Like pretty much every other form of media, gaming hasn't always been great when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation. After all, back in the '80s and '90s, there were practically no LGBTQ+ characters in games. Instead, there were a lot of cis male heroes saving cis damsels in distress.

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Video games have come a long way since those days, though. Now, seeing a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a game isn't too rare. Of course, when it does happen in a big release, there is still always a tiring amount of backlash. Thankfully, a lot of developers haven't been dismayed. As such, there are a bunch of LGBTQ+ games on the Xbox Series X|S. Here are the best ones.

Updated June 10, 2024 By Ben Jessey: It's officially Pride Month. So, to celebrate the occasion, we thought we would return to our piece about the best LGBTQ+ games on the Xbox Series X|S to update it. After all, it only had a few games on it, so we've decided to add some more.

9 Life Is Strange: True Colors

Life Is Strange: True Colors

Adventure Released December 7, 2021 Developer(s) Deck Nine Publisher(s) Square Enix Powered by Expand Collapse

Life Is Strange: True Colors follows the exploits of Alex Chen, a young woman who meets up with her long-lost brother in the small town of Haven. She is a likable and kind-hearted protagonist who has the ability to see and feel people's emotions. She also happens to be one of the best bisexual characters in gaming.

Her sexuality is shown in her interactions with both Ryan Lucan and Steph Gingrich. The latter of which is a lesbian. It's up to you which of them Alex opts to woo. However, while her partner is your choice, it never feels like her sexuality is. She clearly has feelings for them both before you ever make your choice. Therefore, she is bisexual regardless of who you select.

8 Tell Me Why

Tell Me Why

Adventure Released August 27, 2020 Developer(s) Dontnod Entertainment Publisher(s) Xbox Game Studios Powered by Expand Collapse

Tell Me Why is a narrative adventure game that revolves around two siblings, Tyler and Alyson. At the beginning of the game, they finally reunite after many years apart. In the process, they return to their old home and re-live memories from their time as kids.

Not all of the memories are great, though, particularly those regarding their relationship with their late mother. This leads to them looking deeper into the day she died. The LGBTQ+ representation comes in the form of Tyler, who is a trans man. He is comfortable with who he is, but returning to his old home and town means meeting people who aren't quite used to the new Tyler. Plus, he discovered who he really was as a child, which caused some friction with his mother at the time, and the game explores that, too.

7 Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3

RPG Released August 3, 2023 Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Powered by Expand Collapse

Baldur's Gate 3 is a deep RPG set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. It proves itself to be an LGBTQ+ game straight away with its in-depth character creator. Unlike many games, when you select your gender, you aren't locked into a specific body shape or voice. Body type, gender identity, and voice are all separate choices for you to make.

So, the game allows you to make the real you. Or perhaps an elf or dwarven version of you, as this is a fantasy game, after all. Once you've created your character and started playing, you will meet and speak with many people. Some of them are potential love interests, and your options aren't limited by your gender.

6 Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2

Shooter Released August 10, 2023 Developer(s) Blizzard Publisher(s) Blizzard Powered by Expand Collapse

In recent years, multiplayer shooters have become a good source of representation, and Overwatch is a great example of that. Multiple characters in the game have been revealed to be as diverse and colorful as the game's visuals through popular subsidiary content.

Tracer is a lesbian who is happily in a relationship with her partner, Emily. This was revealed in a Christmas comic where the two kiss after giving each other gifts. Other characters confirmed to be LGBT+ in official works include Soldier 76, whose gay roots also came in the form of a comic. He was previously married to a man named Vincent before realizing that his commitments to the job overshadowed his relationship. Pharah came out to a close friend, Baptiste, about her female-oriented sexual preferences in a short story. Also, Blizzard confirmed that Baptiste and Lifeweaver were bi/pansexual in interviews and social media posts.

5 Apex Legends

Apex Legends

Battle Royale First-Person Shooter Released February 4, 2019 Developer(s) Respawn Entertainment Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Powered by Expand Collapse

Apex Legends is easily one of the queerest battle royale games on the market. From the very start, it has provided a diverse cast of LGBTQ+ characters to its ever-growing roster of gun-wielding legends with extensive backstories. The first lineup of characters included the non-binary hunter, Bloodhound, who explored their gender identity after overcoming traditional family values.

