Female Protagonists in Games: Celebrating International Women's Day!

Updated for 2023

In celebration of International Women’s Day this year, we’re taking a look at some of the top games out there with female protagonists, with some exciting new additions for 2022! 

Many people in the games industry having been working for years to make sure that female representation is not only in our studios, but also in the games being published. As a result of this we’ve been treated to some truly excellent titles starring heroines who will be sure to inspire and captivate a much more diverse gaming audience. 

Here are some of the biggest titles of recent years with female characters at the helm!

 

The Walking Dead

Image source: The Popverse

Clementine takes over the protagonist role in season two of the iconic The Walking Dead series. She is quick and resourceful, but at 11 years old is often underestimated due to her age.

Once we get to season three Clem is even more skilled and by the final season, she’s deadly to anything that gets in her way, proving her to be an extremely savvy survivor. Known as an emotional centre point of the game series, Clementine succeeds in being tough and brutal, whilst keeping an emotional connection with the player. In addition to her complex character, Clementine’s ethnicity is described as black and Asian, offering well needed representation to the female characters we see as well.

 

Resident Evil

Image source: YouTube

Jill Valentine is the protagonist of multiple Resident Evil games and is seen as one of the most popular and iconic video game characters around. The series has been praised for its portrayal of women as game characters, with Jill Valentine being significantly less sexualised than other female characters and being just as skilled as her male counterparts.

 

Mirror's Edge

Image source: YouTube

Faith is the edgy, daredevil protagonist of Mirror’s Edge, where she serves as a Runner, transporting items for revolutionary groups whilst hiding from the government.

She has received a largely positive response from audiences and is regarded as one of the most inspirational female characters in games, being noted as a character who buckled many trends for female game characters.

 

Silent Hill

Image source: Pinterest

Heather Mason is the main protagonist of Silent Hill 3, and is known for her temper and sharp tongue, which distinguishes her from other female protagonists in horror games.

Heather has also appeared on a list of the Top 10 Badass Ladies in video game history, after going through hell and seeing things that would’ve cracked most people.

 

Spiritfarer

Image source: Tenor

Spitfarer is an indie management sim and sandbox action game, with the goal being to meet the needs of the spirits aboard your ship. The main character is Stella, who is a Spiritfarer helping ferry spirits to the afterlife.

With reviews stating the game to be a combination of Animal Crossing and an action platformer, Spiritfarer is a feel-good game with charming characters and touching stories. If you’re looking for a new wholesome game with a female protagonist, look no further!

  

Tomb Raider

Image source: Tomb Raiders

No list of female game protagonists is complete without mentioning Lara Croft. 

The original Tomb Raider games was probably the first time a lot of the current generation of games industry women saw a female character head up a game. Being able to fight and problem solve her way through the game like an absolute boss had young girls captivated. But from a female empowerment perspective, it perhaps didn’t start off on the best foot thanks to some very questionable proportions. 

However, the 2013 reboot made by the talented team at Crystal Dynamics – gave a much stronger focus on Lara Croft as a person, and not just a generic eye-candied character to drive the game forward.  

She's the same unflappable fighting machine that we all fell in love with, but now will bring the next generation of gamers into her world with a less male-focused look.

 

Life is Strange: True Colours

Image Source: YouTube

In the latest instalment of Life is Strange, we meet protagonist Alex Chen who holds the power of empathy, allowing her to both experience and manipulate the emotions of those around her. Alex is witty and sharp, as well as being sensitive to the needs of others, always putting them before her own emotions. Being a queer, Asian American woman, Alex brings some much-needed diversity and a general step forward for women in this popular franchise.

 

Control

Image Source: Control Twitter

Control is arguably one of Remedy’s finest achievements – and as has taken home various awards and nominations for best action title, best story, best art direction (the list goes on) it’s clear to see it’s made quite the impact. 

Control follows the story of Jesse Faden, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, and in case you're one of the few people who hasn't played it yet I'm not going to include any spoliers here about the game. But what I think is most important about Jesse is that she doesn't fall into the same personality cliques as many other female characters. She's not sassy, cheeky or sarcastic. She's a straight faced woman with a job to do and a cause that drives her, and that's how she stays throughout. The fact that she is still captivating is a real step for female characters, and the representation of women as the varied and complex characters that we are!

 

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Image Source: Wallpapersden

One of the most popular franchises of all time, Uncharted, focuses on Nathan Drake who along the way, meets a few different women all of whom were complex characters but that ended up being reduced to a helper or love interest in Nathan's story. 

Luckily, Naughty Dog seemed to realise the potential in these women so for Lost Legacy Chloe Frazer was brought front and centre. This allowed us to see her full range - the trained and experienced treasure hunter without her being stuck in the 'love interest' box as she was before.  

Another important aspect of Chloe is her Indian heritage that is tied into her story throughout - which makes her the one of the only non-white women that has headed up a AAA game in recent years and even then being half Indian and half Australian shows that there is a lot of work still to be done here.

 

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Image Source: Independent

Another NPC that was finally upgraded to a main character is Billie Lurk from the Dishonored franchise. Bethesda really hit it out of the park with Billie and this expansion. Not only is she a black woman with mixed heritage and so will be a place for many women to feel represented that weren't before. While her sexuality isn't something that is at the forefront of the game, it is mentioned throughout in audio and other areas that she is also bisexual. It's not shouted about but it's there and that it very important for making all female gamers feel seen in the games that they love.

 

Honorable Mentions

The Last of Us - Ellie

It Takes Two - May

Ratchet and Clank - Rivet

Horizon: Zero Dawn - Alloy

So, there’s a round-up of our favourite games around at the moment with female protagonists, in celebration of women in games for International Women’s Day!

If you’re keen to stay on the girl power hype, have a read of our Women In Games 10 year challenge blog from IWD’s past, where we spoke with some powerful women in the games industry. Also, keep an eye out for our 2022 survey results coming soon where we will cover the industry’s current gender pay gap.

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