Summary
Video games have an unfortunate history with gender representation. Despite initially gender-neutral marketing and multiple women having key roles in major games, the market crash of 1983 led companies to decide that marketing exclusively to boys was a logical move. This was also reflected in the games produced, which often centered around male heroes. For a long time, female video game protagonists were rare; Lara Croft and Samus Aran were the exception, rather than the rule. Some popular franchises took a long time to start portraying strong female characters in meaningful roles. While not perfect, that has started to change in recent years.
Video games have been slowly becoming more diverse as they start to be seen increasingly less as a “masculine” hobby, and thegrowing presence of more female protagonists(or at least gender options) has been a welcome change. Although there are still some people who get upset and take to YouTube to rant every time a game with more representation is announced, there are many players who get excited at the prospect of a strong female lead. Fortunately for most, there are a lot of great upcoming titles that have a strong female protagonist to get excited about.
Updated on Jun 20, 2025, by John Alexander Hitchcock: Two of the games included in the previous edition of this list, Hades 2 and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, have been removed due to their release dates being close to the republication of this article. Additionally, Clockwork Revolution has been taken out as the 2025 Xbox showcase revealed it uses a character customization system rather than having a specific protagonist. Several games announced since the previous edition have been added. Information about specific titles has been updated wherever applicable.
Seismic Squirrel’s new RPG follows Gia, a smuggler operating in an alternate 1930s New York that could be described as a fusion of cyberpunk and classical film noir. In appropriate form with both genres, Gia takes up a job that gets her caught in the middle of something much bigger, and it’s going to take every skill and resource she has available to get to the bottom of it.
The roleplaying side of the game heavily emphasizes interactions with other characters, as Gia needs to put together a team of specialists to help her out. There’s even a mechanic where the success of her interactions is determined by dice-rolling tabletop-style. The other big thing is turn-based vehicular combat, where Gia battles her enemies in cyberpunk versions of 1930s automobiles.
54AIKODE
Post-Apocalyptic Robot
Admittedly, there isn’t a lot of information on the new RPG from ACE, but it appears to be centered around a character named Aiko. According to the Steam page, she is a “Kyao,” which appears to be some sort of robot. And for some reason, she often has a butterfly over her eye. As stated on the Steam page and official website, she is “born into a world that appears irrevocably fragmented, and doomed to repeat itself in an endless cycle of death.”
It’s not entirely clear what this means, but it seems a big part of the game is Aiko waking up in the aftermath of some catastrophic event and piecing together clues about what exactly happened. What is clear is that the game will be a big open world with lots of options for exploration, including options for flight. And she has to deal with “colossal bosses.” But there are also options for fun mini-games on the side and building relationships with other characters.
53At Fate’s End
Sister against Sister
The new title fromSpiritfarerdevelopers Thunder Lotus is a sidescroller set in a vibrant fantasy world. The main character is a swordfighter named Shan, who sets out on a dangerous quest to track down her estranged siblings, facing various dangers along the way. The game incorporates an odd structure where, as described on their website, “your skill tree is your family tree.” Put simply, each sibling that Shan successfully finds helps to advance her skill set and abilities.
However, while sword-based combat and epic duels are an important part of gameplay,At Fate’s Endalso adds a role-playing aspect. Players can choose whether to directly face enemies in combat or outwit them with dialogue. This is especially important when it comes to the theme of family ties, as Shan has the option to fight or reconcile with each sibling she encounters.
Borderlandshas generally been pretty good at gender representation. Every game in the series has had at least one playable female protagonist, and fromThe Pre-Sequelonwards, there has generally been a concerted effort to balance male and female character options. So it’s not surprising thatBorderlands 4is continuing the practice with its new range of vault hunters. Similar to the previous games, this one has a roster of four playable characters, with two very different female options.
Vexcontinues the series' tradition of introducing a new siren (basically a super-powered woman that’s a whole thing in this universe). She comes with an array of new phase powers, including a spectral tiger-like creature namedTroublethat can be summoned at any time to deal damage against her enemies.Harloweis the resident tech expert, a former scientist who defected from the Maliwan corporation andnow builds machines that mess with gravity.
