Video games are a wonderful tool of escapism, made all the better now that lesbian characters are becoming more common. If you’re an experienced gamer, you’ll find many well-known games on this list, but even if you’ve never played a game in your life, some of these can be a wonderful way into the medium.
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm
In Life Is Strange: Before The Storm you play Chloe, a young outsider at school who forms a close friendship with Rachel Amber, the popular girl. The game offers various options to go through the game, and you can decide which way your relationship with Rachel takes.
The game is a prequel to the successful Life Is Strange, which is also worth playing and has some lesbian content if you choose to go this route. It is a bit grim, however, and knowing the events of Life Is Strange might spoil LiS: Before The Storm for you a little bit. That’s why we recommend the prequel over the initial game.
Who is this game for?
The game is for players of all skill-levels, as it’s a story-driven adventure game and as such doesn’t require fast reflexes. It’s rated PEGI 16, USK 12, and ESRB Mature and contains drugs and violence.
Platforms
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Android, iOS and will be available for Nintendo Switch in Q4 2021.
Life Is Strange: True Colors
Released in 2021, Life Is Strange: True Colors takes the concept of the previous games and takes them up a notch. You’re Alex Cheng, you’ve just come out of the foster care system to start a new life with your brother in a small mining town.
Unbeknownst to him, you have a strange power that lets you see the emotions of people and hear their thoughts. As you get to know the people in the town, you also learn to use your powers better when disaster strikes.
The game is beautiful to look at and gives you the option to start a romance with either Steph, the local DJ, or Ryan, who works at the national park. While the story feels a bit rushed, the dialogs are witty and there isn’t anything quite like it out there.
Who is this game for?
The game is for players of all skill-levels, as it’s a story-driven adventure game and doesn’t require good reflexes. It’s rated PEGI 16, USK 12, and ESRB Mature.
Platforms
Life Is Strange: True Colors is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Stadia and will be available for Nintendo Switch sometime in 2021.
Gone Home
Gone Home has often been called a walking simulator because the game consists of walking through an empty house, picking up flyers and mementos and figuring out where your family is. They were supposed to meet you after your year abroad, but nobody’s there when you arrive.
While the premise might make this sound like a horror game, it is a rather chill experience, at least if you know that nothing will jump out at you. (I have still heard people find the game unsettling, but I promise you nothing horrible happens.)
If you’ve lived through the 90s yourself, you might connect to this game on an even deeper level as you go through zines or old riot grrrl tapes. There is lesbian content in the game, but I’m not going to spoil it for you here.
Who is this game for?
Again, as a walking simulator, the game is for everyone, even to total video game novices. It has a rating of USK 6, PEGI 16 and ESRB Mature.
Platforms
Gone Home is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and iOS.
Mass Effect Series
You know you’re doing something right if your game gets called out by FOX News! Mass Effect is an action RPG by Bioware that made a splash when the first game was released back in 2007, not least because it allows you to play as a male or female protagonist called Shepard, who gets various romance options in the game.
The lesbian romance option in this game is with Liara T’Soni, an alien of a monogendered species. Different choices again allow you to experience different story paths. Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 carry the story forwards and consider some of the paths you have taken if you continue with a character you started in the previous games. There are additional lesbian romance options in part 2 and 3 as well, or you can stay faithful to Liara (if you choose to romance her at all) during all three parts of the series.
Note
There’s an excellent mod on PC that also lets you romance Ashley as female Shepard in Mass Effect (part 1). As all the voice lines for this romance were recorded before the feature was scrapped prior to the game’s release, this is very much worth playing. As it’s not officially implemented in the game, obviously that choice can’t carry over to the following titles of the series.
While Mass Effect 3 ends this story arc – and has been widely criticized for the way the game ends, which offers little variety and doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense – there is also Mass Efffect: Andromeda which came out in 2017 and plays a long time after the first three games. Many fans of the series were disappointed with Andromeda, as it was in a fairly rough state when it came out. (You can read more about its troubled development in Jason Schreier’s excellent article on the topic.) I generally enjoyed my time with the game, even though the story was a bit disappointing and the romance options far less memorable. (Don’t romance the journalist, it’s not worth it…)
Either way, the Mass Effect games are an excellent choice if you want a meaningful lesbian storyline, so if you haven’t played these yet, you can enjoy the three first games now in a visually enhanced remastered version.