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Lesbian soldier Balgalore was revealed to have a crush on one of the game's other female characters. Gay scientist Gibraltar learned compassion and supportive skills by saving his boyfriend from a mudslide. Luckily, it doesn't end there, as updates have consistently brought more representation to the game. Catalyst is the game's second trans character, developed alongside charity GLAAD, and is a great example of someone whose gender identity doesn't define their personality. Fuse was also confirmed to be bisexual and in a relationship with Bloodhound through social media posts.

4 Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Action RPG Released May 14, 2021 Developer(s) BioWare Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Powered by Expand Collapse

Mass Effect made waves in 2007 for its epic sci-fi narrative, where every choice could lead to earth-shattering consequences. Despite the game's unprecedented scale and technical achievements, people were more focused on the fact that same-sex and interspecies relationships were possible as dialogue choices often led to a lot of intimate scenes between the player-controlled spaceship captain and their crew. Legendary Edition packages up the trilogy of interconnected games into a remaster that seamlessly allows relationships to blossom over multiple titles.

There are simply too many gay, bisexual, and lesbian characters to list off, but the inclusion of all these personalities may have contributed to the biggest queer push in the gaming industry, and, for the most part, these examples still hold up well. Many love interests have well-written, personal stories that give a lot of dimension to each character's desires and struggles. The focus on otherworldly species with high levels of intelligence also helps teach the alien concept of outside-the-box relationships to those looking to explore new avenues.

3 Borderlands Series

The Borderlands series, with its striking, colorful art style and rebellious approach to world-building, paints a surprisingly queer depiction of settlements across planets. Its cast of vault hunters is constantly diverse in their journeys, designs, and identities. Over the course of the series, there are no less than ten well-rounded LGBTQ+ characters that are often expanded upon across multiple games. This makes later titles bloom with significant representation.

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The examples in Borderlands go further than other games, too, as it includes identities and implementations that are almost absent from the medium, like Maya, who has a notably absent amount of sexual lines as she is asexual. Other unique examples include Lor, who transitioned during the course of multiple games and FL4K, a playable non-binary robot who was conceived by a non-binary staff member at Gearbox. The in-your-face writing the series is known for makes it almost impossible to hide any aspect of the characters' personalities and identities, which helps to clearly define these traits.

2 Telltale's The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead The Game

Adventure Horror Released April 24, 2012 Developer(s) Telltale Games Publisher(s) Telltale Games Powered by Expand Collapse

Deadly scenarios often make people self-reflect and express their views more concisely, as being aware of your final moments gives a newfound urgency to actions. So, in a zombie apocalypse, it would make sense for lots of people to come out, as the window of opportunity to form relationships and feel gratified becomes ever-present in day-to-day life.

Telltale took this approach when developing the world surrounding their critically acclaimed, narrative-driven horror games. The Walking Dead makes protagonist Clementine bisexual, allowing her to become romantically interested with a selection of male and female NPCs, which is already a good start. In terms of a more nuanced queer story, James, in the final season, reveals that he's gay. In previous episodes, James disclosed that he once had a relationship but was unsure how Clementine would react. This scene only comes up if you choose not to react to a charged debate in an earlier part of the game, forming trust in the coming-out story.

1 Hades

Hades

Action RPG Roguelite Released September 17, 2020 Developer(s) Supergiant Games Publisher(s) Supergiant Games Powered by Expand Collapse

In Hades, you meet a bunch of gods that you can get to know on a deeper level. For example, Dusa is very sweet and enjoys the company of protagonist Zagreus a lot, but when asked about dating, she reveals herself to be on the asexual spectrum. Asexual options are also available for all dates, should you choose.

Megaera is protective, serious, and has an unknown history with Zagreus, leading to lots of interesting interactions that show a risque part of the community in action. Thanatos is a brooding gay god who's hard to chat up at first but falls for the fiery, passionate personality of Zagreus as they both appreciate the qualities each other lacks. The great thing about Hades is that it doesn't hide these queer personality traits behind a dating gate. These gods freely flaunt their traits during one of the most prideful characterizations of LGBTQ+ culture in modern media.

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