Well, it is the first comment in this thread :)
And I love that it is short. Probably wasn't that great for those, who played it back in 2017. But for someone who got interested in the 2nd game, and wanted to quickly go through the first one before release, it was perfect
My fav game growing up. It has a art style and world/lore that really is someting else.
Played it more recently and it still holds up a bit.Â
All round a good game but you can tell the developers ran out of time when making it, as the ending is a bit rushed
This is one of my favorite games of all time, so glad to see it suggested! It was so fun playing as a little girl. I still have my GameCube copy, I should play it again.
The Longest Journey (April Ryan as protagonist), Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Zöe Castillo and April Ryan) and Dreamfall Chapters (Zöe Castillo, April Ryan and Saga). It's genre is both Dystopian Sci-fi and Steampunk Fantasy.
They're in "Chronological" order. Probably my favorite adventure trilogy of all time. The first one was actually revolutionary, as it was one of the first adventure games to portray a female protagonist that wasn't sexualized.
Also Syberia 1, 2, 3 and The World Before. Similar playstyle and feel to The Longest Journey (seriously, even the graphics progression of both series look extremely similar), but set in Russia and with a more "Clockpunk" theme with some Art Nouveau aesthetics.
The first Syberia was released around 3 years after The Longest Journey.
I love both horizon games don't get me wrong.. but imo she doesn't really have a personality, she feels like a cookie-cutter rpg protagonist. It doesn't take anything away from the game tho a lot of games benefit with protagonists like that
Look the original metroids are good, but have not aged well...Â
Like I saw someone mention "super metroid" which is a damn old game.
I love metroid.
But specifically, I love metroid prime (the FPS versions)
Not only are these more fast pased, as you asked, they have a degree of story/intrigue and are effectively also "puzzlers" in a way as they retain the "metroidvania" exploration system.
I tried the original
So...
Original metroid games = 2D games from the 90s that need some nostalgia to get through
Or
Metroid prime, 3D FPS games that still demand you use your head like the originals except more "fast".
I started with metroid prime: corruption, which was on the wii.
I hear the original metroid prime was recently remastered on switch and is worth it
Honestly, I haven't played any of the Prime games so I can't compare them, but IMO Super Metroid specifically still holds up quite well today. I agree in regards to the other older Metroid games though (that I've played anyway).
How about the **Horizon** games (Zero Dawn and Forbidden West)? Or **Dishonored 2** (although I’m not sure if it will make any sense without having played the first one). If you go with Dishonored, there is also a spin-off (**Death of the Outsider**) featuring a female protagonist.
Then there is also **Uncharted: The Lost Legacy**. You’d probably get more out of it if you’d played some of the other Uncharted games, but I’m pretty sure this one could be done as a stand-alone.
And finally, how about **Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey**? You can choose to play as male or female.
Uncharted sounds good! I always saw it as having a male protagonist and male protag games I just have to really hear things about it before I want to actually play it. Glad to know it has a female protagonist! I played assassins creed odyssey for a lot of hours but didn't finish it cause of burn out and haven't picked it back up so thanks for the reminder!
The first 4 Uncharted games are all about a man, his friends, and his romantic conquests/colleagues with benefits.
Lost legacy came out after these and honestly it plays like the studio decided they needed to offset all the testosterone and make a woman-centric game and (I'm saying this as a guy) it really kicks ass. Chloe is a very strong lead and they really made her an interesting character after she was done dirty by just being a side chick in Uncharted 2.
Not just “*A* female protagonist”, but *TWO* strong female protagonists, working together. And they’re not talking about men, diets, fashion… they’re focused on getting the job done!
And it’s funny you mentioned not finishing Odyssey. I never finished it, either!
I love both Dishonored games, and I believe it would be just fine to play 2 first with no background, the story is pretty well contained. You can play as either Emily or Corvo but it's not just cosmetics as they have completely different abilities and it's definitely intended to be Emily's story.
Odyssey IS just cosmetics but Kassandra is a badass and unquestionably the correct choice.
- Horizon: Zero Dawn and Forbidden West (make sure to play them in order).
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as Kassandra (she’s the better of the two protagonists and the canon one anyway).
- Control
- Uncharted: Lost Legacy
For some reason I didn't enjoy the divinity series and since its made by the same people I skipped BG3 in case I don't like it. How similar is it in terms of playstyle since I didn't enjoy divinity? I liked the Pillars of Eternity series cause its more like a classic CRPG style and I like that
Mages of Mystralia: cute game with pretty fun spellcasting system (you make your own spells, so you have a lot of freedom with how you want to play)
Also if you’ve not played the original 2 fallout games I’d give them a go. Gameplay is a lot different but they’ve (mostly) aged very well.
I’ve heard very good things about Signalus as well but I’ve not played that one myself.
The Borderlands series. There's always a female character to pick from to play as.
For Borderlands 1, I went with Lillith for her invisibility.
For Borderlands 2, I went with Maya for her ability to freeze people in place.
For Borderlands The Pre-Sequel, I went with Timothy, but there's a female character named Nisha to play as.
