Female representation in video games used to be abysmal. It was either a damsel in distress with no agency whatsoever or badly conceived fan service characters. However, as games have developed as an industry, players have been moving towards more and better representation of women in games.
While there still is a long way to go to improve representation, there are already some spectacular videogames with female protagonists that players owe it to themselves to check out. Given how important inclusivity has become in the realm of video gaming, it's easy to see why such positive representation has become so important in modern times.
Updated on June 11, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Most people instantly picture a grizzled male veteran as a protagonist when talking about action-heavy video games, which is understandable but still pretty problematic in an industry where women still need to fight for their voice with a drone of misogynistic comments and the like striving to pull them down time and time again. As a result, action games that feature women as protagonists in a natural manner should be applauded for understanding that the medium needs to be way more inclusive than it currently is right now.
13 Control
Remedy Entertainment is renowned for its amazing action-heavy third-person shooters that look incredibly cool to boot. While Quantum Break may have been a failed experiment for this developer, the studio didn't let this dip in form get to them and instantly bounced back with the much-celebrated release of Control.
A game that leans heavily into the whole SCP craze that took over the internet, Control became an instant hit for its awe-inspiring combat, with the destructive environments making each and every firefight feel like it came straight out of a Matrix movie. Given the potential of this game, it's easy to see why Control 2 is already in development!
12 Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is a series that many people are quite familiar with, with the adventures of Lara Croft being a joy to witness every single time. The story of this rich aristocrat, as she explores supernatural tombs and battles against both human and otherwordly threats, is a blast every single time.
The reboot did a great job of modernizing her character without leaning too hard into her sexuality, which was much required given how poorly the previous games in the series have aged in this department. While Rise and Shadow of the Tomb Raider left a lot to be desired, fans are still hoping that Embracer Group will bring this iconic heroine back into the mainstream once again.
11 Returnal
The roguelike genre became massively popular because of how innovatively indie games made the most of this genre, with titles like Cave Story and The Binding of Isaac getting the ball rolling in this department. So, when Sony revealed that one of their exclusive titles on the PlayStation 5 would be a roguelike game, fans were genuinely surprised that a huge studio notorious for playing it safe would explore this genre.
The end result is Returnal, an excellent blend of fast-paced shooting with creepy horror elements that used its roguelike trappings to great effect. As is to be expected, making any form of progress in Returnal is a blast, with players slowly coming to grips with the combat system before attaining an unmatched sense of satisfaction as they decimated waves of foes who were initially giving them a tough time.
10 Nier: Automata
Nier: Automata is an amazing experience. A part of Yoko Taro's long-running multimedia Drakengard/Nier series and developed by Platinum Games. Players take on the role of 2B, a part of an elite android force fighting a war against alien machines on humanity's behalf.
The game has an incredible story, which explores many ideas about humanity, identity, and existence. It also comes with a fantastic combat system and a beautiful soundtrack. It is one of the best games to come out last decade and a must-play for fans of action games.
9 Alien: Isolation
Alien as a franchise has had terrible luck with licensed games. But Alien: Isolation fixed that. The game puts players in Amanda Ripley's shoes as they try to make their way through an abandoned Nostromo, with the titular Alien hunting the protagonist down in pulse-pounding chase sequences
The atmosphere in the game is fantastic. Every encounter with the Xenomorph is absolutely terrifying. This, coupled with many innovative features, has helped in the creation of one of the best horror games with a female protagonist to date.
8 Half-Life: Alyx
When Valve announced a new Half-Life game, expectations were through the roof, and rightly so. Half-Life is one of the best games of all time and holds up pretty well even 22 years later, and Half-Life: Alyx continues the trend into VR.
This game feels like the thing that VR games have been missing all this time. The physics, the environments, and the VR experience are all as close to perfect as they can get right now. With Half-Life: Alyx, Valve breathed new life into VR and showed exactly what a studio with that level of creativity and expertise can do on the platform.
7 Bayonetta
Platinum Games are masters at crafting high-energy, insane, and over-the-top action games. Bayonetta is one of the games that established that reputation. This game is completely off the rails bonkers, and so very stylish... almost like a cheesy early 2000s action movie.
The combat is spectacular. The story is a little convoluted, but it's just there as a background to let players beat up some minor deities. And the soundtrack is the perfect backdrop for all the carnage.
6 Resident Evil 2
Capcom has been hitting it out of the park lately, and Resident Evil 2's remake is no exception. This lovingly upgraded version of the original has players roaming the maze-like Raccoon City Police Station.
The station is filled with zombies and monsters to keep gamers on edge, but the real kicker (pun not intended) is the ever-looming threat of Mr. X. The remake is a faithful update of the classic game, and playing as Claire Redfield as the main female protagonist has never looked this good.
5 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a different kind of action game. The hack-and-slash combat is simple and functional, but the game focuses much more on the story. It follows the protagonist on her journey to fight for the soul of her dead lover.
Along the way, Senua deals with a variety of mental health issues plaguing her in a powerful, emotional experience. It also helps that the game looks gorgeous. Though the combat is not the best, it's just good enough to keep them engaged as players see through this riveting journey that depicts psychosis in a respectful light.
4 Horizon: Zero Dawn
Guerrilla games knocked it out of the park with Horizon: Zero Dawn. This game is one of the best exclusives on the PlayStation 4, and that's saying something. Hunting giant robotic beasts across a huge, varied map feels as good as it sounds.
Aloy's journey is engaging and captivating from the start and the game throws in so many challenges in her path that it's never dull. Forbidden West furthers the legacy of this amazing series, but there's something about the magic of the original game that still feels astonishing to this day.
3 Mirror's Edge
Mirror's Edge is exhilarating. Running through the corporate nightmare city of Glass with some of the best parkour mechanics gets the adrenaline pumping. The game constantly makes players flirt with death during these high-octane parkour sequences. Once players get the hang of the traversal mechanics, they can pull off some spectacular, death-defying stunts as Faith, and find more and more ways to frustrate the enemy soldiers.
Of course, it can obviously be frustrating when players miss a ledge and plummet to their death... but this danger is what makes the game so much fun in the first place! It's a shame that Mirror's Edge: Catalyst failed to capitalize on the success of this title, with the shift to an open world being one of the most brain-dead moves in video game history as players slowly got bored of parkouring around the same environments over and over again.
2 Dishonored 2
Arkane Games' sequel to the original Dishonored builds on all the things that made the original so great. Players have the option to play as Corvo or Emily from the start, and the world and story are ever so receptive to every choice that they make.
The combat and movement feel smooth and fluid, the story is great and the new smattering of characters and mechanics is wonderful. It gets a little repetitive in the middle, but the moment-to-moment gameplay is so much fun that most players wouldn't mind this misstep all that much. Dishonored is one of the best stealth-action franchises around that fans of the genre should definitely check out.
1 Portal
While Portal is strictly not an action game, it involves lasers, gunfire, rockets, and explosions so why the heck not? It is one of the best games to be made and it still holds up amazingly well.
The interactions and growing irritation of GLaDOS, as Chell gets closer and closer to escaping the research facility, make for some of the funniest writing in video games, and the puzzles are just hard enough to make players feel really smart for solving them. Portal is a modern classic and for good reason.