Sunday, December 22, 2024
Opinion

The Absolute Best LGBTQ+ Video Game Mods

Mods are like a flavour enhancer when it comes to PC gaming. While there’s nothing wrong with just playing the vanilla game you’ve purchased, sometimes you just want to spice things up and make Batman wear a rainbow cape and kick the crap out of bad guys. That’s where the best LGBTQ+ video game mods come in.

What makes a mod an LGBTQ+ one? Well, it can be a lot of things. Maybe it’s just as simple as adding a ‘move, I’m gay’ audio clip to Skyrim, or letting you make Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins the bisexual man he was always meant to be.

Or, if you want to be really picky about it, it’s a mod that allows the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves in an art that perhaps doesn’t feature them.

Whatever you might be expecting in this article, forget it. You’re not going to guess. Just let these beautiful mods take you away to a place of queer excellence.

Persona 5 female mod
Image Source: chlorophylls @ Game Banana

Female Joker – Persona 5 Royal

Now, what’s better than playing Persona 5 Royal? Why, playing Persona 5 Royal as a female protagonist, of course!

One of the newest mods on the block, this stunning piece of mod work from chlorophylls makes it so that players step into the role of a Joker who just so happens to be female. What’s more, it even comes with additional voiceover work and romance options. Ever wanted to romance Ann but as a female? Now you can.

best LGBT mods
Source: Nexus Mods

Same-Sex Couples and LGBT Families – Fallout 4

If you ask us, one of the biggest BS moves that Bethesda ever pulled – outside of the whole, y’know, Fallout 76 existing thing – is the fact that they didn’t include same-sex options for the beginning intro in Fallout 4. Despite being able to romance whoever you want, with characters being playersexual, the intro forces gay players to either be with a man or a woman.

User Sensia says ‘F that’ with this mod. Instead of being forced to have a past with the opposite sex, you can select which option. If you want to have a male spouse, download that patch, and vice versa.

Stardew Valley gay mod
Source: Nexus Mods

Emyn’s Queer Dialogue Expansion – Stardew Valley

If there’s a game that has its fair share of great queer mods out there, it’s none other than Stardew Valley. It has absolutely everything you could think to add; Pride marches, banners, etc. All of this is necessary because while the game allows you to date whichever character you want, regardless of gender, it doesn’t stop the world of Pelican Town being pretty heteronormative. This is where Emyn’s Queer Dialogue Expansion comes in.

With this mod, all characters (except Krobus, Dwarf and the Ginger Island characters) are given 4-5 queer-friendly dialogue lines. They are also given queer identities which will support queer or trans headcanons in the universe of Stardew Valley.

The mod also adds some non-identity-specific dialogue, such as characters referencing Pride and watching queer movies. Some references are more obscure than others. Demetrius specifically references queer scientists, while Elliott quotes queer poets. Alex references queer sports people. Dialogue about Harvey’s clinic references trans healthcare.

There’s also a config file so you can turn off specific headcanons that don’t gel with your playthrough.

You can download the mod here.

best LGBT mods
Source: EA

LGBT Mod Pack – Sims 4

The Sims is one of the most popular games ever, fostering a community of supportive, creative people. It even has its own reality show (which is amazing, by the way).

One of the most creative projects is that of the LGBT Mod Pack by The Sims modder, PimpMySim. With this mod, Sims are able to add their sexuality in the ‘traits’ menu. It’s not perfect by any means, but the pack allows you to choose which fits you. For example, you can choose whether to include the homophobic ‘trait’ in your game or not.

It’s also helpful in ensuring which Sims do and do not interact romantically or sexually. But don’t worry, there’s a lot more that this mod pack has on offer.

Source: Nexus Mods

Craftable Pride Flags – Fallout 4

Cosmetic items that allow you to express your pride may not be a big deal to some of you, but for others it’s the perfect way to put a little of yourself into a game you love. That’s where these craftable Pride Flags for Fallout 4 come in.

There’s a number of different flags to choose from. You have your average gay pride, bisexual pride, as well as trans pride. But trust us when we say there’s a lot more to choose from.

Gender Neutral
Source: Nexus Mods

Gender Neutrality – Stardew Valley

Gender is a silly thing sometimes. In Stardew Valley, many things that characters say and do will make it clear that you’re either a man or a woman. This can be quite isolating for non-binary players, so the Gender Neutrality mod perfectly fits this list.

