Albion besides its magic powers.
* [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/mystery-talara "The Mystery of Princess Talara"]] from the ''[[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Elder Scrolls]]'' universe features a magnificent subversion of the Sleeping Beauty type; the plot even has ties to the main conflict of ''Arena''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'':
** It's strongly implied that [[HelloInsertNameHere the main character]] in ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' may, in fact, be [[spoiler:Prince of the Kingdom of Obel]]. This isn't a straight example, though, because said main character comes into his own independently of royal lineage. (In fact, assuming the title would've been a ''drop'' in status by the time it comes up.) It does cast the fight with [[spoiler:King Lino]] in a [[FridgeBrilliance new light]], though, doesn't it?
** In ''VideoGame/SuikodenTactics'' this continues, with [[spoiler:King Lino]] indicating he plans to name the ''Suikoden IV'' hero as his successor, without ever knowing [[spoiler:that the kid is his biological son and thus already the crown prince]].
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'':
** In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIII'', the slave Gwydion [[spoiler:is actually the long-lost Prince Alexander of Daventry]].
** He's not the only one who gets this landing on his plate. In [[VideoGame/KingsQuestI the first game]], Graham was a Cinderella style--son of a minor knight who worked his way up the ranks, returned the kingdom's lost treasures, and was given the crown by the childless King Edward. Edgar in the [[VideoGame/KingsQuestIV fourth]] and [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVII seventh]] game was under a situation closer to Gwydion's. Cassima was put into a Goose Girl situation in [[VideoGame/KingsQuestV the fifth game]] by Mordak. {{Fanon}} speculates the Cinderella route comes full circle with Connor after [[VideoGame/KingsQuestMaskOfEternity the eighth game]]. That depends [[ContestedSequel on whether or not]] you want to [[FanonDiscontinuity acknowledge the game even exists]].
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'':
*** [[spoiler:Alistair, bastard son of the late King Maric,]] is a Snow White type. He doesn't care about his RoyalBlood, and when the plot demands that the RightfulKingReturns, he'll only do it kicking and screaming unless the player has talked him into some CharacterDevelopment earlier in the game.
*** The player character him/herself can also undergo this in a RichesToRags to Royalty fashion if the Warden is of the human noble origin. If that's the case, the Warden is the younger son/only daughter of the Cousland family, who are second highest in precedence only to the royal family themselves, but the events of their origin story have caused them to become a Goose Girl/Guy. [[spoiler:This Warden can become Prince Consort (if male) by marrying dowager Queen Anora, or Queen-Consort (if female) by marrying Alistair.]]
*** The Dwarven Noble origin has a similar path: Exiled for killing their elder brother and heir to the throne (either truly or due to being framed by the younger brother), the Dwarven Noble later ends up being declared a Paragon; essentially, riches to rags to deification.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', [[spoiler:Hawke may become a viscount/ess if s/he sides with the Templars at the end.]] Ruling a whole city is a pretty big step from being a penniless refugee.
*** A female Hawke who pursues a friendship romance with Sebastian (only available in the ''Exiled Prince'' DLC) can marry him and become Princess of Starkhaven. It's a chaste marriage, and in the third game it's revealed to become a long-distance one, but it still counts.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has a few of them. The Republic culture doesn't support royalty per se (unless it's ElectiveMonarchy like the Zeltrons or Naboo), but Alderaan is their exception. All Republic players can be knighted by House Organa (yes, Leia's adoptive family) in the world quest. The Jedi Consular steps up to represent a minor house of nobility at a peace conference, and a Dark Side choice can net them a title of "Lord of Alderaan" by ruining one of the rival houses. Imperials, ever more inclined to royalty and its trappings, can do better; the Sith Inquisitor goes from being plucked off the auction block due to Force sensitivity and sent to Korriban to be the Emperor's [[CoDragons Co-Dragon]] (with the Sith Warrior). The female Bounty Hunter can also get this if they take an offer to marry an Imperial-aligned Alderaanian noble, becoming a Baroness.
