Best Female Protagonists In Video Games

Summary

• Female protagonists in video games are gaining recognition for their well-written and complex characters.
• Games like Spiritfarer, Hades 2, and Life Is Strange feature emotional journeys led by strong female leads.
• Titles like Returnal, Control, and A Plague Tale showcase the diversity and depth of female protagonists in gaming.

There can be no denying that, in the past, women in video games have been overlooked at best and poorly written fan service at worst. Thankfully, though, things are now changing. Developers and publishers are realizing that women actually do play games, are worth writing about, and games with female protagonists do sell.

Female protagonists are part of a growing trend in video games as developers look to branch away from the burly macho men of yesteryear. As always, the indie scene is also doing a fantastic job of providing us with layered and flawed characters. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some great games with equally great female protagonists.

Updated on December 24, 2024 by Rebecca Phillips: While it’s no longer uncommon for a game to have a female protagonist, there’s still a lot more male protagonists than female ones. If you’re looking to play a great game with a woman at the helm, we’ve added another title for you to try.

Spiritfarer

Stella

Spiritfarer might be a cozy management simulator, but it has a lot of emotional moments too, and this is due to the protagonist Stella’s connections with all the spirits she meets. At the beginning of the game, Stella takes on the role of the titular Spiritfarer, responsible for ferrying spirits through the Everdoor so that they can pass on.

Before they can make the journey, Stella looks after them on her boat and listens to their stories, helping to ease their regrets. While you spend a lot of your time getting to know the spirits, you eventually uncover Stella’s own backstory too, and trust us, you’ll need tissues on hand by the time you reach the end of the game.

Hades 2

Melinoe

Following up the popular roguelike Hades is Hades 2. Instead of following Hades’ son Zagreus like in the first game, Hades 2 stars Melinoe, Zagreus’ younger sister. While Melinoe grew up living a peaceful life, that peace was shattered when Chronos escaped Tartarus and took over the Underworld where she lived. Melinoe was then trained by Hecate, where she honed her skills to become powerful enough to try to defeat Chronos.

Hades 2 is an excellent follow-up to the first game, with its familiar expert grip on the roguelike genre. Melinoe is also just one of the game’s cast of well-realized characters, as you’ll meet plenty of others in the Underworld who are just as compelling. You can even romance some of them as Melinoe if you so choose.

Hades 2 is currently in Early Access.

Life Is Strange

Max Caulfield

While the Life is Strange series has now expanded far beyond the first game, Max Caulfield is still a fan-favorite protagonist. After moving back to her hometown of Arcadia Bay, Max discovers that she can rewind time and she uses this ability to help her friend Chloe Price investigate the disappearance of Rachel Amber.

In terms of personality, Max is quite different from your usual game protagonist. She’s quiet and mostly interested in her photography hobby, but it works perfectly in Life is Strange, especially as she grows more confident throughout the story. You’ll have to make tough decisions and soon learn that you can’t save everyone.

Kena: Bridge Of Spirits

Kena

Kena: Bridge of Spirits follows the titular Kena, a Spirit Guide who is aiming to find the Mountain Shrine. Along the way, she frees her spirit companions, known as the Rot, who are trapped in a village, and they help her by offering powerful abilities in return.

The game has a beautiful world to explore with gorgeous graphics to match. As you explore it, you’ll take down tough enemies, deliver Spirit Mail, and even find adorable hats that the Rot can wear. If you’re looking for a charming adventure with some difficult challenges, cute critters, and an enchanting world to explore, Kena: Bridges of Spirits is definitely a game you should try out.

Returnal

Selene Vassos

When you think of really good roguelikes, your mind might drift to titles like Hades, Dead Cells, and Slay the Spire. PlayStation and Housemarque’s Returnal, however, adds some excellent female representation to the genre, having you play as astronaut Selene Vassos (voiced by Hitman’s Jane Perry), who must unfold dual mysteries while on a planet affected by a time loop.

