Video Games

Genre(s):

• Battle royale, first-person hero shooter

Description:

• an online multiplayer battle royale game featuring squads of three players using pre-made characters with distinctive abilities, called "Legends", similar to those of hero shooters. Alternate modes have been introduced allowing for single and for two-player squads since the game's release.

Rating:

• T (Teen 13+)

Year of Release:

• 2019

Considerations:

• Apex Legends is praised for its diverse cast of characters, including LGBTQ+ and non-binary representation, making it an inclusive game for non-binary and trans players. Characters like Bloodhound, who is non-binary, provide rare visibility within a mainstream shooter, and other LGBTQ+ characters add to the diversity. The game celebrates unique identities, breaking stereotypes and fostering an inclusive environment where non-binary and trans players can feel represented in a high-action, team-based setting.

Genre(s):

• Fantasy, Adventure, Role Playing

Description:

• Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind-flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself.

Rating:

• Mature 17+

Year of Release:

• 2023

Considerations:

• Baldur’s Gate 3 is celebrated for its deep inclusivity and freedom in character creation, allowing players to customize gender expression, pronouns, and body type independently specifically genital selection separate from gender. This flexibility makes it a welcoming game for non-binary and trans players who can fully explore and represent their identities. The game’s diverse romance options, along with its commitment to representation, create an immersive and affirming experience in a rich fantasy world where non-binary and trans players can feel seen and valued.

Genre(s):

• Platform and Adventure

Description:

• Celeste is a 2018 platform game developed and published by indie studio Maddy Makes Games. The player controls Madeline, a young woman with anxiety and depression who aims to climb Celeste Mountain. During her climb, she encounters several characters, including Part of You (also known as Badeline), a personification of her self-doubt who attempts to stop her from climbing the mountain.

Rating:

• PEGI 7

Year of Release:

• 2018

Considerations:

• Celeste is a powerful game for the non-binary and trans community, as it features a trans protagonist, Madeline, whose journey is deeply reflective of personal growth and self-acceptance. Created by trans developer Maddy Thorson, the game is widely regarded as a trans allegory, exploring themes of identity, struggle, and overcoming internal challenges. Through its narrative and gameplay, Celeste offers an affirming, relatable experience for trans players, with its message of resilience, self-discovery, and the importance of embracing one's true self.

Genre(s):

• Adventure, First-person shooter, Action role play, fighting game

Description:

• Fallout: New Vegas is an action role-playing game that can be played from either a first-person or third-person perspective. It is set in the Mojave Desert, years after a nuclear war left much of the United States decimated. The player controls a courier who survived an assassination attempt from an unknown assailant.

Rating:

• M for Mature

Year of Release:

• 2010

Considerations:

• Fallout: New Vegas is notable for its inclusive approach to gender and identity, allowing players to create characters with flexible gender expressions and explore relationships without rigid constraints. The game offers a variety of dialogue options and storylines that can be navigated regardless of gender, including same-sex relationships. While not explicitly focused on trans representation, its open-ended character creation and lack of gender limitations provide a welcoming space for non-binary and trans players to express themselves freely within its post-apocalyptic world.

Genre(s):

• Fighting game

Description:

• a milestone 2D fighting game that raises the bar for anime-like fighters in terms of its visuals, online netcode, and sheer creativity found in all aspects of its design

Rating:

• M for Mature

Year of Release:

• 2021

Considerations:

• Guilty Gear is praised for its inclusive representation of LGBTQ+ characters, making it a standout for the non-binary and trans community. Bridget, a trans woman, has a meaningful and affirming narrative arc, while Testament is a non-binary character, breaking gender norms in the fighting game genre. Additionally, Venom is portrayed as gay, contributing to the game's diverse and queer-friendly character roster. These representations, combined with the game's focus on complex, compelling stories, offer a positive space for LGBTQ+ players to see themselves reflected in a dynamic, action-packed universe.

Genre(s):

• Graphic Adventure, Interactive Film

Description:

• A five-part episodic game that sets out to revolutionize story-based choice and consequence games by allowing the player to rewind time and affect the past, present, and future. You are Max, a photography senior who saves her old friend Chloe by discovering she can rewind time.

Rating:

• M for mature

Year of Release:

• 2015

Considerations:

• The game allows players to explore a same-sex relationship, handling it sensitively without stereotypes or over-sexualization, which resonates with LGBTQ+ players looking for realistic, heartfelt representations. The gameplay focuses heavily on player choice, especially around relationships and identity. This mirrors the real-life experiences of many queer and trans individuals, who often face critical decisions about coming out, self-expression, and relationships

Genre(s):

• Rhythm game, music, visual novel

Description:

• Become the new #1 hit idol group, battle interdimensional music monsters, rebel against your corporate overlords, wield a mighty soul-devouring experimental weapon, and be unstoppably, unapologetically Trans.

Rating:

• 12+

Year of Release:

• 2022

Considerations:

• Being an LGBTQ story brought to you by an LGBTQ team, it's also probably the most canonically, unapologetically Trans rhythm game you've ever played.

• This is a game for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, and Steam)

Genre(s):

• First person shooter, free to play

Description:

• a free-to-play shooter featuring 30+ epic heroes, each with game-changing abilities. Choose your hero, group up with your friends and battle across all-new maps and modes in the ultimate team-based shooter.