* The ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' series has version of this. Any army not led by a general will be led by a generic default captain. If that army wins an epic battle and the captain survives, he may be adopted into the ruling family. From there, depending on the specific game in the series, he may either be named the Faction Heir directly by the player or will need the right combination of family members ahead of him in line for the throne to die. In either case, when the current Faction Leader dies, he will be named the new Faction Leader. Depending on the game and faction in question, this could result in the character going from a low-born captain to Emperor of Rome, King of England, Pharaoh of Egypt, Shogun of Japan, or numerous other possibilities.
* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' has Jansen as a Cinderella type where he was a commoner until the end of the game where [[spoiler:he marries Ming and became king of Numara.]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'''s protagonist. [[KidHero Common kid]] --> [[MadeASlave slave]] --> [[WalkTheEarth wanderer]] --> [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething King of Gotha]]. It's just that he doesn't know it until he reaches his hometown. [[AllJustADream Not that we]] [[OrWasItADream don't see this coming.]]
* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria''. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Protea]] was a commoner whom the king married for her beauty... and then he died and she ended up on the throne, where she quickly proved to be [[TheCaligula stupid, vain, incompetent, and completely lacking in any appreciation for the responsibilities of her post]].
** Also played with later. [[spoiler:Stocke is the [[DeadAllAlong resurrected]], [[IAmWho amnesiac]] crown prince. The main thing this qualifies him for is not ruling the country, but ''[[TargetedHumanSacrifice dying]]''.]]
* In ''Elite 2: Frontier'' and ''Frontier First Encounters'', you start out as a freelance space pilot with no particular social status. However, if you become a very successful mercenary for the Duval Empire (and grind a ''lot'' of missions), you will be rewarded with noble titles culminating with "Prince".
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** The {{Player Character}}s of the main series games each qualify, starting off as prisoners (or in one case, a shipwreck survivor) before ending up as rich and powerful adventurers in addition to rising to the top of numerous guilds and factions.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes this up a notch with the [[https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/10343/ Elisif the Fair Marriable]] GameMod. The mod allows the [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn]] to marry Elisif the Fair, the widow of the former High King of Skyrim (Torygg) and the Imperial-backed candidate to replace her deceased husband. Essentially, the player character would become the spouse of the ruling Queen of Skyrim. (Marrying Elisif was originally going to be an option in the unmodified game, but it was cut for time.)
* The ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' series includes Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White among its sprawling cast of fairy tale characters, so this trope is all over the place. In the twelfth game, there's a direct example in the case of Gerda, from ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'', who is all grown up and marries the ruler of the Snowfall Kingdom.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel IV'', this happens to [[spoiler:Scherazard Harvey from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' at the end of the GoldenEnding of the game where Olivert, the HeroicBastard prince of Erebonia asks her hand in marriage after the war is over. In nine games, she went from street urchin, to CircusBrat, to street urchin again after her adopted older sister killed their adopted father [[IfICantHaveYou due to not accepting her love confession]], to becoming a bracer, and finally the wife of the second in line to the throne, prince of Erebonia.]]
* This is parodied in the True Ending of ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'', where Shift, a street rat thief, becomes King of Amazon "[[NoodleIncident through a chain of wacky misunderstandings]]".
* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade Warband'' is the epitome of The Hard Way. Regardless of your gender, you need to fight your way to the throne if you want to be royalty.
* ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker2'': Olive is a Cinderella-Type, starting the game as the adopted daughter of the kingdom's hero but otherwise unremarkable, but by the end of the game, she may become a princess, the royal concubine, the queen consort or even the ruling queen, if the player fulfills all of the right requirements.
* Crono, main protagonist of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', starts the game as a normal commoner boy who happens to meet RebelliousPrincess Nadia, a.k.a. Marle, at his village's Millennial Fair, and proceeds to [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl go after her]] when she falls into a time portal. After embarking on an adventure to save the world from an alien life form destined to destroy the planet in the future, the ending animated cutscene shows a happy Crono and Marle on their wedding day.
