Top 10 LGBTQ+ Video Game Characters

#10: Max Caulfield

“Life Is Strange” (2015)

This series is now synonymous with LGBTQ+ representation, and all that started with Max Caulfield, the first game’s bisexual lead. Max may not ever openly say she’s bi, but it’s made clear enough by the player’s ability to romance either Warren or Chloe. Chloe has consistently been the most popular option with the game’s fans, and her own relationship with Rachel Amber was explored in the prequel. “Life is Strange 2” continued in the tradition Max began, featuring another bisexual lead, Sean Diaz. In a time when bisexual erasure remains a real problem both within and without the LGBTQ+ community, it’s great to have multiple bi characters in a mainstream series.

#9: Vivian

“Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” (2004)

If you played the English localization of “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door”, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that Vivian is a trans woman – but in every other translation of the game and the original Japanese version, this is made explicitly clear, as is Vivian’s struggle to be recognized by her siblings as the woman she is. She’s not a perfect character by any means, but nobody’s perfect, and she remains a very important stepping stone on the way to true representation in media. While Vivian is mocked by her villainous sisters, she turns coat and joins Mario, becoming one of the best characters in the “Paper Mario” series.

#8: Samantha Greenbriar

“Gone Home” (2013)

For a while, Sam from “Gone Home” was the most well-known lesbian in video games. Though the game earned a lot of the same criticism as other so-called “walking simulators”, it was still a profound exploration of LGBTQ+ issues. You play as Katie, who returns to her family home after some time away to find the house ominously deserted. As you collect various notes and letters from Katie’s younger sister Samantha, it becomes clear that Sam is in a relationship with another girl, Lonnie, and that their parents want to keep Sam and Lonnie apart. It was “Gone Home’s” portrayal not just of lesbian characters but of overcoming homophobia from family members that made it so popular.

#7: Arcade Gannon

“Fallout: New Vegas” (2010)

In the post-nuclear apocalypse, everybody has bigger things to worry about than whether or not other people are gay. All of “New Vegas’s” queer companions, Arcade, Cass, and Veronica, are simply allowed to exist as themselves, each dropping casually into conversation who they’re attracted to and what their past relationships have been like. Arcade’s companion quest revolves around his conflicted feelings about his parents, who were both members of the Enclave before its collapse, rather than having anything to do with his sexuality. It’s always refreshing to see LGBTQ+ characters who are allowed to be completely open with their identity without it being their only trait.

#6: Dorian Pavus

“Dragon Age: Inquisition” (2014)

In a BioWare game, you’re never really going to be short on same-sex relationship options. The first game gave us some decent bi and pan representation with Leliana and Zevran, but “Inquisition” has some of the most nuanced portrayals of sexuality in any game. Dorian is a fan-favorite character, a mage from the Tevinter Imperium who’s the main, exclusively gay male romance option. He shares a name with one of the most famous gay literary characters of all time, so you know he has to be iconic. “Inquisition” also boasts some trans representation, too, through Krem, a canon trans man – though he’s a minor character.

#5: Sam

“A Normal Lost Phone” (2017)

You may have missed this short indie game, but its influence has still been profound for many who have played it. You find a missing phone that belongs to someone called Sam, whom you eventually discover is transgender by searching through the phone’s contents. While, yes, this “spying on a stranger through their phone” premise is a little creepy, you find out Sam threw her phone away on purpose and wants somebody to look through it. Sam is grappling with many issues lots of trans people face, like whether to medically transition, and coming to terms with people in her life being transphobic. The game also conveys how important cell phones are to LGBTQ+ people across the spectrum who need them as a lifeline.

#4: Flea

“Chrono Trigger” (1995)

The understanding of gender non-conforming and non-binary people wasn’t as deep in the 1990s as it is today, so you might think that a game from 1995 can’t really be up to modern standards. But “Chrono Trigger’s” Flea is a rare example of a non-binary character who’s open in their identity and unapologetic. Though they’re initially cast as a villain, which isn’t great for representation, their character is developed enough that most people forgive the game for falling back on a problematic trope. Non-binary representation is still lacking in mainstream games today, but Flea will always be an influential LGBTQ+ character.

#3: Gregg & Angus

“Night in the Woods” (2017)

When Mae returns home after dropping out of college, it’s down to her to start reconnecting with the townsfolk of Possum Springs, but mostly her old bandmates. Two of those bandmates are Gregg and Angus, Gregg being Mae’s best friend in high school, and they’re one of the few established gay couples in video games. You get to know where Gregg’s at in his life now and slowly form Mae’s own relationship with Angus. They’re a nuanced couple and a realistic portrayal of life in your early twenties; in an extraordinarily well-written and relatable game, Gregg and Angus are one of the best parts.

#2: Tyler Ronan

“Tell Me Why” (2020)

One of the most nuanced portrayals of a trans man in video games to date, Tyler Ronan was a breakthrough moment for trans representation. Dontnod’s “Tell Me Why” tells the story of the Ronan twins, Tyler and Alyson, exploring their relationship, Tyler’s gender identity and sexuality, and how they come to terms with a particularly traumatic event in their past. Not only was Tyler the first lead transgender character in a triple-A release, but he was voiced by a trans male actor, August Aiden Black. “Tell Me Why” strives to be as accurate as possible in its portrayal of the trans experience and has been widely praised by critics and players because of this.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions:

Juhani, “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” (2003)

She Was the First Canonical Lesbian in the Entire “Star Wars” Universe.

Steve Cortez, “Mass Effect 3” (2012)

The Only Exclusively Gay Male Romance in “Mass Effect”, Cortez Was a Series Landmark.

Leonardo da Vinci, “Assassin’s Creed” series (2007-)

Da Vinci Was Famously Queer In Real Life, and This History Was Respected by Ubisoft.

Birdo, “Super Mario” franchise (1985-)

Since the 1980s, Birdo Has Been a Staple Part of Queer Video Game Culture.

Undyne, “Undertale” (2015)

Help Her Woo Alphys, The Woman of Her Dreams, If You’re a True Pacifist.

#1: Ellie

“The Last of Us” series (2013-)

In 2013, “The Last of Us” became one of the most celebrated video games of all time – but history hadn’t been made just yet. In the following year, Naughty Dog released the “Left Behind” expansion, which showed Ellie kiss her best friend Riley. Though “Left Behind” ended in tragedy – as is always the way with zombie apocalypse media – it was a landmark moment that paved the way for even deeper representation in “The Last of Us Part II”, through the additions of Dina and Lev. The first game also had Bill, a gay man. Ellie remains a wildly popular character and it’s impossible to overstate her importance to sapphic gamers.