Some people were skeptical about Sony’s first foray into gaming. A big electronics corporation trying to make a console? It didn’t work for Philips, and they had Nintendo’s help on the CD-i. But Sony’s Playstation became the top console of the 1990s. Then its successor, the PS2, became the best-selling console of all time. The PS3 was humbler by comparison but got a late bloom to lead into the more popular PS4, and the now-rising PS5.
Their machines saw a new generation of popular game protagonists too, like Crash Bandicoot, Solid Snake, Kratos, Cloud Strife, and more. But it’s not just the guys who made an impact via the Playstation. Sony's machines have had a broad range of popular female figures leading the charge in their games. These are just a few of the most iconic Playstation heroinaes, ranked by their fame.
7 Aloy
Made by Guerilla Games, the same company behind the Killzone games, Horizon Zero Dawn caught on better than they expected. It had a unique take on post-apocalyptic settings, open world gameplay, and choice of protagonist. While others had beefy men doing beefy things, HZD had a plucky female warrior called Aloy instead. She sets out to prove herself to her tribe as a capable-enough warrior to learn more about her past.
She wasn't a typical sexpot, but a fighter with a steely focus and an open mind that set her apart from her rivals. It made her a more relatable figure, even inspirational as she breaks through gender and societal norms to forge her own path in life. So, why is she so low? It's because she’s only appeared in two games thus far: Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Horizon Forbidden West. She’s only just begun her rise and is still climbing. If the games keep up their momentum, she's sure to climb higher.
6 Heather Mason
Then again, Heather Mason only managed to appear in one game (technically 2 for those in the know), so what makes her so special? She just happened to be the lead in one the best Silent Hill games around, if not the last good entry in the series altogether. Silent Hill 3 saw Heather confronted by the town’s cult due to her past connections to the place. She tries to leave it behind, but circumstances drive her to face them head-on and learn more about her past.
Heather isn’t some super soldier or combat expert. Yet she has an attitude strong enough to see her past SH’s host of horrors. Her father Harry was driven by desperation in SH1, and SH2’s James Sunderland was driven by delusion. Heather stands out because she has a determination that few, if any other SH protagonist has, and it sees her through right to the game’s end.
5 Ellie
To think one of the co-leads of The Last of Us could’ve ended up in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Starting off as a mute character that would accompany Nathan Drake in that game, she was redesigned to join Joel Miller in Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic drama instead. The two start off on the wrong foot, but eventually form a bond based on their experiences and shared trauma. Like Heather, while she has her struggles, she doesn’t flop in the face of adversity.
She’s driven to keep going, even though she often feels like a burden. She has her flaws, which actually make her feel more like a complete character, garnering the player's sympathy and support. There’s a complexity to her that few other videogame characters have. For newer fans, she’d be much higher on the list. But good writing or not, she’s only been around for a decade or so. Time can only tell where she’ll go next.
4 Nina Williams
From a complex character to a simpler one. Fighting games have had a premier female fighter ever since Chun Li lightning-kicked her way into Street Fighter 2. Mortal Kombat has Sonya Blade, Virtua Fighter has Sarah Bryant, and Tekken has Nina Williams. Tekken was originally designed with the Playstation in mind. Its debut entry was the first game to sell over 1 million copies on the Playstation, and it carried that momentum until Tekken 6 and subsequent entries branched out to other machines.
The Irish assassin is the only woman to have appeared in every game in the series, including crossovers like Street Fighter X Tekken. Her extensive move list of pokes, mix-ups, and bone-crunching multipart throws and counters made her a force to be reckoned with, often featuring highly on tier lists. Out of all the different women who made their way into Tekken’s roster, Nina Williams was one of the first and remains one of the best.
3 Jill Valentine
Unlike Tekken, Resident Evil didn’t start off life as a console exclusive series. Each entry has had multiple ports on other machines since its inception. However, the original Resident Evil made its biggest impact on the Playstation. Aside from the fiddly PC versions, Sony’s gray box was the only place fans could get all 3 of the series’ first few installments, two of which had RE’s most famous female protagonist. Jill Valentine rivals her partner Chris Redfield as the series’ most iconic lead.
While he gained more appearances via RE7: Biohazard and RE: Village, the ‘Master of Unlocking’ left her own significant impact. She was the first RE character to break out into crossovers via Marvel Vs Capcom 2, and the first to have a game to herself in RE3: Nemesis. That’s not to mention her meme status via her partner Barry Burton’s one-liners (“You were almost a Jill sandwich!”). As far as RE's other top women go, they're still playing catch-up to this member of STARS.
2 Aerith Gainsborough
This entry is probably going to be controversial, as Final Fantasy 7 fans are somewhat divided over which of its women is the game’s most iconic female lead. Many prefer Tifa for her more physical gameplay and fetching looks. Still, Aerith left the biggest impact. Her death became the talking point of the game for years. It shocked both her fans and haters, leading them to wonder if she would be brought back at some point. But unless players count her help from beyond the grave, or use hacks, that was it for the flower girl.
Even without this moment, she’s a more urbane character than fans give her credit for. She has witty comebacks for Cloud and the gang that go against her anime waifu design. That's not to mention her determination that may make her the party’s strongest character mentally. While Cloud succumbed to psychosis, and Tifa gave up hope, she sought a way to end Sephiroth’s ambition right to the end.
1 Lara Croft
Ever want to prove someone’s age without them saying it? See their reaction to this entry's position. Younger gamers will likely either find her old design ridiculous, or her newer designs ho-hum. Plus, she’s also been multi-format for ages. Microsoft even used her to advertise their consoles. But older fans will know just why they paid $100 million for a timed exclusive deal. Lara Croft made Tomb Raider the game to buy for the Playstation back in 1996, and for the rest of the decade after that.
Sure, she was arguably a Strong Female Protagonist™ stereotype: toughness through a male gaze. But she was unique at the time. She wasn’t a cartoon sprite like Chun Li, or a co-star like Jill. She was the star of her own show, with the kind of confidence and sex appeal that her contemporaries lacked. It’s why she went on to appear on magazine covers, TV commercials, rock concerts, movies, and at live events via ‘official Lara Croft’ models. Even after 25+ years, the Playstation hasn’t had a female character that has matched Lara’s level of success...yet.