* ''VideoGame/MilonsSecretCastle'': In the Game Boy port, Milon (a common sorceror) ends up marrying Queen Eliza after saving her from Maruhito.
----
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' had a version of the Snow White. [[spoiler:Princess Zelda is concealed among the Sheikah people to hide her from Ganondorf for seven years.]] %% No references to Sheik's biological sex, please.
** Tetra of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' follows the Sleeping Beauty version of this trope, [[spoiler:though in a partial subversion, she doesn't get to really return to her status as royalty because the entire Kingdom of Hyrule pulls an Atlantis and stays forever sealed at the bottom of the Great Sea. This doesn't really bother her much, though, because she hates being called Princess Zelda anyway.]]
** [[spoiler:Midna]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is another Snow White example.
** The Zelda in ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' is a rather literal Sleeping Beauty.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'', where one of the villains is a tiger crimelord named Rajan, who [[RagsToRiches climbed up from poverty]] through a life of crime . While presenting himself as royalty (via the self imposed title "Lord of the Hills" and his "newly purchased "ancestral palace""), he's a thug in king's clothing with no real title or royal blood.
-->'''Sly''' While (Rajan) goes to great lengths to convince others of his royalty, he's really trying to convince himself.
* In ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'', [[spoiler:Almaz]] is a Cinderella example in two of the endings. [[spoiler:In the Good ending, he ends up marrying Princess Sapphire Rhodonite. In the more jokey "Almaz Ending," Mao's father deems him Overlord of the Netherworld, much to his own dismay.]]
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' and its remake ''Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'' have several characters that fit in one or another way:
*** [[spoiler:Celica]] turns out to be a Snow White, since [[spoiler:she's the missing Princess Anthiese of Zofia, barely saved from her family's massacre by her ParentalSubstitute Mycen. She lives as a priestess of the goddess Mila and then sets out on a quest to find out about the goddess' disappearance, which will lead her to reveal her heritage. In the end, she not only takes over Zofia but marries the Prince of Rigel, and they unite their lands in the newborn Kingdom of Valentia.]]
*** On the other hand, [[spoiler:Alm]] is revealed to be a Sleeping Beauty, [[spoiler:completely unaware that he is the missing Prince Albein Alm Rudolf of Rigel. He joins LaResistance to fight King Rudolf's tyranny, not knowing that Rudolf is his DisappearedDad, and is '''very''' distressed when he finds out the truth ''[[SelfMadeOrphan after fatally injuring him]]''. In the end, he recovers and takes over Rigel, marrying his childhood friend aka the aforementioned Celica and reigning over Valentia with her.]]
*** After the end, the newborn Mercenary Kingdom will have a King that fits as a Cinderella, as he began as a common mercenary who joined Celica's group. [[spoiler:Whether Jesse or Kamui becomes said King, it depends on whether Jesse lives to the end of the game.]]