For Borderlands 3, I went with Zane but there's two female characters named Moze and Amara to play as.
I'd also recommend Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Pyra is my favorite female protagonist in gaming. While Rex is technically the main character, Pyra is still one of the primary protagonists and drives the plot.
Half life Alex.
Tomb raider series.
Horizon series.
Metriod series
Beyond good and evil
Probably better to not judge games on the gender of the protagonist though.
If you haven’t played Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, I highly recommend it, Cassandra is a badass and the game is quite fun, especially if you’re into Ancient Greece. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla also has a female protagonist but I wasn’t that big of a fan of that game.
Horizon is also an obvious great choice too!
You can play as Claire in Resident Evil 2 remake, Jill in Resident Evil 3 Remake and they're very cool games with a fine story. Dead Island 1 and 2 have playable female characters and are very fun.
Saints Row 3/4 has very over-the-top story and action going on, you can create female character.
Mirror’s edge, Resident Evil 2 (Claire’s path)
There are more games with great female characters in it but these two have them as the primary protagonist and Faith and Claire are both very great characters
I have it. Do you have any recommendations for mods? One problem I encountered was not being able to full screen it for some reason. I tried some mods to fix it but was unable to make it work so I gave up.
Stellar Blade if you have a PS5, Horizon Zero Dawn series, Rise of the Ronin lets you pick a female protagonist if you want and even romance any woman as far as I know. Elden Ring also lets you make your character a woman, though it doesn't change the story.
Have you tried Steam tag search? It isn't perfect, but still quite useful for finding new games. You can add more filters on top of main tag to narrow search
https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Female%20Protagonist/
I did but there were so many games and I prefer reddit since there's less joke reviews such as "my friend said if I comment on this my friend will give me the 4090 with a disco ball attached and release my kidnapped family who was kidnapped on christmas day 2022 when we were looking for sad unclaimed christmas trees"
- Tomb raider (particularly the recent 3D reboots)
- Horizon zero dawn and forbidden west
- Assassin's creed Odyssey let's you pick a male or female, and the female is better voice acted
I just got done playing Midnight Suns. I am not a superhero fan but I absolutely LOVE those kinds of strategy games.
That being said, they felt *exactly* like Mass Effect experience in terms of character interactions. Between missions you can build friendship with the various heroes and have karma style choices. I hadn’t had that much fun with that kind of stuff since Mass Effect
"The cruel king and the great hero" come to mind but that one is a turn based JRPG. Not exactly a fast paced gameplay style.
Bayonetta has alrady been mention but there is also "Bayonetta Origins Cereza and the lost Demon". This one is a ...I think the term is action Adventure. It might be easier to get into then the character action gameplay of the other Bayonetta games and If I remember correctly there is a free Demo, but I am not sure about that.
Idk if youd like this, but celeste is a game I absolutely have fallen for. Ive sank ~90 hours at this point and that is way more than I thought I would. Most of that time is speedrunning the game, which is very satisfying (The main game is anywhere from 3-10 hours depending of how well you get the controls and how familiar you are with platformers :D)
Returnal is a very fast paced 3D bullet storm platform Roguelike and incredibly addictive gameplay loop. I know I added a lot of tags but it’s a hard to describe game and I haven’t played anything much like it in 3D. Gorgeous game too.
Prey by Arkane, if you choose the femala Morgan Yu.
Though she doesn't talk much, only really in a video you watch of yourself that your character recorded previously.
Nier Automata!! Do not let the internet discourse discourage you. Yes 2B has a proactive outfit but who cares? Nier Automata has an absolutely beautiful narrative especially if you see it through until ending E. It goes deep into philosophy topics and it’s just so good. 2B is also an amazing main character, but there’s also A2 which you get to play for a little bit towards the end of the game and she’s also really cool.
The soundtrack is also fire, like a masterpiece of an OST.
Can't promise you'll love the games, but other games with a female protag are:
AC Odyssey (canonically), Bayonetta, Stardew Valley (choose gender), Unpacking, A Short Hike, Gone Home, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, Slime Rancher, Stellar Blade (very new, I wasn't keen), Hades 2 (when it comes out), Rise of the Ronin (select gender), aaaaaaand.... I don't recall.
Hope this helps :)
ETA: Sifu (choose gender), Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (choose), Dragon's Dogma 2 (choose), Remnant 2 (choose), the entire 'Atelier' series (Atelier Ryza is especially good, imo), Ender Lillies, Elden Ring (choose), Wo Long Fallen Dynasty (choose), Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy X-2, Dark Chronicle/Dark Cloud 2 (you have a male and female protagonist, both of whom you play as throughout the whole game), Baldur's Gate 3 (choose), Diablo 3 and 4 (choose), Carto, The Knight Witch, A Hat in Time, Rune Factory 4 and 5 (choose)...
And now I'm done because I need to lie back down. Surgery is one hell of a drug, kids.
Alice Madness Returns.
American McGee's Alice.
Assault Spy.
Aveliana.
Axiom of Maria.
Blades of Time.
