Summary
- Video games have historically been marketed exclusively to boys, leading to a lack of strong female protagonists.
- Recent years have seen a positive shift towards more diverse representation, with many upcoming titles featuring strong female leads.
- Grand Theft Auto 6 is breaking the mold by featuring a female protagonist, marking a significant change in character portrayal.
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.
Baldur's Gate 3: 6 Most Badass Women
Baldur's Gate 3 is home to a plethora of strong female characters, but these are arguably the most badass of the bunch.
Video games have been slowly becoming more diverse as they start to be seen increasingly less as a "masculine" hobby, and the growing 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 July 7, 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.
55 Aether and Iron
A Smuggler in A Retro-Cyberpunk World
Aether & Iron
- Developer(s)
- Seismic Squirrel
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
54 AIKODE
Post-Apocalyptic Robot
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: TBA
- Developers: ACE_19111545
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.
53 At Fate's End
Sister against Sister
- Platform: PC
- Release Date: TBA
- Developer: Thunder Lotus
The new title from Spiritfarer developers 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 End also 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.
52 Borderlands 4
A New Generation of Vault Hunters
Borderlands 4
- Released
- September 12, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Borderlands has generally been pretty good at gender representation. Every game in the series has had at least one playable female protagonist, and from The Pre-Sequel onwards, there has generally been a concerted effort to balance male and female character options. So it's not surprising that Borderlands 4 is 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.
Vex continues 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 named Trouble that can be summoned at any time to deal damage against her enemies. Harlowe is the resident tech expert, a former scientist who defected from the Maliwan corporation and now builds machines that mess with gravity.
51 Cairn
A Mountaineer with a Mission
Cairn
- Released
- January 29, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- The Game Bakers
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
Mountain climbing infamously not only a difficult but also a very dangerous hobby, as The Game Bakers' survival adventure Cairn strives 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 with Death 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.
Cairn is set to release in 2025, but the demo is currently available on Steam.
50 Control 2
The FBC Director is Back
Control 2
- Released
- 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Remedy Entertainment, 505 Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Remedy's Control followed Jesse 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 about Control 2 beyond 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.
49 Cloudheim
Viking Monster Hunter
Cloudheim
- Released
- December 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
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 various Breath of the Wild-inspired monsters who stand in her way. Cloudheim is 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 of gravity, as she can experiment with different ways to launch enemies into the air for maximum damage.
48 Dark Mass
Diver in the Deep
Dark Mass
- Developer(s)
- Path Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Publisher(s)
- Path Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Exploration, Puzzle
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Subnautica could 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 Mass follows 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 happens underwater. 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.
47 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020
An Astronaut Surviving a Deep Space Cosmic Horror
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020
- Released
- 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rating Pending
- Developer(s)
- Supermassive Games
- Publisher(s)
- Supermassive Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Technically, the season 2 premiere of The Dark Pictures Anthology will 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 of Alien and The 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.
46 Echoes of the End
Vengeful Viking
- Estimated Release: 2025
- Developer: Myrkur Games
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Echoes of the End is 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, but Echoes of the End seems to take a lot of influence from God 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.