*** ''Shadows of Valentia'' [[CanonForeigner adds another of these]]: [[spoiler:Celica's half-brother Prince Conrad, also a Snow White. He also survived the massacre of the Zofian Royal Family and was raised away in the Sage's Hamlet, becoming a powerful knight and then reuniting with Celica. If he lives, he becomes a ReasonableAuthorityFigure for Valentia.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'':
*** [[spoiler:Cigyun and Deirdre]] are both Sleeping Beauties:\\
The first [[spoiler:was a young woman with [[HeroicLineage minor Loptous blood]], which was a ''very'' bad thing as her children would either become vessels for the Dark God Loptous or be the parents of a possible vessel. Cigyun escaped her home in a Verdane forest to see the world, married the Lord of Velthomer (from the also noble Fjalar clan) and had a son (Arvis) with major Fjalar blood ''and'' minor Loptous blood; however, she was mentally broken due to how much her husband cheated on her, so she cheated back on him with Prince Kurth, who belonged to ''another'' HeroicLineage (Naga). When the Velthomer lord found out and killed himself, the despaired Cigyun escaped back into to the Forest while pregnant with Deirdre, and died giving birth to her.]]\\
The second is a young girl living in a secluded forest, who was always told to not leave the tiny village, but didn't know ''why'' she should be in complete isolation. [[spoiler:As she is Cigyun's daughter, Deirdre has minor Loptous blood too ''and'' from her dad's side she is the long lost crown princess of Grandvale with major Naga heritage, but her caretakers refuse to tell her the truth. She leaves the Forest too and marries Sigurd, living happily with him (and having Seliph) until MagnificentBastard Manfroy kidnaps and brainwashes her... to become her half-brother Arvis's wife. And yep, their incestuous child Julius ''does'' become the vessel for Loptous, and kills Deirdre once possessed. Good thing Deirdre manages to spirit away her and Arvis's ''other'' incestuous child, Julia, and who ultimately joins her half-brother Seliph's rebellious group.]]
*** [[spoiler:Deirdre's eldest son]] Seliph and his friends (the kids of the first generation characters) belong to different categories, depending on their backstories. They're most commonly Snow Whites (Seliph, Leif, Oifey, Shannan, Lester and Lana, Ulster and Larcei, Patty, Ares, Arthur, maybe Altena, Fee and Ced, Diarmuid and Nanna), but we also have some Sleeping Beauties (Lene and Coirpre) and Goose Girls/Guys (Faval, Teeny). [[spoiler:Additionally, Lewyn is a subversion: he ''is'' the King of Silessa and should be on the throne, but he rejects his heritage (to the point that he gets pissed off when Seliph calls him "King") and prefers to be the TeamDad for Seliph's group so he can fight for the freedom of the empire. (Besides, if he DOES have kids with Forseti blood, the son will be crowned at the end of the game.)]] Oh, and [[spoiler:the aforementioned Deirdre's daughter/Seliph's half-sister Julia]] is a Snow White, [[spoiler:amnesiac and away from her noble family - thus unable to recall that she's the Imperial Princess of Grandvale and the current holder of the Naga major blood.]]
*** If you don't get the kids of the first generation characters, they're replaced by {{exp|y}}ies who are generally commoners. The exceptions are the stand-ins for Arthur and Tine, Amid and Linda, who are Snow Whites related by blood to the characters they're "replacing".
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'' there are many of these.
*** Leif, Nanna and Miranda are Snow Whites fighting to get their kingdoms back, to start. [[spoiler:Eyvel turns out to be an amnesiac Seeping Beauty since she's the long lost Princess Brigid; her adoptive daughter Mareeta and Mareeta's father Galzus are a Goose Guy and his Goose Girl daughter, thrown out of the small kingdom of Rivough when it was conquered years ago.]]
*** In both the second part of ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' and in ''Thracia 776'', the players learn that [[spoiler:Ced and Fee's mother Erinys ultimately became a Cinderella. Despite being only a Pegasus Knight in service to Silesse, Lewyn's mother Rahna trusted her enough to let her succeed the Silesse throne, even if she's not married to Lewyn, and so Erinys became the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure very kind and hardworking]] Queen of Silesse from being a non-noble Pegasus Knight. The downside is that she died a few years before the events of the second half of ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' and ''Thracia 776'' took place, which left Silesse open to attacks and occupation.]]
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', some of the girls that the young lord Roy can marry aren't exactly average noblewomen: the GenkiGirl dancer (and adoptive daughter [[spoiler:of an Etrurian general]], but still) Lalum, TomboyPrincess Sue from the nomadic Kutolah tribe (aka the daughter of ''Blazing Blade''[='s=] Rath), ActionGirl and mercenary Pegasus Knight Shanna, and the [[DarkIsNotEvil druid]] Sophia ([[spoiler:who's also a half-dragon]]).
