The best LGBTQ+ games to make you feel the love

Best LGBTQ+ games -Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Representation matters, and that's what the best LGBTQ+ games recognize. From allowing us to see ourselves reflected in the characters we play as or meet, to developing deep, meaningful relationships with a diverse cast, there are many games out there that explore relatable stories of connection, identity, queer romance, and so much more.

From some of the best RPGs that bring to life companions that we can bond with and get to know to the best visual novels that are home to excellent representation, and the best game stories that explore LGBTQ+ experiences, there's a lot out there to try, from indie gems to big sprawling adventures.

Below, we've brought together some of the best LGBTQ+ games around right now to celebrate their representation and offer up some inclusive options across a variety of genres so you can find something to suit you - wherever you sit on the rainbow. So read on below to find our selection.

15. This Bed We Made

This Bed We Made

(Image credit: Lowbirth Games)

Developer: Lowbirth Games
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5

This Bed We Made sees you take on the role of a hotel maid called Sophie in 1950s Montreal. What starts out as mere curiosity quickly spirals into a murder-mystery as Sophie's snooping in hotel rooms takes a turn. While there are puzzles to solve and a curious case to uncover, the context of the time period and the way it explores the era's views on queer relationships through the lens of Sophie - who can even develop a romantic bond with Beth, a hotel relationship - and the items she finds is deeply affecting.

14. In Stars and Time

Steam

(Image credit: insertdisc5)

Developer: Insertdisc5
Platform(s):
PC, PS5, PS4, Switch

At the heart of In Stars and Time is a cast of loveable, relatable characters, beautiful writing, and a unique looping story of perseverance that sees you peel back more about the protagonist Siffrin and those they journey with every run you attempt to stop the . Representation within the cast is also done so naturally, making each conversation that unfolds feel realistic, authentic, and a part of both the narrative and worldbuilding. It truly is a fantastic example of how to bring to life a diverse cast of LGBT+ characters who become a found family.

13. Hades

Hades trailer

(Image credit: Supergiant Games)

Developer: Supergiant Games
Platform(s):
PC, Xbox Series X/S Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch

Just like its upcoming sequel Hades 2, Hades makes a powerful statement when it comes to non-heteronormative relationships in video games. The godlike roguelike sees Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld, able to forge romances with three key characters – and even if they're not all queer options, they're certainly unconventional. Whether you choose to pursue death himself, one of the fury sisters, the House of Hades' sweet gorgon housekeeper, or all three of them in true ancient Greek style, Hades offers a trio of beautiful love stories ranging from physical to purely emotional connections. Supergiant's delicate touch in making these storylines flow seamlessly as part of the overarching narrative cements Hades as one of the best LGBT+ games out there for anyone who wants love to be just one part of a huge, sprawling action experience – though it's a part that will stick with you forever.

12. If Found...

If Found

(Image credit: Dreamfeel)

Developer: DreamFeel
Platform(s):
PC, Switch

If Found… follows Kasio, a young trans woman in the early '90s who returns home to the West of Ireland. Exploring her story through beautiful stylized hand-drawn art that comes to life on the pages of Kasio's diary, you start to deconstruct her journey by erasing each page. As she faces different challenges and tries to navigate tensions within her family, and the new friendships she forms, DreamFeel draws you into a unique, poignant narrative experience with LGBTQ+ characters that feel so real and relatable. With Kasio at the center of the story, the striking visuals sketched out across every page perfectly capture the emotional journey, full of deep feelings.

11. Wylde Flowers

Wylde Flowers

(Image credit: Studio Drydock)

Developer: Studio Drydock
Platform(s): PC, Switch, iOS

Wydle Flowers is one of the most inclusive farming sims out there, with a diverse cast of LGBTQIA+ characters that feel authentic and true to life. With so much representation to be found among the community of Fairhaven, as Tara, you'll meet lots of different characters who are all going through their own hardships or relatable issues. From queer couples to exploring identity, there's so much care and thought put into the story of every individual you meet. What's more, you're free to decide who Tara is and who she wants to develop relationships, with a range of inclusive romance options for you to choose from. When it comes to the life / farming sim genre, they don't get much more welcoming than this.

10. The Sims 4

The Sims 4 screenshot of a lesbian wedding in the Wedding Stories expansion

(Image credit: Maxis)

Developer: Maxis
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

Long before many, if any, other titles actively did queer inclusion, The Sims allowed its players' hearts to decide in creating relationships and families. This was a game that let men have babies (albeit as a result of alien abduction). But flash forward to present day and Create-A-Sim in The Sims 4 now has custom gender settings, allowing players to combine masculine and feminine attributes. These functions are still based on the gender binary – men have beards, women have breasts etc. – but at least male Sims only conceiving by extraterrestrial intervention is a thing of the past.

9. Life is Strange: True Colours

Life is Strange: True Colors screenshot of the protagonist Alex standing in a record store

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Developer: Deck Nine
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch

The original Life is Strange wove a heart-crushing drama of the interconnected lives of three young queer women. That is, if the player went looking for it. Life is Strange: True Colours marked the franchise's first game release to make its protagonist canonically bisexual, rather than leaving it up to 'playersexual' preference. The player also makes an explicit decision whether empath Alex Chen romances adorkable D&D mastermind Steph. Alex's love, acceptance and forgiveness are the stuff of miracles, and can be wielded to break down toxic power constructs. Best of all, unlike previous Life is Strange games, there's no doom hanging over this queer relationship.

