10 LGBTQ+ video games like Life is Strange
It’s been a little over a month since Life is Strange: True Colors released, but already it’s become an important game for many queer gamers out there. Yet some of us – us included – are still feeling some cravings for some queer, story-driven goodness, which is why we’re offering you something rather neat: 10 LGBTQ+ video games that are like Life is Strange.
While there have been numerous lists about games similar to the Life is Strange series before, most focus on the story-driven aspect of the series. That’s valid, but have you considered… story-driven games that are also super gay?
Not only do you get the fun of intense story-driven gameplay, but you also can rest easy knowing that you’ll experience some incredible queer characters and stories too.
Tell Me Why
Much like Life is Strange, Tell Me Why focuses not on a huge, overarching story of epic proportions, but on a small location and the people that live there.
Instead of having one singular protagonist, Tell Me Why focuses on twins Alyson and Tyler Ronan – the latter being a huge pull for trans gamers as the very first triple A trans protagonist. It also helped that this game came from DontNod, the people behind the original Life is Strange and Life is Strange 2.
Tell Me Why combines intense emotions, the supernatural, and a cast of inclusive characters that’ll stick with you long after you finish. What better time to play than straight after a Life is Strange game?
Available on: PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X
Gone Home
Gone Home might not have choices in the same way as Life is Strange, but don’t let that put you off because what it lacks in choice it makes up through the game’s hard-hitting and impactful environmental storytelling.
You play as Kaitie, the sister of the character whose life you’ll slowly explore and unravel as you make your way through the house. At your arrival, you expected to be greeted by someone, but as it turns out your sister Samantha is nowhere to be seen and for a very good reason.
Not only is Gone Home very good, but it is an incredibly important game in the way it changed how we tell stories to players. You’d be missing out to not have played it at least once.
Available on: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Linux, and OS X
Raptor Boyfriend
If you thought Max Caulfield was an awkward but endearing protagonist, then you’re going to absolutely love Stella Starosta.
In Raptor Boyfriend, a dating-sim, you play as 17-year-old Stella. She returns to her old home in Ladle, a small, nothing town that’s full to the brim with supernatural creatures like vampires, fae, sasquatches, ghosts and… velociraptors? Yeah, it’s quirky like that.
Despite the strange – but let’s be honest, cool as hell – scenario and setting, Raptor Boyfriend is incredible at conveying the importance of a place and the people within that place. After this game, there’s no doubt you’ll find yourself head over heels for any of the three romance options that Raptor Boyfriend provides.
Available on: PC, Mac, and Linux
Lake
Lake doesn’t quite have the same sort of story as Life is Strange, nor are there any supernatural elements. In fact, everything about Meredith Weiss is ordinary, including her new job as a mail courier in her hometown of Providence Oaks.
Still, we included Lake in this list because of how the game encourages you to take in your surroundings and talk to the people around you – something very familiar to the Life is Strange games. That and there’s plenty of queerness within the game’s narrative, something you definitely shouldn’t miss out on.
Available on: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
If Found…
If Found... was our standout game during the 2021 Gayming Awards thanks to its incredible characters and its focus on themes of found family, music, and identity.
If Found… focuses on the story of Kasio, a trans woman who returns home to the island of Achill after time away to discover that her family doesn’t agree with her being true to herself. Her brother dislikes her, and her mother is confused. Unable to cope with this, Kasio runs away to be with people who she feels do understand her.
A beautiful, emotional journey that feels magical thanks to its art, characters, and enchanting music, If Found… is a must for players who want games like Life is Strange.
Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch and Mac
Heart of the Woods
Did you say faeries, magic and the supernatural? While that may sound like Life is Strange, we’re actually talking about Heart of the Woods – a yuri visual novel that follows four, female protagonists as they navigate the mystery surrounding a small, remote village.
All four protagonists in Heart of the Woods are queer, and there is even a trans protagonist too. With this inclusive cast being such a delight, coupled with a story that’s equally mysterious as it is sinister, it pairs perfectly with Life is Strange.
Available on: PC, Linux, Mac, and Nintendo Switch
Love is Strange
Is it cheating to include a fan-game of the original Life is Strange game in this list? Maybe, but we’re still going to do it so you’re gonna have to deal with it.
Fan-games get a bad reputation among some players, but don’t let that stop you from giving Love is Strange a chance. For one, it has a lot of love (hehehehe) to give, with easter eggs, inside jokes, and a sapphic experience that doesn’t include creepy Warren trying to spy on you 24/7. Frankly, we love to see (and play) it!
Based on an alternate universe where everything is okay and Max is just a normal teen, players get the chance to date four characters from the original Life is Strange: Chloe, Rachel, Kate and Victoria.
Available on: PC
No Longer Home
Our time with No Longer Home was a pretty positive one. For one it’s a game that has two well-written non-binary protagonists that are just dealing with the crap that life throws at them, and that’s certainly the same kind of vibe that we get from Life is Strange.
Ao and Bo, the protagonists of this slice-of-life adventure game must face the scariest thing known to anyone: letting go of the life they’ve always known. But will they have the strength to do it? Play the game and find out for yourselves – we’re certain you won’t regret it.
Available on: PC, Linux, Mac, and Nintendo Switch
Scarlet Hollow
Unlike the other games on this list, Scarlet Hollow is a narrative-driven horror game that really fits players who would like a touch of sinister and gore alongside their queer romance and intense story. It also includes the supernatural, because if you ask us, variety is the spice of life.
You play as the unnamed protagonist who must travel to the sleepy, isolated town of Scarlet Hollow after the death of your aunt in order to help out your cousin, Tabitha. Only when you arrive do you find out that there’s more to the town than meets the eye…
What we loved about Scarlet Hollow is that it combines the absolute thrill of supernatural abilities (such as having a sixth sense and/or talking to animals) with the warmth of knowing that even in the most desperate times, friends have your back. Does that sound familiar, Life is Strange fans?
Available on: PC
Monster Prom
The original Life is Strange is set in a school and while it isn’t full of literal monsters – just metaphorical ones! – the game does do a decent job at exploring the pros and cons of being in a setting where everyone is just doing their utmost to fit in. And yes, that does mean finding love.
So it makes sense to include Monster Prom – a multiplayer (though it can be played by yourself) dating sim where you’ve got 3 weeks to find a date. It’s absurd, silly, and borders on ridiculous. But it’s also heartfelt and it’s hard not to love it.
Available on: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Mac, and Nintendo Switch
These are just some of the amazing games that are like the Life is Strange series, but there are more out there.
Let us know which other video games that remind you of the Life is Strange series!
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