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'':
*** Lyndis is a mix of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. She knows she's the princess of the Lorca tribe since her DisappearedDad was the chieftain... but she certainly does ''not'' know that her MissingMom was a former member of ''Lycian'' royalty. The first part of the game is dedicated to her finding out about her mom's origins, taking off to meet up with her still-living grandfather ''and'' defeating her [[EvilUncle Evil Great Uncle]]. Also, if Lyn marries either Eliwood or Hector, she can become the co-ruler of either Pherae or Ostia and reassure her Snow White traits.
*** Lyn's not the only potential Cindy, either: Lords Eliwood and Hector have brides who are either mercenary Pegasus Knights (Fiora, for Eliwood; Farina and Florina, for Hector) or a travelling dancer [[spoiler:who's also half-human and half dragon]] (Ninian, for Eliwood).
*** The same game has two Cinderellas: Louise and [[spoiler:Hellene]]. They're two childhood friends who are also members of very minor noble clans, who marry into much-higher families: Louise is HappilyMarried to Pent of Reglay, while [[spoiler:Hellene becomes the Queen of Bern via marrying King Desmond... and it gets worse for her]]. At the same time, we meet ''three'' Snow Whites: [[spoiler:Priscilla and Raymond of Cornwell, whose clan was overthrown due to their supposed corruption; and Rath from the Kutolah tribe, banished away from his tribe BecauseDestinySaysSo.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'':
*** The game has a mixed Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty in [[spoiler:Micaiah, who goes from a cute FortuneTeller on the streets to a JeanneDArchetype-like leader of LaResistance to general to Queen of Daein... in the meantime learning that she is in fact the rightful heir to the empire of Begnion...which she does not end up ruling, and her little sister Empress Sanaki remains in power]].
*** It also both subverts and averts the Sleeping Beauty type with [[spoiler:Pelleas and Soren. Pelleas, a poor orphan who got the power of charming spirits, suddenly found himself the lost prince of Daein and became king - but it turned out to be a big fat lie, and he wasn't royal at all - and, in his case, being thought of as the Prince ''[[BreakTheCutie completely destroyed his life]]'' [[KillTheCutie and caused his death]]. (Unless the player gathers the requirements to recruit him into the group, that is - if he lives through he becomes an adviser to the aforementioned Queen Micaiah, switching from Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella.) Soren, the true prince, never learns of his heritage and remains a commoner -- but considering how things went with Pelleas (and [[ArchnemesisDad who his birth father was]]), it's probably ''much'' better he remained this way.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'':
*** A very, ''very'' twisted Cinderella shows up as an antagonist: [[spoiler:Gangrel, who started as a poor dude from the slums and [[SelfMadeMan became the King of Plegia]]... as well as TheCaligula.]]
*** If a female Avatar marries Prince Chrom, she will become the future Queen of Ylisse and a Cinderella type. Or she can marry the nobleman Frederick and remain as Chrom's [[NumberTwo close friend and advisor]], or get together with Basilio aka one of the Khans of Regna Ferox, [[spoiler:or marry one of Chrom's potential sons (Brady or Inigo) or Lissa's son Owain.]], or marry Virion and [[spoiler:help him recover the Duchy of Rosanne]]. If a male Avatar marries Chrom's little sister Lissa [[spoiler:or his older sister Emmeryn if you recruit her via Spot Pass]], he will also be Cinderella'd into the Ylissean Royal Family; alternatively, he can marry Lissa's best friend Maribelle and be the husband of a future countess, or marry [[spoiler:any of Chrom's possible daughters (Kjelle, Cynthia, Lucina)]]... or marry the ''other'' Khan of Regna Ferox and Basilio's rival, Flavia, or marry close retainers and minor noblewomen like Cordelia, Sully and/or Sumia. [[spoiler:Since the Avatar's ArchnemesisDad Validar is the King of Plegia after Gangrel's fall, the Avatar of either gender is actually a Sleeping Beauty... and the "vessel" of Grima as well.]]