“The goal of this mod is to change dialogues directed at the player to be gender-neutral and to remove certain gender-specific parts of the game. This should allow you to play through the game without being gendered. This mod is made specifically for those of us who wish to play through the game as a gender-neutral / nonbinary character.”

The mod doesn’t just affect your dialogue either. With it, you’ll be able to do things like enter both sides of the sauna, choose your pronouns, and it also removes gendered symbols from in-game.

Source: Nexus Mods

Pride Hoodies – Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda had to be the best Mass Effect game regarding queer representation, with only Liam and Cora being considered straight in the main cast. Ryder was also a very good protagonist and fashionable, given all of the cool cosmetics BioWare gave out.

Now you can improve your Ryder’s wardrobe even more by adding LGBTQ+ cosmetics to your clothes. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to wear a pride hoodie?

Source: Nexus Mods

Gay Batman – Batman: Arkham Origins

Batman? Yeah, he’s gay now. He wears his cape of pride in order to beat down the most ominous heterosexual of all: The Joker. Seriously, just read the comics. Promise that it’s legit. Well, Rainbow Batman is, at least.

If not, well, there’s always the Harley Quinn show.

Best LGBT mods
Image Source: Nexus Mods

Same-Sex Romance – Mass Effect 2

The complete opposite to handling same-sex romances is Mass Effect 2, which, if we remember right, had a groundbreaking zero romance options. And no, we’re not including whatever that weird thing was with Kelly Chambers. That was just downright insulting.

With the same-sex romance mod in Mass Effect, you’ll be able to actually tell the companions of ME2 how you feel – because let’s face it, it was a crime that Garrus wasn’t romanceable for both Shepards. Make it make sense, BioWare.

Source: Nexus Mods

Equal Love Mod – Dragon Age: Origins

Unlike the Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age has been fairly receptive to including same-sex romances – even including a pansexual man in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Not many other game series can say the same.

However, it wasn’t always like that. Dragon Age: Origins made waves by including bisexual characters Leliana and Zevran, but some of us couldn’t help but lust for the mysterious Morrigan and the goofy Alistair all the same. We all have our types, now don’t we?

With this mod, you’ll not only be able to romance Morrigan and Alistair, but you’ll have the chance to flirt/kiss with other NPCs that were locked out due to you being the same-sex. Not too shabby!

Image Source: Nexus Mods

Bisexual Butch – Fallout 3

Despite the best efforts of Bethesda, Butch, the bully that used to torment your character in Fallout 3, has quite the sexual tension with you no matter what gender you choose to play as. Unfortunately, some of his more flirtatious lines are directed only at a female PC. It doesn’t make much sense at all.

That’s where this mod comes in. Bisexual Butch knows that Butch is ready to clown for your player character, no matter who they are. It gives Butch his flirty dialogue back, and while there isn’t any true romance between the two of you, you at least can daydream about it, can’t you?

Image Source: Nexus Mods

Big Gay Romance Fix – Jade Empire

Yet another BioWare game makes a debut in this list – but it just goes to show how the studio continued to push the envelope for LGBT gamers even back in 2005, the year Jade Empire launched.

However, as we’ve stated many times before, BioWare were far from perfect and this couldn’t be more clearer with how same-sex romances are handled in the vanilla game of Jade Empire. There are kiss scenes that, when in a heterosexual relationship you can see to their fullest extent. But if you’re in a same-sex relationship? No dice. You don’t get to see the kiss at all.

With the Big Gay Romance Fix mod, same-sex romances are treated with the same level of respect and you’ll be able to see the kisses no matter what sort of relationship you’re in. It’s a small fix, but it doesn’t make us feel like crap for existing!

Image Source: Nexus Mods

Simply Gay Letters – Skyrim

Skyrim has many faults, but one that sticks out to us is that, despite the fact that you can have same-sex relationships with characters, there are zero LGBT relationships. That doesn’t make sense, but this mod at least tries to address that by adding intimate, queer letters that you can find lying around.

I personally like this mod, as it’s a nice touch to diversify the, let’s be honest, pretty heteronormative world of Skyrim. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but if you want to give your games a touch of queerness, then the Simply Gay Letters mod is the perfect fit.


These are our absolute favourite LGBTQ+ mods, but with how big the mod scene is, we will surely find some new and improved additions to our future lists.

Were there any that caught your eye? Let us know by commenting below!

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