As June kicks off another Pride Month, looking back at years of gaming for the titles that pushed boundaries and gave LGBTQ+ stories and characters is a wonderful way to celebrate. Both indie darlings and AAA juggernauts are giving players more and more freedom to explore the gender and sexuality of characters. While some games like Cyberpunk 2077 still fall short in terms of representation, plenty of other titles depict LGBTQ+ people in a positive and empowering way.

In recent years, LGBTQ+ representation in video games has greatly improved, meaning there are hundreds of options for gamers who want to see themselves in what they play. Here are five great options to try this month.

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Night in the Woods Explores Small Town Anxiety and Relationships

Night in the Woods is a character-driven adventure game that follows Mae Borowski returning to her small town home after dropping out of college and uncovering a strange mystery involving a missing friend. Not only is Mae canonically pansexual, but the game also features a diverse cast of characters across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, including hilarious odd couple Gregg and Angus.

The game balances a mystery plot surrounding strange figures and murder with deep, introspective character moments that explore insecurities and anxieties that LGBTQ+ gamers will find deeply relatable. Despite its cute art style and often times humorous writing, the central themes about outgrowing your hometown and conflict between tradition and progress will bring just as many tears of sadness as the jokes bring tears of laughter.

The Sims 4 Gives Players Detailed Gender Expression Options

The Sims games have been a mainstay of LGBTQ+ gaming circles since 2000s, as even the early games allowed for same-sex romances. The Sims 4 has continued and expanded on the franchise's progressive legacy, introducing a much more detailed ability to customize each sim's gender identity and expression. Just last month, The Sims 4 gave players the ability to customize pronouns for every Sim, letting players create diverse characters beyond what almost any game available today provide.

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Even before May's update, The Sims 4 gave players the freedom to make Sims that defy the gender binary and biological sex. Create-a-Sim lets players select masculine or feminine body types and clothing preferences, as well as giving players the choice of if a Sim can become pregnant or impregnate other Sims. With more content always coming, fans of The Sims 4 will always be getting new ways to customize their Sims to the utmost degree.

Hades Stars a Bisexual Hero

Indie sensation Hades explores the unending attempts of protagonist Zagreus to escape the underworld of Greek mythology. Much like Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Hades doesn't shy away from the LGBTQ+ aspects of the Greek legends. Zagreus' adventures bring him in frequent conversation with the legendary Achilles and Patroclus, the famous male lovers in Homer's Iliad. Zagreus himself also has romantic options in the Fury Megaera and Thanatos, God of Death.

What makes Hades' shine in terms of representation is how it makes Zagreus' relationship central to getting the full story. While games like Mass Effect were groundbreaking for introducing homosexual romantic options, they were never necessary for completing the story. Hades requires resolving the strained affections of Achilles and Patroclus to 100% the game, and the romantic tension between Thanatos and Zagreus is present from start to finish.

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Monster Prom Lets Players Date the Creature of Their Dreams

Monster Prom promo header

Dating simulators are a familiar sight for romance-inclined gamers, and Monster Prom ups the ante with a cast of wacky monsters to choose from in a multiplayer adventure. With the game's premise being to try and land a date for prom, players can expect a lot of raunchy content as they battle up to three friends for dates with the various love interests. Monster Prom has found its fan base in its unabashed celebration of LGBTQ+ couples and characters, with every character in the game open to a relationship regardless of gender.

Beyond the dating, Monster Prom has also garnered praise for eldritch-horror-turned-student Zoe's story reflecting a familiar transgender experience, and characters like Kale and Coach representing the often-overlooked asexual community. Both Monster Prom and its sequel have free trials available on Steam, and Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip has a demo available ahead of its release.

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Life is Strange: True Colors Tells a Moving Story

Anyone familiar with LGBTQ+ games already knows Life is Strange. The original 2015 game made waves for its portrayal of the relationship between teenage girls Max Caulfield and Chloe Price. The latest entry in the series, Life is Strange: True Colors, brings players to Haven Springs as new protagonist Alex Chen. With her power to experience and manipulate the feelings of people around her, expect Alex's story to be an emotional one.

Similar to the games in the series before it, Life is Strange: True Colors gives players the opportunity to explore Alex's romantic life. It offers two potential love interests in Ryan Lucan and Steph Gringrich. Based on the players choices, Alex can romance either and, at one point, can even tell her friends that she's gay, straight, or bisexual. The game's focus on telling character-driven stories with choices-matter gameplay allows players to experience Alex's romantic feelings, immersing them in a story that's all about empathy.