*** The female Avatar can also subvert it if she falls for either [[spoiler:the post HeelFaceTurn Gangrel and/or Walhart (neither is a ruler anymore), or Yen'fay (he's a Fallen Prince from an alternate timeline).]] Same goes to the male Avatar if his bride is [[spoiler:Say'ri (as Yen'fay's sister, she's a FallenPrincess - though she ''might'' have a chance to get Chon'sin back in the future.)]]
*** Note that this also applies for any other prospective bride or groom of the above mentioned royals. The most obvious example is the [[GirlNextDoor nameless village maiden]] that marries Chrom if [[DevelopersForesight all his other potential brides are unavailable for one reason or another]] (married already, dead, don't have enough love points with him, etc.)
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
*** This can potentially happen to [[spoiler:Shura]]. Said character fits as a Cinderella, since [[spoiler:he used to be a vassal in service of the Principality of Kohga, which was destroyed by Kotaro from the Principality of Mokushu. But if he makes it to the end of the game, he rebuilds Kohga and becomes its leader (if he doesn't marry the Female Avatar and become her NumberTwo, that is).]]
*** Note, again, that there are quite a few royals that can be married off, including the Avatar this time, who's a member of the Hoshido royal family [[spoiler:and becomes ruler of Kingdom of Valla in the GoldenPath]], so anyone who marries said Avatar, their best friend Lady Azura, any of the royals from both the Nohr and Hoshido families, any of the other minor lords and rulers in those games, [[spoiler:Odin, aka [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Owain]]]], or their respective children, counts if they aren't already royal themselves.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'':
*** In the [[spoiler:Golden Deer and Church of Seiros]] routes, [[spoiler:a Byleth of either gender]] becomes leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, despite being [[spoiler:the common-born child of a mercenary]], thanks to their key role in unifying the continent in the first place, while on the Crimson Flower or Azure Moon routes, they can become the consort of Emperor Edelgard or King Dimitri respectively.
*** Dorothea (an opera singer who grew up an orphan on the streets), Dedue (the son of a blacksmith), Ashe (the son of restaurateurs who was adopted into nobility), Mercedes (the adopted [[spoiler:ex-noble]] daughter of a merchant), Raphael (the son of merchants), Leonie (the daughter of a hunter), Ignatz (the son of merchants), Manuela (a former diva-turned-professor), Hanneman (a former noble-turned-researcher), Cyril (a war orphan who works as a servant), and Shamir (a former mercenary-turned-knight) can all marry into royalty if they pair up with (depending on the character) Dimitri (crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus), Edelgard (crown princess of the Adrestian Empire), Petra (heir to the throne of Brigid), [[spoiler:Claude (crown prince of Almyra)]], and [[spoiler:Byleth (if they become leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan)]].
* ''VideoGame/FableII'' gives us an interesting example. TheHero is a pauper as a child, but then his/her SecretLegacy is discovered, which is that he/she is descended from a badass master of strength, marksmanship/litheness, and magic. After the tragic death of his/her sister at the hands of the BigBad, he/she grows up, masters the aforementioned skills, and defeats the BigBad. However, rather than marry into royalty, he/she forms his/her '''own''' monarchy, and because he/she is a Hero (master of said skills), he/she and his/her children, the main characters of ''VideoGame/FableIII'', are referred to as nobility, and having royal blood.
** Which comes back to bite said family in the ass in the ''VideoGame/FableIII'' DLC "Traitor's Keep", when a general who was imprisoned by the Hero's despotic son stages a coup, and argues that the royal family is tyrannical and unnecessary, with no real claim to rule Albion besides its magic powers.
* [[http://www.imperial-library.info/content/mystery-talara "The Mystery of Princess Talara"]] from the ''[[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Elder Scrolls]]'' universe features a magnificent subversion of the Sleeping Beauty type; the plot even has ties to the main conflict of ''Arena''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'':
** It's strongly implied that [[HelloInsertNameHere the main character]] in ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' may, in fact, be [[spoiler:Prince of the Kingdom of Obel]]. This isn't a straight example, though, because said main character comes into his own independently of royal lineage. (In fact, assuming the title would've been a ''drop'' in status by the time it comes up.) It does cast the fight with [[spoiler:King Lino]] in a [[FridgeBrilliance new light]], though, doesn't it?
