LGBTQ games have come a long way since all we had was making all of our Sims gay. And now the weather is changing, many of us are ready to switch the console back on and cosy up with a new generation of LGBTQ games.
And now, The Gayming Awards, presented by Twitch, has announced its return for a second year in April 2022. So we’ve brought together some winners with games from the last decade you’ll want to play as the dark evenings roll in.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
The 2014 action role-playing video game is the third major game in the franchise. But it’s one of the first triple-A games that allowed characters and players to express preferences throughout the game. The whole series is LGBTQ friendly, especially Dragon Age 2.
Life is Strange
This critically-acclaimed narrative adventure game is inherently queer. And though the original Life is Strange can feel like it has aged poorly in some places, it kicked off one of the most popular sapphic love stories. Ever since, the queer romance options and storylines have been enticing and endearing.
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Hades
Hades might just seem like another roguelike action dungeon crawler at first look. But it swept the board at last year’s awards season, including the Gaming Awards Game of the Year. And it’s queerness? The bisexual polyamorous male protagonist as its lead sang out and won the readers’ hearts at the Gayming Mag too.
Ikenfell
A turn-based tactical indie role playing game follows a group of troublesome magic students. But the way the game uses neo-pronouns and has an all LGBTQ cast is where it wins. Especially as the charchters feel a long way from the usual stereotypes and tropes. The story also deals with grief, love and being true to who you are.
If Found…
This game doesn’t just introduce people to trans lives, but to the rich Irish language too. But its focus on the euphoria of being true to yourself is what really rings out. Most trans stories focus on dysphoria, but If Found… ‘s refreshing look at the relationships considers both the good and troubles they bring. It won the ‘Best Indie’ and ‘Best Narrative’ at the Gaming Awards.
A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986
A Summer’s End is a beautiful visual novel set in 1980s Hong Kong that follows the love story between two queer women. Its lush and vibrant visuals enhance the joy and hope they face as members of the Asian LGBTQ community.
Tell Me Why
As one of the first mainstream games with a trans protagonist as its lead, this remains a top queer game to play. The game is meticulously researched and developed with the help of several trans creators and consultants. A testmant to working with, hiring and paying those with different lived expereinces to be part of the team. For this reason it picked up the ‘Authentic Representation Award’ at the Gayming Awards.
The Last of Us Part 2
Ellie’s story counts as one of the first triple-A lesbian protagonist stories. She deals with the death of her father figure, Joel, while also protecting the people she loves. The sequel is set in the post-apocalyptic United States. While the queer love story is celebrated, the representation of trans people in the game gained some critique.
Assasins Creed Odyessy
It’s always a good sign when a games main loading screen says this was developed with an international team with different sexual orientations, genders and backgrounds. You’re able to not only choose your gender with two lusty protagonists but your love interests too. The game got some flack for introducing DLCs where you couldn’t avoid straight couplings, though. A further queer charm is getting a unicorn, which leaves a rainbow trail behind it. Just like in real ancient Greece…
The Gayming Awards, presented by Twitch, returns in April 2022.