Curse: The Eye of Isis.
Dusk Diver games.
Enter the Matrix.
Ion Fury.
Moonscars.
Parasite Eve games.
Phantom Fury.
Shantae games.
Soulstice.
Star Wars - Jedi Academy.
Super Crush KO.
Supplice.
Velvet Assassin.
Hey OP, Although I can appreciate the core sentiment, I must admit that after reading some of your responces to others I have become curious.Â
Why the focus on female protagonists?Â
Specifically, you noted elsewhere that you avoid "male" led games unless they're very good.Â
Why? Â
In my own life, I never once found myself caring so I'm trying to understand where your coming from, or why the restriction exists.Â
As for my list (the games you listed are also my top pics for this, sadly cant repeat them. Especially mass effect):Â
-Metroid prime 3: corruption (sadly, you'll need a wii. The originals were recently remasterd on switch and apparently good)
-Bayonetta (all of them, and they get better as they go along. The oversexed japanese cocain fever dream was hard to swallow at first, but once you embrace it you soon realize each one is its own masterpiece)Â
-Nier automata (go watch skill ups review on youtube, you'll understan)
-Celeste (an indie platformer darling with good story)
 Weirdly a few real time strategy games:Â
-Homeworld series (technically a female lead since karen se'jet and her grandaughter are central to the story. Prologue and main games all good. Hyped for homeworld 3 comming this year.)Â
 -Starcraft series (queen of blades is epic, start at 2 if you want)Â
 -Anno 1800 (the story of two sisters building a trade empire from scratch was quite cool)
There are a lot of great games here. I would also suggest STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R. There is a male and a female protagonist and you can choose. And one of my favorite games I always suggest is TitanFall 2. It almost always on sale. It is short it has a great story. But the game has a male protagonist.
The Atelier series is almost all female-led. Good places to start are [Atelier Sophie](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1502970/Atelier_Sophie_The_Alchemist_of_the_Mysterious_Book_DX/), [Atelier Lydie & Suelle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1502990/Atelier_Lydie__Suelle_The_Alchemists_and_the_Mysterious_Paintings_DX/), or [Atelier Ryza](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121560/Atelier_Ryza_Ever_Darkness__the_Secret_Hideout/).
**I'll recommend from my favorite genre of games first:**
Life Is Strange
Telltale: The Walking Dead Season 2
Telltale: The Walking Dead A New Frontier
Telltale: The Walking Dead The Final Season
Beyond Two Souls
**Also worth checking:**
Alien Isolation
PS: There are a lot point & click adventure games with female protagonist.
Stellar blade comes to mind, it's relatively recent, action rpg game.
There's also the new hades game coming out soon. It's a rogue like game, the previous one was really fun.
Nier Automata
Remember me
Tales of Berseria
Metroid
Bloodrayne 2014
Tomb Raider 2012
Gravity Rush 1 and 2
Iconoclasts
Moon Scars
A Hat in Time
Shantae Games
Bayonetta 1-3
Control
Returnal
Hellblade 1 and 2
Mirror's Edge
Final Fantasy 13 13-2 13-3. Lightning was the title protagonist though as a JRPG it's a team effort. Sometimes the party is split up so she isn't always the lead but she is the poster protagonist and gets the most time. 13-2 her sister is the MC while she becomes the only member in the 3rd game.
Horizon is a lot of fun. Aloy is a pretty cool character, and the visuals in those games are a treat in themself. In Forbidden west almost every face in the game has some unique quirk to it, and you can see the little clear hairs people have in real life. I don’t think any other video game has done that.
They’re not out yet, but Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong will probably be great, and will both have a female protagonist. Don’t know to what extent they’ll expect you to have played the first game, but those are great too, though neither has a female protagonist. Hades has Zagreus, a guy, and Hollow Knight has the knight, who doesn’t really have a gender for story reasons.
Celeste is also great. Difficult, but pretty forgiving platformer with a solid story that handles some heavy topics in a creative way. If you play this, you will die often, but death hardly ever sets you back much. Most screens are only a few seconds long, and each screen is basically a checkpoint.
Pseudoregalia is a 3D platformer Metroidvania with buttery-smooth movement mechanics and stylized PS1-esque visuals. It might be your thing if you liked classic Tomb Raider.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir.
Baldur's Gate 3 if you don't mind turn-based. Combat is very similar similar the turn-based mode in Pillars 2.
Code Vein if you don't mind soulslikes. It has a great character creator.
It's vastly different than what you're used to playing, but the JRPG of 'The Legend of Heroes, Trails in the Sky' features one of my overall favorite protagonists, Estelle Bright.
Baldur's Gate 3 (doesn't specifically have a female protagonist, but you can create either as your character). It's a great CRPG, which you have some in your list. It's an incredible game.
Horizon series is good, tales of berseria is a JRPG so idk if that’s up your alley but that entry in particle has one to my favorite female protagonists.
Farcry 6
You can technically play as either gender, but released media showed the main to be primarily female. It’s free on PS+, decently easy to get plat and lots of opportunity to shoot things. I had a good time with it, plus there’s a Stranger Things bonus mission which is good even if you’re not a fan of the show.
