The LGBTQ+ community and video games have had a rather tenuous relationship throughout history. Countless instances of misrepresentation and outright denial have left the LGBTQ+ community feeling sidelined. However, as time progresses and developers begin to work in an increasingly more diverse society, many are seeing more and more representation and affirmation in games regarding their gender or sexuality.
Nothing says living your dream like being able to love who you want to love and see yourself represented in a character on screen. This is why video games with LGBTQ+ romance options, or showcasing these relationships, are so vital. They let people play as and be who they want to be, or at the very least to see their truths represented on screen.
Updated June 8, 2023 By Ben Jessey: It is currently Pride month, which serves as a celebration for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. Gaming hasn't always been welcoming to those in the said community. And that issue begins with the titles themselves.
Most romantic relationships in games feature straight cis people. While there is nothing wrong with having straight romances, the industry needs more variety and representation. Thankfully, more and more games have begun to do this. We created this list to highlight the best ones, which we've now updated to include a few more.
13 Tell Me Why
The story of the narrative game Tell Me Why follows two siblings who reunite after many years. One of them is named Tyler, and he's trans. Both he and his sister go through a troubling time during the game as they begin to figure out what really happened on the day their mother died.
It isn't all doom and gloom, though, as Tyler also gets a chance at love. The guy he gets a chance with is a friend of his sister's named Michael. The two are friends at first, but it can quickly get flirty if you let it. And a relationship could be on the horizon if you make the correct choices.
12 Life Is Strange: True Colors
In Life Is Strange True Colors, Alex Chen meets up with her long-lost brother as she visits the small town where he lives. While there, she makes some new friends, who end up helping her out when she intends to uncover the dark secret about the seemingly beautiful mining town.
One of Alex's closest allies in her noble pursuit is record-store owner Steph. She's cool, funny, and just a delight to be around. And, as Alex, you have a chance to woo her if you make the right choices.
11 The Walking Dead: The Final Season
Throughout the early seasons of the iconic narrative adventure series known as The Walking Dead, Clementine isn't too focused on relationships. She is just a child for the first few seasons, after all. Not to mention, she is continually trying to survive in a world infested with zombie-like monsters, so it isn't the perfect time for romance.
But by the final season, she is a full-fledged teenager and has something resembling a safe home. It's there that she meets her potential love interest, Violet. You get to witness the two young girl's budding romance throughout the game.
10 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is the kind of series you can fully immerse yourself into. It's got a gripping story that's backed up perfectly through the stunning graphics and well-developed characters, which is probably why it turned out to be such a success.
The plot and characters aren't the only things fans love about these games. They star Ellie, a known member of the LGBTQ+ community - as revealed in the DLC Left Behind - who explores her sexuality through relationships. Both through Ellie's character and other elements of the game, you're able to explore such romances with simplicity and realism
9 Undertale
A lot of players will be able to fully immerse themselves into the outstanding graphics of modern games like The Last of Us. However, Undertale is a bit different. It's equally immersive and easy to love, but it has more retro and pixelated graphics. These are put to great use when designing a range of fantastic monsters that encompass a variety of sexualities.
While Undertale doesn't really have the option for you to specifically date anyone, there are quite a few different LGBTQ+ couples dotted about this mysterious and lovable world. That's coupled with the fact that the protagonist is often referred to as they/them throughout this fantastic game.
8 Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Dream Daddy is a dating simulator that seems to have taken the world by storm. Its popularity is second to none, primarily due to the attractive dads you'll get to flirt with and date on your journey to understanding who you really are as the protagonist.
The game is only about dads, so you can rule out any Lesbian dating. However, it still explores a variety of sexualities and is a prime example of a spectrum within the gay community and has a focus on the abolishment of LGBTQ+ stereotypes.
7 Dragon Age
Romance is a relatively heavy aspect within Dragon Age, so it would be a little odd if such romances didn't extend to the LGBTQ+ community. Thankfully, you get to flirt and sleep with whomever you desire if you use the right gifts and dialogue options.
Sometimes this medieval fantasy franchise feels like an action game mixed with a dating simulator, thanks to the constant flirting from almost every NPC you come across. There is no hesitation with any LGBTQ+ romances and you can explore such events any way you desire.
6 Mass Effect Series
Some of the best video games out there are the ones that include gripping action, thrilling storylines, and wonderful character development. After all, it's never a bad thing to end up truly understanding the character you play as well as the NPCs that surround you.
Mass Effect is exactly that. It's got all the aspects gamers love with a bit of available romance thrown in. You can romance most of the crew you end up recruiting, regardless of their gender. There's also the fact that the crew can fall in love with each other too, making fantastic and inclusive love stories in this wonderful game.
5 The Outer Worlds
Unfortunately, The Outer Worlds doesn't really have many dating mechanics. You're too busy exploring planets to fall in love with an NPC. However, while the protagonist may be too busy, their companions are anything but.
One such companion is Parvarti. She's a lovable character with eyes for the Groundbreaker engineer, Junlei Tennyson. You get to explore this romance from the ground up, often giving Parvarti advice on how she should approach Junlei and collecting the right gifts for her to give. It's a lovely quest that is just a perfect and subtle nod to the LGBTQ+ community.
4 Hades
It's fairly common knowledge by now that scholars believe many Greek gods were mostly part of the LGBTQ+ community. Stories of their plights often involve same-sex romances very matter-of-factly. So, when a game like Hades comes out, we can only hope some of those same-sex romances appear on the screen.
Thankfully they do. When Zagreus isn't fighting his way out of the Underworld you can find him flirting with both men and women who wind up in his halls. Then there are also the star-crossed lovers, Achilles, and Patroclus, and a plethora of other LGBTQ+ characters.
3 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed is one of those franchises that doesn't limit itself through time. It takes some interesting parts of history and makes a thrilling story, allowing you to fully embrace the culture and design of such a time period.
Such time periods have been fully embraced within the recent games, specifically Odyssey in which the protagonist is able to sleep with or romance the countless NPCs they meet. In typical Greek fashion, there are no rules as to what gender they need to be, and the same goes for Valhalla.
2 Cyberpunk 2077
With a game set 55 years in the future, many can only hope that the LGBTQ+ community is more widely accepted within society. Unfortunately, it never really seems to be a prominent aspect in Cyberpunk 2077, unless you go down a specific route.
For example, if you play as a female character, you can romance Judy and River. If you are a man then Kerry will be interested. This is fantastic since it doesn't just assume the NPCs would be interested in any gender or sexuality. Instead, they all have their own preferences, and it's up to the communication between you and the NPC to figure that out and act on it.
1 Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley takes on a more traditional style of romance in video games where everybody's sexuality is up in the air. This farming simulator involves a multitude of aspects but dating, marriage, and children seem to be a large portion.
No matter your gender you can romance any of the eligible bachelors or bachelorettes with the right gifts and the right words. You get to live your LGBTQ+ cottage-core dream in this game with very few worries.