The need for accurate and respectful representation has grown in all forms of media over the years, especially in gaming. With such potential as a storytelling format, games are a great opportunity to respectfully explore and depict various identities and orientations. These are some of our favorite LGBTQ+ inclusive video games for heartwarming stories about identity, finding love, and queer representation.

Be warned, some spoilers lie ahead!

Gone Home

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While you don’t play from the perspective of Katie’s sister, Gone Home is all about finding out what exactly happened to her. This short point and click adventure that comes off a bit ominous, but as you search through your family’s home and find the clues Sam left behind, the heartwarming, sometimes awkward, story of her love with Lonnie unfolds. Their story is a relatable one, full of teenage impulses and mistakes, but also imbued with the warmth that only one’s first real love can bring.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

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The first Life is Strange hints and eventually confirms that Rachel Amber isn’t just Chloe Price’s best friend--she’s a bit more than that. Before the Storm is the prequel story to Chloe’s frantic search, and it details the wild bond the two created. Rachel is a whirlwind that makes Chloe’s chaos look tame, and the pair compliment each other is ways games don’t often depict accurately. Before the Storm is only a brief look at Chloe and Rachel’s relationship, but it wears it brazenly on its sleeve, not once shaming or hiding their identities.

Butterfly Soup

The charming visual novel by Brianna Lei is all about gay asian girls, baseball, and love. It tells the story of two of the girls in particular, Diya and Min-Seo, and coming to terms with their feelings despite the conservative Asian-American culture they were raised in. You don’t need to love baseball to fall in love with this Itch.io gem, but the story and the girls’ relationships with one another do develop through the sport in a way that isn’t overly dramatic or painful. It’s genuine and warm, and a story not easily forgotten.

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

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Gay relationships have seen better and more empowering representation in media as of late, and Dream Daddy is no exception to the growing push for LGBTQ+ positive gaming. Gay men in particular have always been the butt of jokes, and Dream Daddy may seem like it follows that route, but it doesn’t. Each of its characters are genuine and never made fun of. Overall, Dream Daddy is an incredibly positive and uplifting game, with a truly refreshing spin on what LGBTQ+ representation means within videogames.

Longstory

Longstory isn’t your typical dating sim--it’s episodic, and while not entirely LGBTQ+ centric, its does allow players to customize their gender identity and sexual preferences. Want to play as a bi female? Go for it. Looking for a hetero male? You can do that too. Its appeal is that it caters to everyone, no matter how they may identify. Longstory depicts love and the struggles of a teen in the modern world authentically, and is a fun ride if you put in the time.

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A bit more somber than the rest of the titles on this list, Night in the Woods takes a darker tone with its LGBTQ+ representation. Mae, a pansexual, drops out of college and returns to her hometown. Within her circle of childhood friends are a gay couple and even a transgender woman--but its discussions on the anger, isolation, and depression from repressing (or not understanding) your identity are where it truly shines. Mae’s story isn’t one of coming out, but more of acceptance and growing into some form maturity.

Read Only Memories

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In addition to its diverse cast of LGBTQ+ and hetero characters, 2064: Read Only Memories allows you to craft your own identity within its world. It’s a cyberpunk adventure title that isn’t focused so much on romance as it is on respecting identity. It released in 2015 when customizable pronouns weren’t exactly a common thing within gaming, so it’s a pioneer for queer representation.

Those are some of our favorites - what are yours? Let us know in the comments, and while you're at it, let us know about your favorite LGBTQA+ characters in games as well.

Aiden Strawhun suspects they were secretly born as the next Sailor Scout, but they'll settle for writing about games and anime until their time comes. Catch them winning love, fighting evil, and always sobbing @AStraww on Twitter.