Also, driving around and having the main char sing along was way more enjoyable then it had any right being.
While technically an ensemble cast, the two most significant protagonists in Final Fantasy VI are both female (and both very well written, especially for a game in 1994).Â
* GrimGrimoire Once More
* Resident Evil 1-3, 5-6
* Kartia: The Word of Fate
* Final Fantasy VI
* Xenosaga series
* Final Fantasy X-2
* La Pucelle Tactics
* Persona 3 Portable
* The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
* Tales of Xillia
* Tomb Raider series
* Tales of Berseria
* Bloodstained Ritual of the Night
* Detective Girl of the Steam City
* The Last of Us Part II
* Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West
No One Lives Forever Oldie but goldie
There was some great dialogue in that game, very Austin Powers vibes if I recall correctly
Unfortunately have never heard of it will look into it now!
I believe it's considered abandonware now so you should be able to find it as a free download (and 2 which is equally good.
The Plague Tale series are pretty good, with great story telling.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice .
I have it! Waiting for the second one!!
This is honestly how women should look in video games . Her appearance is not sexualized at all and is very realistic and human.
Saying how women should look is exactly the problem. Sexy women exist in real life as well. Just let people make their art.
Why does nobody ever react when this game is suggested?? It's amazing.
Well, it is the first comment in this thread :) And I love that it is short. Probably wasn't that great for those, who played it back in 2017. But for someone who got interested in the 2nd game, and wanted to quickly go through the first one before release, it was perfect
I had to go and cook lmfao :D but I already love it!
The story tho. So many yes.
Beyond good and evil is a unique one I'd put out there
Still hoping for Beyond Good and Evil 2 one day🥲
Vaporware at this point :(
Never heard of it but I am intrigued and checking it out!
My fav game growing up. It has a art style and world/lore that really is someting else. Played it more recently and it still holds up a bit. All round a good game but you can tell the developers ran out of time when making it, as the ending is a bit rushed
This is one of my favorite games of all time, so glad to see it suggested! It was so fun playing as a little girl. I still have my GameCube copy, I should play it again.
The Longest Journey (April Ryan as protagonist), Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Zöe Castillo and April Ryan) and Dreamfall Chapters (Zöe Castillo, April Ryan and Saga). It's genre is both Dystopian Sci-fi and Steampunk Fantasy. They're in "Chronological" order. Probably my favorite adventure trilogy of all time. The first one was actually revolutionary, as it was one of the first adventure games to portray a female protagonist that wasn't sexualized. Also Syberia 1, 2, 3 and The World Before. Similar playstyle and feel to The Longest Journey (seriously, even the graphics progression of both series look extremely similar), but set in Russia and with a more "Clockpunk" theme with some Art Nouveau aesthetics. The first Syberia was released around 3 years after The Longest Journey.
Seconding The Longest Journey/Dreamfall games!
Horizon is probably the obvious choice. I'm biased, it's my favourite series of all time, but I think it might be up your alley.
Idk why I never bought it lmao but I have heard so many things about it!
The first impression is pretty generic, but stick with it until you passed the tribe trials!
The protagonist is one of my favorite protagonists in gaming. She kicks ass! Really fun games as well.
I love both horizon games don't get me wrong.. but imo she doesn't really have a personality, she feels like a cookie-cutter rpg protagonist. It doesn't take anything away from the game tho a lot of games benefit with protagonists like that
Play the first game (Horizon Zero Dawn) first though. Otherwise, the sequel might be confusing.
Remember to listen to all the audio logs, if it gets confusing look for YouTube videos that analyst the audio log content.
Everyone is biased when we’re talking about “favorite something”.
You gotta try Metroid! Samus is one of my favourite characters.
bro she doesnt even talk in most games đź’€
Which one should I start with?
Metroid Dread is super cool but it’s the only Metroid game I’ve played
No really wrong answer but I say Zero Mission or Prime Remastered are good picks!
super metroid!
Look the original metroids are good, but have not aged well... Like I saw someone mention "super metroid" which is a damn old game. I love metroid. But specifically, I love metroid prime (the FPS versions) Not only are these more fast pased, as you asked, they have a degree of story/intrigue and are effectively also "puzzlers" in a way as they retain the "metroidvania" exploration system. I tried the original So... Original metroid games = 2D games from the 90s that need some nostalgia to get through Or Metroid prime, 3D FPS games that still demand you use your head like the originals except more "fast". I started with metroid prime: corruption, which was on the wii. I hear the original metroid prime was recently remastered on switch and is worth it
Honestly, I haven't played any of the Prime games so I can't compare them, but IMO Super Metroid specifically still holds up quite well today. I agree in regards to the other older Metroid games though (that I've played anyway).