Selene was following a signal known as ‘The White Shadow,’ which is how every loop starts. Part of that mystery is tied to an accident and a strange home popping up throughout the loops that certainly doesn’t belong on the alien planet. Atropos is also filled with alien swarms that attack Selene in bullet-hell-like fashion and has many bosses for her to fight on her quest for answers.

Control

Jesse Faden

When looking at the totality of Remedy games, the studio had a track record for creating hard-broiled male protagonists. That changed in 2019 when Control launched and delivered one of the most daring and courageous female characters ever to ascend to the Federal Bureau of Control’s Director position and be equipped with some intense gravity-defying powers.

You’ll have a literal blast playing as Jesse Faden, using her unique weapon and upgrades to combat the paranatural entities known as the Hiss that are on the loose at the FBC while also hoping to get some answers about her brother Dylan. The game stars Courtney Hope (also Beth Wilder in Quantum Break) and shares many connections with Alan Wake’s universe.

A Plague Tale Series

Amicia de Rune

Amicia de Rune and Amanda Ripley can really compete for who’s better at keeping their wits about them in a stealth horror gameplay environment. Amicia, however, has to deal with unbelievably large swarms of killer rats and Inquisitor soldiers, all while being a big sister and protecting her brother Hugo from harm the entire game.

Both A Plague Tale: Innocence and A Plague Tale: Requiem are stunning and harrowing adventures across the medieval rat-filled landscape, offering some of the best graphics and set pieces for a Double-A title. The story is also one of the most emotional in gaming, rivaling that of The Last of Us, with Amicia and Hugo’s performances worthy of taking home Oscars.

Alan Wake 2

Saga Anderson

While it still might have ‘Alan Wake’ in the title, the official sequel to Remedy’s 2010 horror game largely focuses on Saga Anderson’s role in helping Alan escape from the Dark Place. Saga is as much the heart of the narrative as Alan and his wife Alice, a playable FBI agent investigating Bright Falls and Wake’s disappearance while also piecing together her life and trying to save her daughter.

Saga and Alan’s gameplay is split up into separate ‘Return’ and ‘Initiation’ chapters, following the manuscript design of the story. There are lots of interesting twists and revelations that all connect toward the end. Inspired by Silent Hill, Alan Wake 2’s horror atmosphere is not playing around, so you can definitely say Saga gets more than she signed up for when she joined the agency.

Oxenfree Series

Riley And Alex

On the surface, Oxenfree might seem like a cute little game with puzzles, branching decision-based dialogue, and a unique watercolor art style, but it’s such a deep game that explores many relatable issues in life with two relatable female protagonists. Teenager Alex leads the first game, while a much older and more experienced Riley is the newcomer in the sequel, Lost Signals.

This series is the epitome of showcasing exceptionally well-written female characters. Alex grieves the loss of her brother and struggles with friendships and finding meaning in her life, whereas Riley Poverly has some years on Alex and still feels stuck in life, questioning her career choices and wrestling with her future parental struggles. Even Olivia, the antagonist in the second game, has sympathetic motives that will elicit the emotions of players.

Night In The Woods

Mae Borowski

The protagonist of Night in the Woods is Mae Borowski, a 20-something college dropout who finds herself back in her hometown of Possum Springs after struggling with her mental health. Despite the cast of characters being anthropomorphic animals, Night in the Woods explores a variety of important themes and messages, and does so with great care.

Mae in particular has resonated with fans of the game, as her struggles are realistic and relatable. Her character drives the plot as she reconnects with the people of Possum Springs, and discovers just how much has changed since she left home.

Final Fantasy 6

Terra And Celes

The Final Fantasy series has treated us to some excellent female party members over the years, but it’s rare to see one given a starring role. That’s not to say it never happens though, with the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy and the Yuffie DLC for Final Fantasy 7 Remake serving as a testament to that. The pick of the bunch, however, is undoubtedly Final Fantasy 6, which as well as being one of the series’ very best entries, features not one, but two female leads.

Terra’s struggle to come to terms with the revelations about her lineage and past allows you to get a better idea of her mental strength, while her physical strength is on display right from the beginning of the game. Likewise, Celes’ time on the island with Cid also serves as a test of her mental toughness and her ability to move past her depression and reunite the party ultimately serves as the catalyst for Kefka’s downfall.

