As queer visibility grows in the video game industry, the choice of what to play to celebrate Pride Month becomes a lot harder, and the catalog of LGBTQ+ games grows more expansive. This is only a good thing as the entertainment industry has long been neglectful of the queer people who, oftentimes, raised it to where it is now.
June is a time to celebrate queer gender identity and sexuality. That can look like queer people letting themselves enjoy LGBTQ+ media, or it can look like straight, cis allies exposing themselves to some queer media they may have otherwise overlooked! In honor of Pride Month, here are some of the gayest games to check out!
1 Monster Prom
This adorable trilogy has made its name in queer spaces as one of the most iconic dating sim visual novels on the market. Presenting players with a myriad of hot monsters they can attempt to woo and romance, the Monster Prom series also gives players the chance to play non-binary and trans characters.
The game has multiple canonical transgender characters, including Zoe and Sawyer, which the player can play as, romance, or both (though not at the same time)! Besides being overtly queer, these games are super fun to play, especially with friends, so grab the nearest queers and have some fun!
2 Tell Me Why
This often-overlooked indie title is easily one of the best portrayals of the modern trans experience in video game history. This game follows twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan as they return to their hometown following the death of their mother and uncover the secrets and memories that had since been buried.
Tyler is a trans man in a small town who can even pursue a gay romance should the player decide to make those choices. His experience, along with his supportive sister's experience, isn't sugarcoated at all, and Tell Me Why does an amazing job of portraying the queer experience in small-town America as realistically as possible while also telling a compelling story about family drama and all of its complications.
In honor of Pride Month, this game is free to play on PC and Xbox One, though it's usually available on Xbox Game Pass outside of this special offer for June!
3 Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is an absolute classic, and while players can choose to live heterosexual lives in the valley, there's no denying that this is the perfect form of escapism for queer people looking for that simple life. Want to raise animals, harvest crops and have kids with your same-sex spouse in a small town that will accept you regardless? This is the game for it!
Over the years, plenty of gamers have taken to Stardew Valley to live out their queerest fantasies: be gay, get rich. With a host of adorable romanceables to choose from, players looking for a queer gaming experience will be spoiled for choice.
4 The Sims Series
Simmers all over the world already make their save files the queerest things in existence, which is part of what makes the community so open and accepting. Since the anatomy, pronoun, and binder update to The Sims 4, queer Simmers have never been more represented in the game. Not to mention, Sims have been bisexual by default since The Sims 2, which is a huge W for the LGBTQ+ community.
For players who don't typically make queer Sims, this Pride Month is a great reason to experiment with some new characters and get out of that comfort zone a little! Whether the Sim is exploring sexually or is genderqueer, there are a ton of ways to make diverse LGBTQ+ Sims.
5 Coral Island
If Stardew Valley isn't queer enough, this game takes it a step further. Coral Island, while still in early access, launched with the ability for players to make a non-binary character right off the bat, with an Mx prefix included and the feature for any gender to pick any body type.
On top of the trans-inclusion for player characters, this game also offers a myriad of attractive romanceables for players to choose from as they build their life on the island.
6 Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
This iconic dating sim is all about gay representation, as well as some trans and bisexual rep! Players can choose to make their own Dad trans, can choose the gender of their previous partner, and can choose whether their child, Amanda, was born to them or adopted by them.
All the romanceable Dads in the game also have kids, suggesting similar pasts that players are able to discover while romancing them. This game is also a huge win for single dads and exhibits diverse family structures while also presenting healthy father figures who are all just trying their best. Plus, getting to look at hot dads is a huge advantage.
There are so many amazing LGBTQ+ games out there to dive into this Pride Month! Celebrate queerness by playing some amazing games and supporting queer creators this June.