Summary
PlayStation fans have been treated to a plethora ofhigh-quality exclusive gamescourtesy of Sony’s fundingtowards story-driven experiences. There is a ton of titles designed to appeal to those wanting a rich journey filled with beautiful, cutting-edge graphics and great character moments.
It would be easy to limit that appeal to a majority-focused target audience, but PlayStation titles have proven to be inclusive for all, with studios like Naughty Dog and Guerrilla pushing for accessibility options and diverse storylines that challenge and push the industry further. But outside these studios, there are also other great games to pick from passionate and creative queer development teams. Here are some of the best from both worlds.
Updated June 09, 2025, by Zackary Wiggs:With Pride Month nearly halfway over, it’s still not too late to dive into your favorite games with queer representation. PlayStation owners have access to some of the best titles out there with LGBTQ+ characters, romances, and storylines. From tense zombie games with undercurrents of lesbian romance, or futuristic stories with themes of body modification and gender; there are some great games out there, no matter what kind of characters you want to see represented.
There are spoilers for some of the characters in the following series.
14Unpacking
Boxes, And Emotional Baggage
Unpackingstarts off as a simple, and relaxing, puzzle game, and it is throughout. But, what most people didn’t expect was that as your nameless protagonist moves in and out of various homes and apartments, much of her life and personal growth is revealed through the knick-knacks, equipment, and clothing she brings with… or leaves behind.
There is a rather depressing level where, after moving in with a new partner, who is obviously male, the protagonist discovers some items cannot be moved to make space for her. His rigid style clashes with her fun-loving and artistic collection, and ultimately, the only available space to broadcast her achievements is in the back of the closet, or under the bed.
Later on, though, you get to decorate a house with another person, who brings bras and extra pads in the house. But, as well, the sense of the protagonist’s style changes too, from the childish tones of teenage clothing, to dresses, and even various flannels and boots, as they seem to experiment with gender and style more as their confidence grows. It’s a lot to pack into a simple de-cluttering game.
Ellie is one of the most notable lesbian protagonists in gaming. There are lots of well-defined moments including her first kiss with Riley, which happened before the apocalypse, a coming-out story that respectfully showed the trauma involved with bottling up emotions and the process of moving on with her eventual relationship with Dina.
Bill is the first major story-driven side character that appears in the game, an overprotective pepper that survives by any means necessary. This story deviates from the show’s wonderful adaptation, as Frank, Bill’s partner, was hanged after an unfortunate accident. It’s a little unclear as to why this occurred, but it shows a complex relationship between two emotionally deep characters.
Lev is a bit more polarizing, as his journey showcases the struggles of a trans character in a very harsh environment. The traumatic story may be a bit much for some, but it’s clear that a lot of care and effort has gone into this protagonist. Lev is voiced by trans actor Ian Alexander, whose openness towards discrimination from an early age helped inspire the development team.
This quirky Pokemon Snap-like puzzle game was originally a PS5 exclusive launch title that features the ability to modify body parts using the game’s food-inspired Bugsnax. The cartoony, over-the-top way in which this title presents its premise can also be used to explore self-expression.
The island of Snaktooth is also home to a variety of different monsters, many of whom identify with various different parts LGBT+ community, allowing you to become the mayor of a diverse community. Your role as mayor is to gain the trust of everyone, which involves understanding personalities and meeting their needs.
In an interview with TheGamer,BugSnax’s creative director Kevin Zuhn explained the importance of accessibility when it came to developing the game’s colorful cast.
Destiny might not be the first game that comes to mind when talking about queer experiences or characters, but there is a surprising amount of representation in this title. Buried underneath mountains of lore entries, there are some surprisingly detailed stories of these mysterious characters' pasts.
The two biggest in-game mentions are Eramis, Kell of Darkness, who is stated as being Athrys' mate and admiring her gentle embrace in the Power Hungry quest description, and Mara Sov, whose relationship with Sjur Eido is the most concrete form of LGBTQ+ representation in the game.