Who is this game for?
Mass Effect is an action RPG and as such features many gunfights that do require a little bit of skill. If you’re a total video game novice, give it a shot anyway. This is the game that got one of my non-gaming friends interested in video games at all, as she’s a huge fan of science fiction books and got intrigued by my telling her about the Mass Effect universe.
The game is rated USK 16, ESRB Mature, and Pegi 18. While the game features love scenes if you choose to begin a romance with someone, they are fairly harmless and not too graphic.
Platforms
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, the original series is also available for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Dragon Age Series
In the same vein as Mass Effect, Dragon Age is another RPG by Bioware that gives you various gay romance options, but where Mass Effect is sci-fi, Dragon Age is set in a fantasy world.
The first part of the series was Dragon Age: Origins in 2009, followed by a slightly less popular Dragon Age II in 2011 that suffered a bit from a short development time. Nevertheless they managed to set the series back on the right path with Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014 that received generally favorable reviews, and Dragon Age 4 is currently in development.
Who is this game for?
As another action RPG with lots of sword fighting (or magic, if you choose), the Dragon Age series requires a little bit of skill, so may not be ideal for complete novices.
Platforms
PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
The Assassin’s Creed series started in 2007 and has spawned countless games and spin-offs since then. Yet, it wasnt until the last Mass Effect game, Andromeda, disappointed expectations and the development of another Mass Effect game stopped being a foregone conclusion that Ubisoft stepped up to the plate, filling the niche with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Where previous Assassin’s Creed games were linear, Odyssey gave you branching story options, let you choose between a male or female player, and threw a bunch of different same-sex relationship options in there to sweeten the deal. (Also, you get to play as Kassandra, who is endlessly gorgeous.)
While the romance options don’t go into as much depth as the more involved romances in Mass Effect, there are plenty of them, some of them quite memorable as well. The game is very long and there is quite a bit of grinding to do, but I enjoyed it all and loved playing my careless but loving mercenary who lives an out, full life as a lesbian in ancient Greece.
Note
While you can play the whole game as a lesbian character if you so choose, there’s a story DLC called Legacy of the First Blade that effectively forces a straight storyline onto the player. This has met with some criticism from LGBTQ+ players and I’d suggest you stay away from the DLC if straight relationships aren’t your cup of tea.
The Assassin’s Creed series is part of a bigger story about a bloodline of assassin’s, but you don’t need to know any of the other parts of the series to enjoy this one.
Who is this game for?
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is a game for more advanced players, as you will need to do a lot of fighting and grinding. You’ll also easily need 50-100 hours to beat the game, depending on how much grinding and exploration you do. It has a rating of USK 16, PEGI 18 and ESRB Mature.
Platforms
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia.
The Last Of Us: Left Behind
The Last Of Us really pushed the hardware when it came out for Playstation 3 in 2013. It looked amazing and played exceptionally well, and soon was remastered for Playstation 4. I love the game, but it’s ultimately a violent game in a depressing world full of zombies.
The DLC Left Behind goes deeper into Ellie’s background (and sexuality), and while there’s a lot less shooting zombies and a lot more exploration, it’s ultimately depressing as well. If you can enjoy such games, I do recommend this. It’s now also available as a standalone game.
Who is this game for?
With a short playtime of less than 3 hours, you can easily play this in an afternoon. The shooting is slightly advanced but there’s a lot of exploration of an abandoned mall. The rating is PEGI 18 and ESRB Mature.
Platforms
Playstation 3
The Last Of Us Part II
In The Last Of Us Part II, you continue Ellie’s story. Visually and technically, the game is a masterpiece, but again it is a dark and depressing game full of violence. Ellie’s grown up to be an efficient killer, and if you’re a killer, every problem looks like a victim. If you know this and you’re OK with all the suffering the game makes you inflict, this one will be a very memorable experience.
