Summary
- Open-world games have gained popularity in recent times due to the fun of exploration and the inclusion of female protagonists.
- GreedFall, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are standout open-world games with female protagonists.
- These games offer engaging stories, fun gameplay, and the ability to choose a female main character, providing a fresh and important addition to the genre.
Compared to other genres in video games, the open-world aspect has pretty much only been around since the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Other games before that had some assembly of open environments or sandbox-designed levels, but the true open world could not be accomplished until the HD generation started.
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Open-world RPG like Skyrim, Elden Ring, and Fallout have custom character creation as a standard, which allows players to decide the gender of their character. Naturally, this means that players are free to create female characters for themselves. While this technically qualifies as having female protagonists, a player-created female character is not the same as, say, Aloy from the Horizon series. To keep things fair and give credit where it's due, only female protagonists who are pre-created characters will be considered for this list.
Updated October 6, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Open-world games have come a long way since the genre's inception, with new and better technology like Unreal Engine 5 making it easier than ever for solo developers to create their own games; this trend promises to continue. As a result, the gaming scene has expanded as a whole, and games have become more accessible than ever. One of the benefits of this is that female protagonists are no longer the exception to the rule but the norm.
9 Evie Frye
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Assassin's Creed Syndicate was the first game in the series to feature a female protagonist, even if she had to share this role with a male. Still, the dynamic of the Frye twins is excellent and makes for a great experience as players get invested in their quest to liberate London while also accomplishing their duties as Assassins.
Out of the two twins, Evie Frye is more level-headed and likable. Her tendency to use her brains instead of pure brawn to tackle objectives makes her more engaging to play with. The fact that she's more stealth-focused as opposed to Jacob makes her way more engaging to control as a protagonist in a game where sneaking around is more engaging than dabbling in outright combat.
8 De Sardet
GreedFall
GreedFall
- Released
- September 10, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Spiders
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Despite a less-than-flattering critical reception, most people loved GreedFall when it launched. The game was released around the same time when industry giant BioWare was at its lowest point, with the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda being lambasted by fans and critics alike for being an inferior game that spat in the face of the Mass Effect IP. So, when GreedFall came out, players loved its simple, unwavering focus on popular Western RPG tropes.
This game is weirdly comfortable to play, with a great story, fun characters, and janky yet entertaining combat helping it stand out as one of the best games Spiders has ever made. The studio has struggled to break into the market time and time again, which is why this success should be celebrated, especially with players having the chance to go for a male or female main character.
7 Lumine
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact
- Released
- September 28, 2020
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Adventure, Gacha, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Genshin Impact is the biggest gacha game in the last decade and what has put the genre firmly into the mainstream, inspiring titles like Honkai Star Rail, Wuthering Waves, and Tower of Fantasy, among others. It's an absolutely massive open-world game with tons and tons of playable characters, unique regions to explore, hundreds of hours worth of content, and a lot more.
Right at the start of the journey, before players enter Teyvat for the first time, they're allowed to choose between a male protagonist, Aether, and a female protagonist, Lumine, as their Traveler. There isn't much of a difference between the two, as both male and female versions of the Traveler have the same powers and abilities, and the choice is largely cosmetic, but Lumine is still by far the preferred version of the Traveler for a vast majority of the player base.
6 Tchia
Tchia (2023)
Tchia
- Released
- March 21, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Awaceb
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Tchia is a cozy open-world adventure game where players take control of a small girl named Tchia who sets out on a journey across the archipelago where she resides in search of her kidnapped father.
Tchia is a child protagonist, something that is quite rare to see in open-world games, but considering the world setting and the story behind her, it's fitting. The game is focused on exploration and discovery, with tribesmen spread out across the islands serving as makeshift guides for Tchia to aid her along her journey. Despite offering a vast open world to explore, Tchia remains grounded and focuses on the story more than on the gameplay.
5 Eivor
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Released
- November 10, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- Stadia, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
A lot of people accused Assassin's Creed Valhalla of being a bit too bloated for its own good. These criticisms are certainly warranted, but players who aren't in any danger of being exhausted by the game's massive open world will love what Valhalla brings to the table.
Eivor can be both male or female, with the latter being considered as the canon option. Female Eivor is a blast to control, and the wealth of abilities she can use in battle makes this game an easy pick for players seeking out good open-world games with female protagonists. With this game being the last Assassin's Creed to adopt the new RPG-focused approach, Valhalla is a decent send-off to this style of Assassin's Creed game.
4 V
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
While Cyberpunk 2077 might be one of the most controversial releases of all time, there's no denying that there are several qualities of this game that have helped it stand strong as one of the better RPGs around.
Controlling the female V in one of the greatest video game stories around is something that should be lauded for all the right reasons. For all of the criticisms that can be leveled at Cyberpunk 2077, the protagonist is generally not one of them.
3 Kassandra
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Released
- October 15, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Of the two playable genders in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Kassandra is more favored by fans over her brother Alexios. Firstly, her acting is better. Alexios sounds a bit dull whereas Kassandra gets into it.
In addition to this, her plight feels more real and can thus connect to players better. This was also a big step for the franchise.
2 Aloy
Horizon Zero Dawn & Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Released
- February 28, 2017
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Decima
- Franchise
- Horizon
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- Metascore
- 89
Tied with Dragon Age Inquisition, Horizon Zero Dawn was a pleasant surprise for PS4 players. Many were surprised that the Killzone creators, Guerrilla Games, could go so far in the other direction and nail it.
This game is like Monster Hunter if the monsters were robots. It’s a post-apocalypse while not feeling like a typical cataclysmic setting like Fallout. Game stuff aside, Aloy was a strong lead.
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Horizon Forbidden West is an excellent sequel that builds up on the success of the first game. Aloy is back and better than ever, with the red-haired protagonist journeying to uncover the mystery surrounding the world after getting a glimpse of what the world used to be like in the prequel.
The numerous monsters in Forbidden West's unique setting coupled with the exploration of the world's ruins make for a truly great time as players explore the world to its fullest. Aloy is as great a protagonist as ever and still steals the show... Even if the script doesn't do her any favors. While this game may have been overshadowed by the success of Elden Ring, there's no denying that Forbidden West is a great title that is a perfect sequel in many ways.
1 2B
NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata
- Released
- March 7, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games
- Franchise
- NieR
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Like Rise of the Tomb Raider, this was a re-release on PS4 after it relaunched on the Xbox One. It’s the best version to date thanks to the included DLC along with patches. The original version is not far behind either.
There are two female leads in this game. One is a bit of a spoiler, so she will not be listed. Of the two though, 2B would still win by a landslide.
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