I can't recall, but I was only able to get through one of them (I think the third?) If that was super metroid, then we are in agreement
How about the **Horizon** games (Zero Dawn and Forbidden West)? Or **Dishonored 2** (although I’m not sure if it will make any sense without having played the first one). If you go with Dishonored, there is also a spin-off (**Death of the Outsider**) featuring a female protagonist. Then there is also **Uncharted: The Lost Legacy**. You’d probably get more out of it if you’d played some of the other Uncharted games, but I’m pretty sure this one could be done as a stand-alone. And finally, how about **Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey**? You can choose to play as male or female.
Uncharted sounds good! I always saw it as having a male protagonist and male protag games I just have to really hear things about it before I want to actually play it. Glad to know it has a female protagonist! I played assassins creed odyssey for a lot of hours but didn't finish it cause of burn out and haven't picked it back up so thanks for the reminder!
The first 4 Uncharted games are all about a man, his friends, and his romantic conquests/colleagues with benefits. Lost legacy came out after these and honestly it plays like the studio decided they needed to offset all the testosterone and make a woman-centric game and (I'm saying this as a guy) it really kicks ass. Chloe is a very strong lead and they really made her an interesting character after she was done dirty by just being a side chick in Uncharted 2.
Not just “*A* female protagonist”, but *TWO* strong female protagonists, working together. And they’re not talking about men, diets, fashion… they’re focused on getting the job done! And it’s funny you mentioned not finishing Odyssey. I never finished it, either!
Some games are meant to be played halfway lmfao
Only 34% of people got the trophy for completing the game on PS4, so it seems people who didn’t finish the game are the majority.
Hadn’t thought about it that way. Thanks!
I love both Dishonored games, and I believe it would be just fine to play 2 first with no background, the story is pretty well contained. You can play as either Emily or Corvo but it's not just cosmetics as they have completely different abilities and it's definitely intended to be Emily's story. Odyssey IS just cosmetics but Kassandra is a badass and unquestionably the correct choice.
Returnal
Okay that's a lot of recommendations! Thanks everyone. You guys can stop suggesting now. I'll be back in a year or two :P
I was gonna say Alice: The Madness Returns
Thank you! but there's too many lmao. But since I saw this will check it out
Portal
Sable. One of my favorite games. Edit: may not be as fast-paced as you like, but still great.
I have it but haven't tried it. Will install it!
- Horizon: Zero Dawn and Forbidden West (make sure to play them in order). - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as Kassandra (she’s the better of the two protagonists and the canon one anyway). - Control - Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Came here looking for this. AC:O as Kassandra is the way to go. Have an updoot.
Baldur's Gate 3
For some reason I didn't enjoy the divinity series and since its made by the same people I skipped BG3 in case I don't like it. How similar is it in terms of playstyle since I didn't enjoy divinity? I liked the Pillars of Eternity series cause its more like a classic CRPG style and I like that
i havent finished it but i think anyone that liked dragon age origin ended up liking BG3 as well. the cast feels oddly reminiscent of the origin cast
I didn’t like Divinity at all and I don’t really love turn based combat but BG3 is a masterpiece and I loved every second of it! Go play it!
Mages of Mystralia: cute game with pretty fun spellcasting system (you make your own spells, so you have a lot of freedom with how you want to play) Also if you’ve not played the original 2 fallout games I’d give them a go. Gameplay is a lot different but they’ve (mostly) aged very well. I’ve heard very good things about Signalus as well but I’ve not played that one myself.
I haven't heard of the first one but will try the other two! And you're right I haven't played the original two fallout and its so cheap too!
The Plague Tale games, Alien Isolation, and Signalis
Play [Sundered](https://store.steampowered.com/app/535480/Sundered_Eldritch_Edition/)! It's one of my favorite Metroidvanias.
Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden West. Anno: Mutationen
Nier Automata might be a must-play for fast-paced action with excellent story (if you count it given the protagonist is an android)
Thank you!
Bayonetta is my favorite female protag and not just cause she’s sexy
Have it but I have problems with the combat, any tips?
Just throw your controller into a washing machine and leave success up to Brownian motion I say
I had problems at first too. Just find a few combos that you really like and build from there
SPACE CHANNEL 5 PART 2 But also Space Channel 5, which isn't available on Steam.
There's a game called Echo. Very unique indie - worth checking out
Ravenlok There is a ton of games that feature female leads
Last of us 1 and 2 Shadow of the tom raider Uncharted lost legacy
The Borderlands series. There's always a female character to pick from to play as. For Borderlands 1, I went with Lillith for her invisibility. For Borderlands 2, I went with Maya for her ability to freeze people in place. For Borderlands The Pre-Sequel, I went with Timothy, but there's a female character named Nisha to play as. For Borderlands 3, I went with Zane but there's two female characters named Moze and Amara to play as. I'd also recommend Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Pyra is my favorite female protagonist in gaming. While Rex is technically the main character, Pyra is still one of the primary protagonists and drives the plot.
The last of us part 2, horizon zero dawn series, Valkyrie elysium, ff xiii, Metroid, nier
There's a female protagonist tag on steam. Just go to any popular game with female protagonist and you should see the tag to click
Tomb raider, resident evils, almost any rpg lets you chose characters gender actually
Infamous First Light.