Supplementary content, like the physical canonical Destiny books, reveal that tons of major characters are part of the community, including the Taken King, who’s revealed to be transgender.
Because Destiny is such a community-driven experience, many players project themselves onto the game’s characters. Because of this, it’s easy to see why story elements take a backseat in this title. But props to Bungie for reminding players of these often-overlooked character developments in social media posts.
For a game series with subtext all about becoming comfortable in your own skin, it only makes sense that Cyberpunk 2077 allowed for a wide range of characters of all types of sexuality and genders. There are a lot of well-thought-out characters living in Night City.
That’s the interesting part. Each of the characters you meet on your journey has a rich tapestry of backstory, and the queer characters aren’t just there to offer one-dimensional romance options; they’re there to explore their personality and build the V that you want to emulate.
With a solid cast of gay and bisexual love interests, trans characters, and plenty of other sex-positive motifs, a story about the horrors of capitalism in the future has a lot of representation on every level.
The Sims has pushed boundaries when it comes to sexual preferences in games since its inception, with the introduction of an attraction slider and randomly generated personality traits to mimic all aspects of life in a sandbox environment. But when the third game rolled around, players realized that the options for attraction and sexuality hadn’t evolved much from these early innovations.
Luckily, The Sims 4 has increased its wealth of customization options with the help of the community, and particularly modders, which were hired by EA to work on inclusive new features.
As of 2023, you’re able to create Sims with non-conforming genders and sexual orientations that include asexuality and non-binary traits. And of course, watching interactions take place between all these characters is part of the game’s core appeal.
Sony’s triple-A games have recently become some of the most inclusive in the industry. Their big launches have pushed the boundaries in terms of accessibility options, and Horizon follows in the footsteps of The Last of Us by bringing another openly queer protagonist to the forefront of its library.
Aloy is a strong-willed and independent character who has learned survival techniques from an early age. However, in the DLC, Burning Shores, a new set of cute intimacy options open up after talking to one particular character, Seyka, who Aloy feels uncharacteristically shy around.
It’s a very sweet and genuine portrayal of opening up about awkward feelings, and it was released at an interesting time as Aloy’s voice actor, Ashly Burch, came out as bisexual just a couple of months after the game’s launch.
Borderlands as a series has been keen on making sure everyone has a humorous ride through the future, and develops characters that are well-rounded and realistic. In doing so, they’ve had quite a lot of queer representation from the get go.
Every game introduces new characters, and quite a few of them are gay, bi, or pansexual. Mr. Torgue loves explosions, and people of any gender; we got to see Hammerlock and Wainright’s spectacular (and cosmic-horror-y) wedding; and Fl4k is a non-binary vault hunter who really doesn’t seem to care much about romance or sex at all.
None of the aforementioned characters, or any of the series' LGBTQ+ characters feel coded as such just to hit any quota, they’re all written as such with plenty of other features and facets to make them feel like real people.
It’s rare to see a game where almost all of its cast of main characters can relate to the issues that surround unconventional sexual preferences. But Night in the Woods presents a personal story about a group of friends that come together with shared personality traits that don’t fit in with societal norms.
It’s a surprisingly cozy tale about rebellious young adults engaging in various activities during a transitioning period between education and whatever prospects the future holds. Gregg and Angus show a particularly stable and loving gay relationship with each other.
This is particularly satisfying to watch unfold as the two characters have opposing personalities. Outside of this, protagonist Mae is pansexual, and other residents of Possum Springs are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and non-binary.
There is plenty of sex and romance throughout Greek mythology, so it only feels right that the Hades series brings those topics to the modern age. Sure, there’s the roguelike fighting game mechanics that challenge you, but there’s the constant undercurrent of love and lust as well.
Achilles and Patroclus, Zagreus and Thanatos, Zagreus and well… quite a lot of the cast have romantic chemistry really. Introducing you to character after character drawn in bright colors and with various body types, it only makes sense why so many people ship the protagonist with different gods and demigods of all genders.