Rating:

• PEGI 12

Year of Release:

• 2023

Considerations:

• Overwatch is popular among LGBTQ+ players for its diverse and inclusive character roster, which includes openly LGBTQ+ heroes like Tracer and Soldier: 76, offering much-needed representation in gaming. The game’s emphasis on teamwork and celebrating individual strengths resonates with LGBTQ+ players by embracing diversity in abilities, backgrounds, and identities. A welcoming fan community has emerged, creating a supportive space for LGBTQ+ players to connect through art, cosplay, and shared experiences. Through ongoing representation and inclusivity, Overwatch has become a meaningful, inclusive space for LGBTQ+ gamers to feel seen and valued.

• LGBTQ+ Characters including: Tracer, Solider: 76, Lifeweaver, Pharah, Baptise, Venture

Genre(s):

• Adventure, Strategy, Role Playing

Description:

• is an isometric role-playing game developed by Owlcat Games and published by META Publishing, based on Paizo Publishing's Pathfinder franchise. The Worldwound is a magical chasm that allows demons to travel from their home dimension to the mortal world, where they maraud and do great evil. The country of Mendev has fought a series of wars against these demons, called Crusades.

Rating:

• M for mature

Year of Release:

• 2021

Considerations:

• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is celebrated within the LGBTQ+ community for its inclusive storytelling and rich character options that allow for a broad exploration of identity. The game includes queer romance options, diverse character representations, and role-playing flexibility, giving players the freedom to express and explore various gender identities and sexual orientations. This inclusivity, combined with complex narrative choices and an engaging fantasy setting, makes Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous a welcoming and validating space for LGBTQ+ players seeking representation and freedom in their gaming experience.

Genre(s):

• Indie, Role Playing, Adventure, Fighting, Strategy, Simultation

Description:

• an open-ended game, allowing players to grow crops, raise livestock, fish, cook, mine, forage, and socialize with the townspeople, including the ability to marry and have children. It allows up to eight players to play online together

Rating:

• E10+

Year of Release:

• 2016

Considerations:

• Stardew Valley is widely loved by the LGBTQ+ community for its open-ended, inclusive gameplay and freedom in relationships. Players can romance any eligible character regardless of gender, allowing for same-sex relationships and a variety of family structures. The game’s focus on community, acceptance, and personal expression provides a peaceful space where LGBTQ+ players can feel represented and supported in a low-stress, welcoming environment. The game's modding community further expands on inclusivity, adding diverse gender expressions and LGBTQ+ themes, making Stardew Valley an especially inviting and affirming experience for queer players.

Genre(s):

• Adventure

Description:

• It follows a pair of twins, Tyler and Alyson, with the ability to communicate with each other through telepathy, who reunite after ten years in their hometown in rural Alaska and investigate the death of their mother.

Rating:

• Mature (17+) and PEGI-16

Year of Release:

• 2020

Considerations:

• Tell Me Why is celebrated for its authentic representation of trans and non-binary experiences, featuring Tyler Ronan, a transgender man, as a main character. The game explores themes of identity, acceptance, and healing, addressing Tyler’s journey with sensitivity and depth. Developed in collaboration with GLAAD, Tell Me Why ensures accurate, respectful storytelling, allowing players to experience a nuanced trans narrative rarely seen in mainstream gaming. Its positive portrayal and commitment to inclusivity make it a groundbreaking game for non-binary and trans players seeking meaningful representation.

Genre(s):

• Survival horror, Action-adventure, Shooter, Stealth

Description:

• is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States. The Last of Us is played from a third-person perspective

Rating:

• M for Mature

Year of Release:

• 2013 & 2020

Considerations:

• The Last of Us I & II is acclaimed for its complex LGBTQ+ characters, especially in Part II, where Ellie, a lesbian protagonist, and Lev, a trans character, have impactful narratives. Lev’s story sensitively explores his identity and challenges, presenting a rare and respectful trans representation in a major game. By weaving LGBTQ+ experiences into its deep, character-driven storytelling, The Last of Us series offers non-binary and trans players meaningful representation and visibility in a realistic, emotional setting, making it a standout in inclusive gaming.

Genre(s):

• Simulation, adventure, strategy

Description:

• is a cozy life and farming sim with a witchy twist! Join Tara on a heartfelt journey to become a witch in Wylde Flowers. Farm by day, and cast spells by night as you craft your cottagecore life and bond with your coven

Rating:

• 12+

Year of Release:

• 2020

Considerations:

• Wylde Flowers is celebrated for its inclusive gameplay and LGBTQ+ representation, creating a welcoming environment for non-binary and trans players. The game offers diverse romance options, allowing players to build relationships regardless of gender, and includes non-binary and LGBTQ+ characters in its storyline. With its warm, accepting community and focus on identity and personal expression, Wylde Flowers provides a positive, affirming space for non-binary and trans players to feel represented and supported in a cozy, magical world.

Genre(s):

• Cyberpunk, Indie game, Graphic adventure game, Adventure

Description:

• The player takes on the role of a journalist trying to track down their kidnapped friend and Parallax engineer Hayden Webber. They are aided by Turing, who is Hayden's creation and the world's first sapient machine, a self-modifying robot that can learn and grow emotionally.

Rating:

• M for mature

Year of Release:

• 2015

Considerations:

• Read Only Memories is described as a queer-inclusive video game, and its developers are also involved with the GaymerX series of LGBTQ video gaming conventions. Setting the game in the future, MidBoss aimed to posit a future where LGBTQ characters face less discrimination, allowing queer characters to be presented on equal terms with straight counterparts.