** In ''VideoGame/SuikodenTactics'' this continues, with [[spoiler:King Lino]] indicating he plans to name the ''Suikoden IV'' hero as his successor, without ever knowing [[spoiler:that the kid is his biological son and thus already the crown prince]].
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'':
** In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIII'', the slave Gwydion [[spoiler:is actually the long-lost Prince Alexander of Daventry]].
** He's not the only one who gets this landing on his plate. In [[VideoGame/KingsQuestI the first game]], Graham was a Cinderella style--son of a minor knight who worked his way up the ranks, returned the kingdom's lost treasures, and was given the crown by the childless King Edward. Edgar in the [[VideoGame/KingsQuestIV fourth]] and [[VideoGame/KingsQuestVII seventh]] game was under a situation closer to Gwydion's. Cassima was put into a Goose Girl situation in [[VideoGame/KingsQuestV the fifth game]] by Mordak. {{Fanon}} speculates the Cinderella route comes full circle with Connor after [[VideoGame/KingsQuestMaskOfEternity the eighth game]]. That depends [[ContestedSequel on whether or not]] you want to [[FanonDiscontinuity acknowledge the game even exists]].
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'':
*** [[spoiler:Alistair, bastard son of the late King Maric,]] is a Snow White type. He doesn't care about his RoyalBlood, and when the plot demands that the RightfulKingReturns, he'll only do it kicking and screaming unless the player has talked him into some CharacterDevelopment earlier in the game.
*** The player character him/herself can also undergo this in a RichesToRags to Royalty fashion if the Warden is of the human noble origin. If that's the case, the Warden is the younger son/only daughter of the Cousland family, who are second highest in precedence only to the royal family themselves, but the events of their origin story have caused them to become a Goose Girl/Guy. [[spoiler:This Warden can become Prince Consort (if male) by marrying dowager Queen Anora, or Queen-Consort (if female) by marrying Alistair.]]
*** The Dwarven Noble origin has a similar path: Exiled for killing their elder brother and heir to the throne (either truly or due to being framed by the younger brother), the Dwarven Noble later ends up being declared a Paragon; essentially, riches to rags to deification.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', [[spoiler:Hawke may become a viscount/ess if s/he sides with the Templars at the end.]] Ruling a whole city is a pretty big step from being a penniless refugee.
*** A female Hawke who pursues a friendship romance with Sebastian (only available in the ''Exiled Prince'' DLC) can marry him and become Princess of Starkhaven. It's a chaste marriage, and in the third game it's revealed to become a long-distance one, but it still counts.
* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has a few of them. The Republic culture doesn't support royalty per se (unless it's ElectiveMonarchy like the Zeltrons or Naboo), but Alderaan is their exception. All Republic players can be knighted by House Organa (yes, Leia's adoptive family) in the world quest. The Jedi Consular steps up to represent a minor house of nobility at a peace conference, and a Dark Side choice can net them a title of "Lord of Alderaan" by ruining one of the rival houses. Imperials, ever more inclined to royalty and its trappings, can do better; the Sith Inquisitor goes from being plucked off the auction block due to Force sensitivity and sent to Korriban to be the Emperor's [[CoDragons Co-Dragon]] (with the Sith Warrior). The female Bounty Hunter can also get this if they take an offer to marry an Imperial-aligned Alderaanian noble, becoming a Baroness.
* The ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' series has version of this. Any army not led by a general will be led by a generic default captain. If that army wins an epic battle and the captain survives, he may be adopted into the ruling family. From there, depending on the specific game in the series, he may either be named the Faction Heir directly by the player or will need the right combination of family members ahead of him in line for the throne to die. In either case, when the current Faction Leader dies, he will be named the new Faction Leader. Depending on the game and faction in question, this could result in the character going from a low-born captain to Emperor of Rome, King of England, Pharaoh of Egypt, Shogun of Japan, or numerous other possibilities.