8. Gone Home

Gone Home screenshot of a main character's bedroom

(Image credit: Fullbright)

Developer: The Fullbright Company
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS

In a similar vein to Life is Strange, Gone Home unpicks both the agony and life-affirming force that can come of young queer love. Don't be fooled by the signposting that points toward the 'bury your gays' trope. Here, as in Fullbright's 2018 title Tacoma, all the sadness and suffering is to be overcome. Wandering through a creaky old house in a storm, it's easy to be convinced something terrible has taken place. But the weather's only external, and the story the player unlocks (through exploration, attention to detail, and uncovering evidence) is one of joyous escape from the constraints of fear.

7. Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

Dream Daddy screenshot of the player's daughter with one of the dateable dads, Brian

(Image credit: Game Grumps)

Developer: Game Grumps
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Switch, Android, iOS

Dream Daddy could easily just have said "some dads date other dads and that's okay". Thankfully it explores more than how 'okay' it is to be a queer father juggling romantic relationships, parenting, and sometimes facing life-changing struggles. After Ernest's partner dies, you search for love while trying your best to support his daughter through her own grief. Queer parents can and do have lives and troubles outside of being 'that gay couple with a kid'. Speaking as half of one such couple, it means a lot that this story makes way for these dream dads to keep it real.

6. Tell Me Why

Tell Me Why screenshot of two characters in a bedroom

(Image credit: Dontnod Entertainment)

Developer: Dontnod
Platform(s): Xbox One, PC

Childhood trauma, fallible memory, and the complex pull of wounded family ties are central to the story of Alison and Tyler, her trans twin brother. They share a telepathic bond, but their connection's been put through the wringer of grief and a ten-year separation while Tyler was in juvie. In Tyler, Dontnod created a fully-realised character, consulting GLAAD to capture the plight of trans people recontextualising their home lives. Telepathy as a key function of gameplay becomes an intense metaphor for this struggle as, depending on player choice, it begins to either heal or fracture his bond with Alison.

5. Unpacking

Trying to place the diploma in Unpacking

(Image credit: Witch Beam)

Developer: Witch Beam
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Switch, PS4, PS5

Sometimes it's only while refitting our lives to move on, that things we've buried finally start to make sense. From a first-person perspective, you help the protagonist puzzle out 21 years of house moves, literally unpacking their life and finding ways to make it fit their space. Using color and inconspicuous everyday objects as clues, you eventually piece together that the protagonist is bisexual – a fact that should have been obvious all along, or so it seems. But that's the beauty of Unpacking; it sympathizes with identity not always being easy to identify and having those realizations in due time.

4. The Last of Us 2

The last of us 2 screenshot of Ellie and her girlfriend in an embrace

(Image credit: Sony)

Developer: Naughty Dog
Platform(s): PS5, PS4

The negative backlash to Ellie and Riley's kiss in Left Behind only reinforces how crucial these creative choices are in instigating greater inclusivity. This decision to let Ellie express and explore her sexuality paved the way to The Last of Us 2 further challenging action game norms, by making one of its two female leads lesbian. Even better, we get to see Ellie and Dina's relationship grow stronger because of their struggle to survive. We see them go from awkward lovers to building a family, however fragile. Queer love is front and center in this AAA blockbuster, and that's something to celebrate.

3. Night in the Woods

Night in the Woods screenshot of Mae and her friends

(Image credit: Infinite Fall)

Developers: Secret Lab, Infinite Fall
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC, iOS

Mae leads a deceptively quiet small-town existence, where the truth comes out under cover of darkness. She's drawn into solving a Twin Peaksian mystery quite by accident, through her efforts to reintegrate with her old friends and neighbors as a college dropout recently moving back to her hometown. The LGBTQ+ characters of this modern cult classic often feel several steps behind in life, a painfully relatable state to people who were closeted, knowingly or otherwise, in their teens. Mae is pansexual with several queer friends, but this takes a realistic back seat to their search for purpose in suburban life.

2. Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot of wizard Gale and a male playable character against a backdrop of a purple nebula

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Developer: Larian Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X

When it comes to telling queer video game stories effectively, it can't get much better than Baldur's Gate 3. There are a variety of BG3 romance options you can embark upon, no matter your playable character's gender, and almost all of your Baldur's Gate 3 companions (and some NPCs) have the ability to fall in love with you too over the course of your rollicking fantasy adventure. The best thing about same-sex romance in Larian's high-stakes D&D game is that it's far from the most interesting thing about your character – you can be a dragonborn sorcerer with a deep dark secret who just happens to be dating a pansexual vampire, the literal daughter of a goddess who just happens to be dating a mortal woman, or a halfling barbarian in a cozy throuple with Halsin and Shadowheart. Baldur's Gate 3 is yours to shape, and the LGBT+ romance capabilities simply add to the game's dynamism in that regard.

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition 

Dragon Age Inquisition screenshot of the playable character and her companions

(Image credit: EA)

Developer: BioWare
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5

BioWare has been championing queer rep for two decades. But the release of its third Dragon Age instalment came wrapped in a big old rainbow with an extensive cast of unapologetically queer characters – including a sensitively created trans man. Such variety of lovingly characterized representation is yet to be matched by any AAA game (although Dragon Age: The Veilguard deserves a mention here for its inclusive character creator options and dialogue choices). Its true power is that a story of a bunch of scrappy outcasts, carving their own path to community and personal power, has enabled real-life LGBTQ+ people to do the same on a mass scale through fandom.

Why not check out our pick of upcoming Xbox Series X games and upcoming PS5 games to see all the new video games of 2025 and beyond.

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William is a trans masculine, AuDHD writer and Pagan witch who believes in the power of every word. Their journalism has banners at the likes of Metro, The Nation, and with QueerAF, who invited him to write for the first ever Trans+ History Week. But he’s also a dorky softie who loves music, mythologies, and making friends with trees.

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