Mountain climbing infamously not only a difficult but also a very dangerous hobby, as The Game Bakers' survival adventureCairnstrives to illustrate. The game’s premise centers around a climber named Aava, whose dream is to reach the peak of Mount Kami, a notoriously difficult mountain. And it’s a goal that will test her resolve, resourcefulness, and just how far she’s willing to go.
The developers literally tried to make the mountain feel like a FromSoftware boss in terms of difficulty, mixed withDeath Stranding-inspired movement. Climbing, in particular, is exceptionally challenging, modeled heavily after the challenges experienced by actual mountaineers. But there’s more to it than just finding the right path. Aava also has to survive the journey. That means having to deal with hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, plus resource gathering, environmental hazards, and constantly changing weather.
Cairnis set to release in 2025, but the demo is currently available on Steam.
Remedy’sControl followedJesse Faden, a young woman whose search for her brother gets her thrust into the director position at a top-secret government institution that’s currently under siege from a parasitic extra-dimensional entity called “the Hiss.” The bizarre story, which featured a lot of weird reality-bending anomalies and Jesse developing superpowers from a mysterious entity that may or may not be working in her best interests, became a huge hit with fans, and the detailed worldbuilding left open a lot of possible avenues to explore in a future game.
So naturally, it’s fitting that Remedy would want to look into a sequel. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have revealed much aboutControl 2beyond that it exists and is in development, but it is likely that this sequel will continue Jesse’s story. Even if it doesn’t, the first game has no shortage of strong female characters who could take over.
Noodle Cat’s Norse-themed crafting/survival game will have a few playable characters, with the player being able to unlock more as they progress. However, the big one that’s been appearing at the front of everything is a Nordic woman who has blonde hair with a blue streak, and a curious red mark over her eye (whether this is a birthmark, scar, or tattoo is unclear).
We don’t have her name yet, but she appears to be a pretty skilled and versatile warrior, which is good because she’s going to need those skills against the variousBreath of the Wild-inspired monsters who stand in her way.Cloudheimis designed to provide her with lots of options for how to deal with her enemies in over-the-top ways, including options for different classes and fighting styles. But the big selling point of the game is encouraging its heroine to make use ofgravity, as she can experiment with different ways to launch enemies into the air for maximum damage.
Subnauticacould get pretty intense, but the player could get back to the surface or at least take refuge in an underwater base or vehicle. That’s not the case for Path Games' thalassophobia-infused atmospheric horror game.Dark Massfollows Alice, a diver on an underwater salvage job that doesn’t quite go as expected. What starts with the exciting discovery of a sunken ship takes a strange turn when she finds the remains of a spooky old house, and it might be haunted.
Now, keep in mind, this all happensunderwater. Not even with any air pockets or anything. It takes a special kind of person to handle being underwater without a clear route to the surface, even under the best circumstances. Being trapped in a house with not only a monster but all the challenges that come with diving would be a trial even for Jacques Cousteau. This is a situation that will put Alice’s diving expertise to the test, well beyond anything she could prepare for.
Technically, the season 2 premiere ofThe Dark Pictures Anthologywill alternate between five playable characters, but the one who keeps getting front and center center is Brianna Young (played by Lashana Lynch), an astronaut who struggles to survive and faces uncertain decisions when her ship crashes and the crew encounters a hostile alien organism.
The overall plot could be described as a mix ofAlienandThe Thing, with a big part of the story being the aliens' capacity to mimic humans. This puts Young as something like a cross between Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley and Kurt Russell’s R.J. MacCready, who has to not only survive the alien terror but also figure out which of the other crew members she can trust. But there’s also a bigger moral dilemma, because surviving the ordeal still runs the risk of bringing a dangerous organism back to Earth.
46Echoes of the End
Vengeful Viking
Echoes of the Endis a Nordic fantasy adventure centered around a warrior named Ryn, seeking vengeance for her murdered brother. Along the way, she also uncovers a much darker conspiracy that threatens to destroy the world.
There isn’t a lot of information available yet, butEchoes of the Endseems to take a lot of influence fromGod of War, with a heavy emphasis on similar combat mechanics. Ryn herself feels like she’s channeling a bit of Freya in her anger. And her range of powers.
