10 best LGBTQ+ video games to play right now Game Grumps \/ Square Enix \/ RespawnVideo games have progressed massively when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in recent years. Here, we\u2019ve rounded up some of the best titles featuring queer characters and storylines that you can play right now. Queer people have always found escapism through entertainment, whether that\u2019s movies or music, or theatre. Video games are no different, with characters like Lara Croft and Bayonetta often being cited as gay icons \u2014 even Pokemon is known for its huge LGBTQ+ fan base. It\u2019s not just indie games that empower and represent the LGBTQ+ community, either. Plenty of major franchises like Assassin\u2019s Creed and even popular free-to-play battle royales like Apex Legends have begun to embrace queer characters. We\u2019ve rounded up some of the best video games that feature queer characters and storylines. The Last Of Us 1 & 2 Available on: PS4 & PS5 Both The Last Of Us and its long-awaited sequel are worthy of being called video game masterpieces. They offer up a bleak, cinematic story for the ages and characters that will stay with you for a lifetime \u2013 and that\u2019s not to mention the incredible post-apocalyptic gameplay. The cherry on top is that main character Ellie is a rare lesbian protagonist in a triple-A title that goes beyond stereotypes. Her sexuality was first explored in the DLC prologue Left Behind, before she stepped into the lead role in the incredible The Last of Us 2, which cemented her place in the gaming hall of fame. Haven Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch & PC Haven follows two lovers, Yu and Kay, as they escape to an uninhabited planet called Source. Here, they must learn to survive together by defeating hostile creatures and collecting resources to repair their spaceship, affectionately referred to as their Nest. While the game originally featured a heterosexual relationship, a free update in March 2022 added two options for Yu and Kay to be a same-sex couple instead. Even better, you can play Haven in co-op mode if you\u2019ve got a special someone in real life. Assassin\u2019s Creed: Odyssey Available on: PS4, Xbox One & PC It\u2019s not the latest Assassin\u2019s Creed game, but Odyssey is where the ability to romance same-sex characters became a major option in the franchise \u2013 which certainly makes sense, given the game\u2019s choice-driven narrative and Ancient Greece setting. While these relationships don\u2019t have any significant impact on the outcome of the story, it\u2019s enjoyable to watch them play out alongside your epic spartan adventures as either Kassandra or Alexios. We can even appreciate the cheesy dialogue (kind of). Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator Available on: PS4, Switch, PC, Mac, Android & iOS Now for something a little different\u2026 Dream Daddy has gathered quite the cult following since its release in 2017, partly because it\u2019s one of the few gay dating sims out there, but mostly because it\u2019s really enjoyable, has a great art style, and is incredibly well-written. Players take on the role of a dad that\u2019s moved to a sleepy seaside town with his daughter, only to find that every other dad here is single (and ready to mingle). From Goth Dad to Bad Dad, there\u2019s a dad for everyone to date \u2013 and, of course, plenty of dad jokes along the way. Apex Legends Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC, Android & iOS While the battle royale genre is often associated with \u2018bro culture\u2019 and toxic gamers, Apex Legends is one title that\u2019s really put in the work when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation and making queer people feel welcome when visiting the Outlands. The best thing about Apex\u2019s diversity is that it encompasses multiple parts of the community, not just gay men who have traditionally been the ones represented in mass media \u2013 Seer is pansexual, Loba is bisexual, and Bloodhound is non-binary. Tell Me Why Available on: Xbox One & PC While gay protagonists are becoming more common in video games, it\u2019s still quite rare to see trans representation in virtual worlds. Tell Me Why is significant, then, for not only having a trans lead character but also for consulting with LGBTQ+ media group GLAAD to bring the story to life with authenticity. The award-winning narrative adventure game follows twins Alyson and Tyler as they use their supernatural bond to discover the truth behind their troubled childhood in small-town Alaska. Even better, episode one is currently free to play on Steam. Stardew Valley Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Android & iOS Critically acclaimed indie darling Stardew Valley invites players to take things back to basics and live life in the slow lane by relocating to a countryside town and living off the land with their very own farm, but that doesn\u2019t mean its views on LGBTQ+ relationships are regressive. When they\u2019re not tending to their crops or destroying monsters down in The Mines, players can romance characters of any gender in the game, eventually getting married and enjoying their own \u2018happily ever after\u2019 \u2013 or not, as queer people can also get divorced in Stardew Valley. Equality! The Sims 4 Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC & Mac Many LGBTQ+ people saw their first representation of queerness in entertainment while playing The Sims, a franchise that has supported same-sex relationships since the very beginning \u2013 all the way back in 2000 \u2013 and allows players to live a virtual life on their own terms. In the two-and-a-half decades since then, the game has added the ability for same-sex couples to get married, introduced loads of pre-made characters that are already in queer relationships, and promised to introduce pronoun options for non-binary characters. A Year of Springs Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC & Android A Year of Springs is a relaxing visual novel that follows three young women who navigate their feelings of love, friendship, and wanting to belong in modern Japan, with storylines that explore gender identity and sexuality. There are three short chapters to enjoy, and although it\u2019s mostly linear, players can make several choices to affect the endings. With cozy hand-drawn graphics and a cute soundtrack, it\u2019s hard not to enjoy the few hours you\u2019ll spend with this adorable (and affordable) indie game. Life Is Strange Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Android & iOS Life Is Strange is one of the few video game franchises that manage to excel in an episodic format, with characters you genuinely care about and stories that keep you engaged across multiple installments. Every entry is worth playing, and they all have some form of representation for queer people; whether that\u2019s a blossoming romance between Max and Chloe, or the sad story of Jacob\u2019s traumatic experiences with gay conversion \u2018therapy\u2019. The first two games, Life Is Strange and Before The Storm, have just been remastered, meaning it\u2019s the perfect time to visit (or revisit) Arcadia Bay \u2013 you can read our review here. Now that you\u2019ve seen the best LGBTQ+ video games, you can check out the best games like Animal Crossing or take a look at games like Stardew Valley if you\u2019re into cozy games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
10 best LGBTQ+ video games to play right now Game Grumps \/ Square Enix \/ RespawnVideo games have progressed massively when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in recent years. Here, we\u2019ve rounded up some of the best titles featuring queer characters and storylines that you can play right now. Queer people have always found escapism […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}