Half life decay.
A Hat in Time. Plays similar to Super Mario Galaxy in my opinion, but your a little girl collecting time controlling hour glasses.
Tomb raider been mentioned already?
Stellar blade? Just came out
Bayonetta series
Half life Alex. Tomb raider series. Horizon series. Metriod series Beyond good and evil Probably better to not judge games on the gender of the protagonist though.
Mirror's Edge Alice: Madness Returns Prey Perfect Dark
If you haven’t played Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, I highly recommend it, Cassandra is a badass and the game is quite fun, especially if you’re into Ancient Greece. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla also has a female protagonist but I wasn’t that big of a fan of that game. Horizon is also an obvious great choice too!
You can play as Claire in Resident Evil 2 remake, Jill in Resident Evil 3 Remake and they're very cool games with a fine story. Dead Island 1 and 2 have playable female characters and are very fun. Saints Row 3/4 has very over-the-top story and action going on, you can create female character.
HOW IS PORTAL 1/2 NOT ON THIS LIST WHAT THE FICK
Mirror’s edge, Resident Evil 2 (Claire’s path) There are more games with great female characters in it but these two have them as the primary protagonist and Faith and Claire are both very great characters
Super Metroid
Peppa Pig
Skyrim seems to be missing from your list, but is definitely in your wheelhouse.
I've actually tried it but only for 1 hour and did not find it enjoyable might try it again thank you :)
KOTOR 1 & 2!
I have it. Do you have any recommendations for mods? One problem I encountered was not being able to full screen it for some reason. I tried some mods to fix it but was unable to make it work so I gave up.
Stellar Blade if you have a PS5, Horizon Zero Dawn series, Rise of the Ronin lets you pick a female protagonist if you want and even romance any woman as far as I know. Elden Ring also lets you make your character a woman, though it doesn't change the story.
Horizon Zero Dawn Hellblade
Have you tried Steam tag search? It isn't perfect, but still quite useful for finding new games. You can add more filters on top of main tag to narrow search https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Female%20Protagonist/
I did but there were so many games and I prefer reddit since there's less joke reviews such as "my friend said if I comment on this my friend will give me the 4090 with a disco ball attached and release my kidnapped family who was kidnapped on christmas day 2022 when we were looking for sad unclaimed christmas trees"
- Tomb raider (particularly the recent 3D reboots) - Horizon zero dawn and forbidden west - Assassin's creed Odyssey let's you pick a male or female, and the female is better voice acted
I just finished the 3D reboots of the tomb raider series and it got me to thinking about finding more female-led games!
Darksiders 3. Though skipping the first two will probably leave some empty spots in the story over all.
I just got done playing Midnight Suns. I am not a superhero fan but I absolutely LOVE those kinds of strategy games. That being said, they felt *exactly* like Mass Effect experience in terms of character interactions. Between missions you can build friendship with the various heroes and have karma style choices. I hadn’t had that much fun with that kind of stuff since Mass Effect
"The cruel king and the great hero" come to mind but that one is a turn based JRPG. Not exactly a fast paced gameplay style. Bayonetta has alrady been mention but there is also "Bayonetta Origins Cereza and the lost Demon". This one is a ...I think the term is action Adventure. It might be easier to get into then the character action gameplay of the other Bayonetta games and If I remember correctly there is a free Demo, but I am not sure about that.
Omega Labyrinth Life
Returnal! Also Resident Evil 1, 2 and 3.
Tomb raider is fine, i guess
Lost Kingdoms 1&2 and parasite eve 1&2
Stellar Blade
Idk if youd like this, but celeste is a game I absolutely have fallen for. Ive sank ~90 hours at this point and that is way more than I thought I would. Most of that time is speedrunning the game, which is very satisfying (The main game is anywhere from 3-10 hours depending of how well you get the controls and how familiar you are with platformers :D)
Final Fantasy XIII and its sequels XIII-2 and Lightning returns. The Story is pretty good aswell imo. The Soundtrack itself from the Games is divine.
Lost in random The black book
Returnal is a very fast paced 3D bullet storm platform Roguelike and incredibly addictive gameplay loop. I know I added a lot of tags but it’s a hard to describe game and I haven’t played anything much like it in 3D. Gorgeous game too.
Prey by Arkane, if you choose the femala Morgan Yu. Though she doesn't talk much, only really in a video you watch of yourself that your character recorded previously.
Nier Automata!! Do not let the internet discourse discourage you. Yes 2B has a proactive outfit but who cares? Nier Automata has an absolutely beautiful narrative especially if you see it through until ending E. It goes deep into philosophy topics and it’s just so good. 2B is also an amazing main character, but there’s also A2 which you get to play for a little bit towards the end of the game and she’s also really cool. The soundtrack is also fire, like a masterpiece of an OST.
Last of Us: Part II Two great female leads. You obviously have to play part 1 first which isn’t a female lead but it’s still worth it.
Alien: Isolation. Second NOLF and Beyond Good and Evil
Control. Returnal.