* ''VideoGame/LostOdyssey'' has Jansen as a Cinderella type where he was a commoner until the end of the game where [[spoiler:he marries Ming and became king of Numara.]]
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'''s protagonist. [[KidHero Common kid]] --> [[MadeASlave slave]] --> [[WalkTheEarth wanderer]] --> [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething King of Gotha]]. It's just that he doesn't know it until he reaches his hometown. [[AllJustADream Not that we]] [[OrWasItADream don't see this coming.]]
* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria''. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Protea]] was a commoner whom the king married for her beauty... and then he died and she ended up on the throne, where she quickly proved to be [[TheCaligula stupid, vain, incompetent, and completely lacking in any appreciation for the responsibilities of her post]].
** Also played with later. [[spoiler:Stocke is the [[DeadAllAlong resurrected]], [[IAmWho amnesiac]] crown prince. The main thing this qualifies him for is not ruling the country, but ''[[TargetedHumanSacrifice dying]]''.]]
* In ''Elite 2: Frontier'' and ''Frontier First Encounters'', you start out as a freelance space pilot with no particular social status. However, if you become a very successful mercenary for the Duval Empire (and grind a ''lot'' of missions), you will be rewarded with noble titles culminating with "Prince".
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** The {{Player Character}}s of the main series games each qualify, starting off as prisoners (or in one case, a shipwreck survivor) before ending up as rich and powerful adventurers in addition to rising to the top of numerous guilds and factions.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' takes this up a notch with the [[https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/10343/ Elisif the Fair Marriable]] GameMod. The mod allows the [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn]] to marry Elisif the Fair, the widow of the former High King of Skyrim (Torygg) and the Imperial-backed candidate to replace her deceased husband. Essentially, the player character would become the spouse of the ruling Queen of Skyrim. (Marrying Elisif was originally going to be an option in the unmodified game, but it was cut for time.)
* The ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' series includes Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White among its sprawling cast of fairy tale characters, so this trope is all over the place. In the twelfth game, there's a direct example in the case of Gerda, from ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'', who is all grown up and marries the ruler of the Snowfall Kingdom.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel IV'', this happens to [[spoiler:Scherazard Harvey from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' at the end of the GoldenEnding of the game where Olivert, the HeroicBastard prince of Erebonia asks her hand in marriage after the war is over. In nine games, she went from street urchin, to CircusBrat, to street urchin again after her adopted older sister killed their adopted father [[IfICantHaveYou due to not accepting her love confession]], to becoming a bracer, and finally the wife of the second in line to the throne, prince of Erebonia.]]
* This is parodied in the True Ending of ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'', where Shift, a street rat thief, becomes King of Amazon "[[NoodleIncident through a chain of wacky misunderstandings]]".
* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade Warband'' is the epitome of The Hard Way. Regardless of your gender, you need to fight your way to the throne if you want to be royalty.
* ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker2'': Olive is a Cinderella-Type, starting the game as the adopted daughter of the kingdom's hero but otherwise unremarkable, but by the end of the game, she may become a princess, the royal concubine, the queen consort or even the ruling queen, if the player fulfills all of the right requirements.
* Crono, main protagonist of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', starts the game as a normal commoner boy who happens to meet RebelliousPrincess Nadia, a.k.a. Marle, at his village's Millennial Fair, and proceeds to [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl go after her]] when she falls into a time portal. After embarking on an adventure to save the world from an alien life form destined to destroy the planet in the future, the ending animated cutscene shows a happy Crono and Marle on their wedding day.
* ''VideoGame/MilonsSecretCastle'': In the Game Boy port, Milon (a common sorceror) ends up marrying Queen Eliza after saving her from Maruhito.
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