Portal 2

Chell

Valve doesn’t make new games all that often since the creation of Steam, but, when it does, they tend to be good ones. The first Portal game was a wonderfully written physics-based adventure that captivated gamers everywhere and its sequel was even better. For as enjoyable as the gameplay and puzzles in the titles are, however, the games’ biggest strength is arguably the captivating relationship between their protagonist, Chell, and the psychotic AI system, GLaDOS.

As a silent protagonist, it would be easy to discount Chell as a bit of a nothing character, but there’s a lot more to her than first meets the eyes or ears. Despite the barrage of barbed insults that GLaDOS hurls at her and the apparent hopelessness of her situation, she just keeps on testing in the hopes of somehow finding freedom. This perseverance eventually pays off in what ends up being a thrilling and fast-paced climax.

The Walking Dead

Clementine

She doesn’t become the focal point of the Telltale series until the second season, but Clementine is often considered the best part of the games. Even after Telltale closed down, Robert Kirkman helped get a group together to finish the game so fans could find closure for Clementine’s arc.

In the first season, Lee takes care of Clementine, and then when he passes away, Clementine has to find her own journey and eventually takes care of a younger kid the same way Lee took care of her.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Evie Frye

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate focuses on two protagonists, Evie and Jacob Frye. Evie is the older twin sister of Jacob. She is a British assassin who was active during the Victorian era.

Evie quickly became a fan-favorite character and has remained one of the most popular characters in the series. While she doesn’t have the whole game to herself, she does have a lot of memorable moments and scenes in Syndicate that make playing it worthwhile.

Resident Evil 3

Jill Valentine

A remake of Resident Evil 3 followed in the footsteps of the Resident Evil 2 remake, with Jill Valentine taking the lead role alongside Carlos Oliveira. Like Clare, Jill has always been a very popular character in the series. In the remake, you play as Jill after she is attacked in her apartment by an intelligent bioweapon called Nemesis.

The game is about Jill’s escape from Raccoon City and the pursuit by Nemesis that almost kills her. Some reviewers have called Resident Evil 3 as strong of a remake as Resident Evil 2, but play for yourself and find out which you prefer!

Half-Life: Alyx

Alyx Vance

Half-Life: Alyx is a VR game in the popular Half-Life series that follows Alyx Vance’s journey. You control Alyx, humanity’s only chance at survival, as she tries to help the resistance take down the Combine once and for all.

The game is set in between the first Half-Life and the second. Alyx will need to team up with her father, Dr. Eli Vance, and many other allies.

Bright Memory

Sheila

Bright Memory is a first-person shooter and hack-and-slash game that features a protagonist named Sheila, who works for the Science Research Organization. Her goal is to try and prevent a military organization from reawakening the dead.

It takes place in a riveting and graphically gorgeous location called ‘Land of Sky,’ which is home to many ancient beings. The game received excellent reviews upon its launch.

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst

Faith Connors

Faith Connors is the protagonist of the Mirror’s Edge video game series. She appeared in the original game and its reboot, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst.

Her role in the game is that of a “Runner,” which is someone who transports necessary items to groups trying to hide from the controlling government system. She has incredible abilities and complex storylines in the games.

Silent Hill 3

Heather Mason

Silent Hill is a beloved survival horror series with some of the most disturbing imagery in the genre. Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to the first game, although it is the third overall.

You take on the role of Heather Mason, the daughter of Harry Mason, the protagonist of the first game. As Heather tries to find her father, the world around her begins to shift into something much darker and more sinister, and the reality around her begins to fracture.

Resident Evil 2

Claire Redfield

Resident Evil 2 received rave reviews when it launched and it even won multiple Game of the Year awards. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering how well-made the game was. It has two protagonists in Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield.

Claire has long been considered an iconic video game character, especially in the Resident Evil series. She’s a renowned badass who people can’t help but love. In this game, you get to help her escape Raccoon City from the plague of infected.