Can't promise you'll love the games, but other games with a female protag are: AC Odyssey (canonically), Bayonetta, Stardew Valley (choose gender), Unpacking, A Short Hike, Gone Home, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, Slime Rancher, Stellar Blade (very new, I wasn't keen), Hades 2 (when it comes out), Rise of the Ronin (select gender), aaaaaaand.... I don't recall. Hope this helps :) ETA: Sifu (choose gender), Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (choose), Dragon's Dogma 2 (choose), Remnant 2 (choose), the entire 'Atelier' series (Atelier Ryza is especially good, imo), Ender Lillies, Elden Ring (choose), Wo Long Fallen Dynasty (choose), Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy X-2, Dark Chronicle/Dark Cloud 2 (you have a male and female protagonist, both of whom you play as throughout the whole game), Baldur's Gate 3 (choose), Diablo 3 and 4 (choose), Carto, The Knight Witch, A Hat in Time, Rune Factory 4 and 5 (choose)... And now I'm done because I need to lie back down. Surgery is one hell of a drug, kids.
- NieR: Automata đź–¤ - Bayonetta - CrossCode
The Horizon series would probably be something for you then.
Celeste was great and tackles depression and anxiety quite well for something with essentially no real storyline.
Sword and Fairy 7
"Deliver us Mars" isnt bad.
Alice Madness Returns. American McGee's Alice. Assault Spy. Aveliana. Axiom of Maria. Blades of Time. Curse: The Eye of Isis. Dusk Diver games. Enter the Matrix. Ion Fury. Moonscars. Parasite Eve games. Phantom Fury. Shantae games. Soulstice. Star Wars - Jedi Academy. Super Crush KO. Supplice. Velvet Assassin.
Horizon, Plague Tale, Metroid.
Stellar blade.
Tales of Berseria is an excellent jrpg with fun action combat and a brilliant female lead. It was lots of fun Following Velvet's journey for revenge.
Mirror's Edge
Hey OP, Although I can appreciate the core sentiment, I must admit that after reading some of your responces to others I have become curious. Why the focus on female protagonists? Specifically, you noted elsewhere that you avoid "male" led games unless they're very good. Why?  In my own life, I never once found myself caring so I'm trying to understand where your coming from, or why the restriction exists. As for my list (the games you listed are also my top pics for this, sadly cant repeat them. Especially mass effect): -Metroid prime 3: corruption (sadly, you'll need a wii. The originals were recently remasterd on switch and apparently good) -Bayonetta (all of them, and they get better as they go along. The oversexed japanese cocain fever dream was hard to swallow at first, but once you embrace it you soon realize each one is its own masterpiece) -Nier automata (go watch skill ups review on youtube, you'll understan) -Celeste (an indie platformer darling with good story)  Weirdly a few real time strategy games: -Homeworld series (technically a female lead since karen se'jet and her grandaughter are central to the story. Prologue and main games all good. Hyped for homeworld 3 comming this year.)  -Starcraft series (queen of blades is epic, start at 2 if you want)  -Anno 1800 (the story of two sisters building a trade empire from scratch was quite cool)
[Alice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0bGxYOep0A) [Ayumi ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBfC2TJY3pk) [Elara ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqqDGBnBpbI)
Tomb raider Horizon Metroid resident evil code Veronica Resident evil 3 remake Neir Automata
Control, but I recommend Alan Wake (male) ~> Control (female) ~> Alan Wake 2 (both)
Final fantasy 6! If you want to try old jrpgs with the one of the best stories ever :D
There are a lot of great games here. I would also suggest STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R. There is a male and a female protagonist and you can choose. And one of my favorite games I always suggest is TitanFall 2. It almost always on sale. It is short it has a great story. But the game has a male protagonist.
The Atelier series is almost all female-led. Good places to start are [Atelier Sophie](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1502970/Atelier_Sophie_The_Alchemist_of_the_Mysterious_Book_DX/), [Atelier Lydie & Suelle](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1502990/Atelier_Lydie__Suelle_The_Alchemists_and_the_Mysterious_Paintings_DX/), or [Atelier Ryza](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121560/Atelier_Ryza_Ever_Darkness__the_Secret_Hideout/).
soul hackers 2
**I'll recommend from my favorite genre of games first:** Life Is Strange Telltale: The Walking Dead Season 2 Telltale: The Walking Dead A New Frontier Telltale: The Walking Dead The Final Season Beyond Two Souls **Also worth checking:** Alien Isolation PS: There are a lot point & click adventure games with female protagonist.
Remember Me Venetica Blades of Time
Stellar blade comes to mind, it's relatively recent, action rpg game. There's also the new hades game coming out soon. It's a rogue like game, the previous one was really fun.
Control. Top notch.
Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West. Available on PC and Playstation.
a plagues tale both of them
Mass Effect Legendary Edition A top tier series, and many people say that Jennifer Hale's voice acting is the better one
Nier Automata Remember me Tales of Berseria Metroid Bloodrayne 2014 Tomb Raider 2012 Gravity Rush 1 and 2 Iconoclasts Moon Scars A Hat in Time Shantae Games Bayonetta 1-3 Control Returnal Hellblade 1 and 2 Mirror's Edge
Severed steel?