Ellie’s relationship is an important part of the long, violent story told in this, and the way the relationship is slowly built in the running dialogue makes it very memorable.
Who is this game for?
This is another game I’d put in the category for advanced players, as it requires a lot of sneaking and murdering. It has a rating of ESRB Mature and PEGI 18.
Platforms
Playstation 4
The Sims
Who is this game for?
Whether you’re an experienced gamer or you’re entirely new to games, The Sims is for you. Everything is done by leisurely clicking, you don’t need good reflexes and you can make your own adventure. The Sims is a simulation of another life in which you can pick different careers and meet your neighbors, and the game has always been inclusive to allow same-sex relationships. Meanwhile we’re on the The Sims 4, but they all follow more or less the same premise.
The Sims 4 is rated ESRB Teen, PEGI 12 and USK 6.
Platforms
The Sims 4 is available for PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One, previous games are also available for older consoles.
Stardew Valley
Much has been written about Stardew Valley, a game made by one guy over many years as an hommage to the Harvest Moon games he loved. When the game came out, it enjoyed massive success. In the game, you inherit an old, overgrown farm in a small town and while you clean it up and plant your own crops, you also get to know the townspeople. If you want, you can also romance some of them. It’s a lovely feel-good game that I can’t recommend enough.
Who is this game for?
Stardew Valley doesn’t really require any experience in games, although I don’t know how much casual gamers would enjoy exploring the dangerous mines – or the very skillbased fishing mini-game. Stardew Valley is rated ESRB Everyone, USK 6 and PEGI 12.
Platforms
While I’ll always recommend the game for Nintendo Switch, it’s also available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, and Playstation Vita.
Tacoma
Tacoma is another walking simulator, or exploration game if you’re being nice. In this one you have to explore a space station to figure out what transpired there. While there are no romance options for the player, it does contain a lesbian story in the storyline.
Who is this game for?
Tacoma doesn’t require any particular skills and is a short game, lasting all of roughly three hours. So play this on a rainy afternoon when you have nothing else to do. Tacoma is rated ESRB Mature and PEGI 16.
Platforms
PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One.
Lake
Lake is a game from 2021 that puts you in the shoes of Meredith, who goes back to her small hometown after many years to substitute at the local post office for two weeks.
As you leisurely deliver mail and meet the locals and reconnect with old friends, you’re also given two possible romance options, one with a guy and one with a woman.
The game is set in 1986 and the romance is a bit subdued and rushed, but the game is very sweet and I recommend it. It’s a short game of 7 hours, perfect for a rainy weekend, and really the only downside is that there isn’t more content to flesh out the game a bit more.
Who is this game for?
Lake doesn’t require any particular skills and only takes roughly 7 hours to complete. I’ve not found any rating information for it but there is no violence and it is generally very wholesome.
Platforms
PC, PS4, Xbox One.
Honorable Mention: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Bear with me here for a moment: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is not really a game about lesbians, as much as I wish this were true. It still receives an honorable mention for me because I believe it can speak to a lot of lesbians in the portrayal of the two main characters, Nadine and Chloe. While the two women begin working together out of necessity, they eventually come to form a friendship over the course of their adventure together. (And while there’s no love story between them, there is lots of fan fiction shipping the two of them.)
As of 2021, I dare say that the this game along with Uncharted 4 is one of the visually most stunning games I have seen and the motion capture and superb acting by Claudia Black and Laura Bailey absolutely elevate this. (If you’re South African, you might be offended by Nadine’s fake South African accent, though.)
Lastly, this game is about two women in their late 30ies or so, and they’re not sexualised but portrayed as capable, multi-faceted characters who wear sensible clothes. That alone makes this game a must-play in my book.
Who is this game for?
You’ll do lots of sneaking and murdering, so having some video game experience will definitely help. At roughly eight hours of playtime, this is also not a huge time investment, even if you’re busy. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is rated ESRB Teen, PEGI 16 and USK 16.
Platforms
Playstation 4 (with a scheduled release for Playstation 5 and PC in early 2022).