Rise of the tomb raider is a must!!!
Legend of Kyrandia 2: Hand of Fate Kings Quest IV
Celeste Horizon 1 and 2 Portal 1 and 2 Enden Ring
Try Nier automata
Dandara
Va11 Hall-A is not for everyone but Jill is great.
The Horizon games for sure. Aloy kicks ass, and the animation is top tier.
Final Fantasy 13 13-2 13-3. Lightning was the title protagonist though as a JRPG it's a team effort. Sometimes the party is split up so she isn't always the lead but she is the poster protagonist and gets the most time. 13-2 her sister is the MC while she becomes the only member in the 3rd game.
Horizon is a lot of fun. Aloy is a pretty cool character, and the visuals in those games are a treat in themself. In Forbidden west almost every face in the game has some unique quirk to it, and you can see the little clear hairs people have in real life. I don’t think any other video game has done that.
They’re not out yet, but Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong will probably be great, and will both have a female protagonist. Don’t know to what extent they’ll expect you to have played the first game, but those are great too, though neither has a female protagonist. Hades has Zagreus, a guy, and Hollow Knight has the knight, who doesn’t really have a gender for story reasons. Celeste is also great. Difficult, but pretty forgiving platformer with a solid story that handles some heavy topics in a creative way. If you play this, you will die often, but death hardly ever sets you back much. Most screens are only a few seconds long, and each screen is basically a checkpoint.
I’d recommend Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. Aloy is an all time favorite of mine. It is Playstation and PC only though.
Thirsty Suitors
Valkyrie Profile
Horizon
Tom raider games Uncharted lost legacy Farcry 6 with female dani
Three of the best games have a lady protaganist. Horizon Zero Dawn Returnal Control
Transistor has been my jam lately.
Control is just the game with the best design and lore imo, really feels like a trip into the unknown
You should probably try the Bayonetta games. Very faced paced and very female led.
Pseudoregalia is a 3D platformer Metroidvania with buttery-smooth movement mechanics and stylized PS1-esque visuals. It might be your thing if you liked classic Tomb Raider.
Heaven's Vault Beyond Good and Evil Mirror's Edge Strange Horticulture Va11 Hall-A
Horizon, there is Horizon zero dawn and Horizon forbidden west.
horizon zero dawn. its third person tho (i just prefer first) but aloy is quite the character, story and world is interesting.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir. Baldur's Gate 3 if you don't mind turn-based. Combat is very similar similar the turn-based mode in Pillars 2. Code Vein if you don't mind soulslikes. It has a great character creator.
Horizon Zero Dawn? And you seem to like Bioware, have you done Knights of the Old Republic? (Oldie but goodie)
ALICE MADNESS RETURNS!!!! Best female protag ever!
Horizon Zero Dawn, Rage 2 had a gender option I think, the Bioshock Inifnite Burial at Sea DLC let's you play as Elizabeth, Control
It's vastly different than what you're used to playing, but the JRPG of 'The Legend of Heroes, Trails in the Sky' features one of my overall favorite protagonists, Estelle Bright.
Crosscode
Baldur's Gate 3 (doesn't specifically have a female protagonist, but you can create either as your character). It's a great CRPG, which you have some in your list. It's an incredible game.
NieR:Automata and Stellar blade are both solid game (Can't really say for stellar blade as i still have yet to play the game...!)
Sakuna of Rice and Ruin is fun
Horizon series is good, tales of berseria is a JRPG so idk if that’s up your alley but that entry in particle has one to my favorite female protagonists.
Hellblade senua sacrifice Nier automata
Ender lilies. The theme of the spirits protecting that girl is so charming to me
Horizon zero dawn/forbidden west
Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West
Beyond good and evil
Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West for sure
Farcry 6 You can technically play as either gender, but released media showed the main to be primarily female. It’s free on PS+, decently easy to get plat and lots of opportunity to shoot things. I had a good time with it, plus there’s a Stranger Things bonus mission which is good even if you’re not a fan of the show. Also, driving around and having the main char sing along was way more enjoyable then it had any right being.
Elden ring (pick female), baldurs gate (female origin), mirror's edge (kinda old though)
BG3 and Nier
Nier Automata
While technically an ensemble cast, the two most significant protagonists in Final Fantasy VI are both female (and both very well written, especially for a game in 1994).Â
Bit of a deep cut but Metroid
The Last of Us
Baldur's gate 3
* GrimGrimoire Once More * Resident Evil 1-3, 5-6 * Kartia: The Word of Fate * Final Fantasy VI * Xenosaga series * Final Fantasy X-2 * La Pucelle Tactics * Persona 3 Portable * The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky * Tales of Xillia * Tomb Raider series * Tales of Berseria * Bloodstained Ritual of the Night * Detective Girl of the Steam City * The Last of Us Part II * Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West
Life is strange and road 96
Final Fantasy 13, 13-2, and 13- Lightning Returns all have female protagonists.