With time, games are getting more and more inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community. Well-known series like Dragon Age and Assassin's Creed have non-straight romances. Games like Undertale have a non-binary protagonist and games like Night in the Woods have major characters in healthy and happy homosexual relationships.

While those traits and games exist, there is still a long way to go. There are very few games that actually see gender as non-binary in their character creation. Many gamers have been asked all their lives at the start of their games: are you a boy or a girl?

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It takes some digging to find titles that actually give the player the option to use non-binary pronouns. It takes even more digging to find games that let them use both male and female-assigned traits in their character. Too often are beards, make-up, and hair gender-locked.

These games either freely allow their players to create characters outside of gender norms and/or give them the option to use they/them pronouns. While a couple of games are well-known in the gaming community, a lot of them are more obscure.

Updated March 15, 2022 by Allison Stalberg: More and more games are opening up to being more inclusive in their titles, especially when it comes to character creation. Even for cisgender players, it is great to have the opportunity to put any character in a dress, make-up, or have facial hair. Some games are also being inclusive when it comes to pronouns, offering they/them as an option for when their created character is referenced. These games are trailblazers and are making room for more to follow their lead.

18 Minecraft

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Steve may be the 'face' of Minecraft but the game's skin system allows players to take on whatever appearance they like. Combine this with the title's complete lack of dialogue and players can take on whatever persona they choose. In fact, Minecraft creator, NMarkus Perrson, has mentioned in a blog post that the game is meant to be a genderless one. Perrson even said that Steve, the default character, has no gender.

This level of freedom is very much in keeping with the rest of the game, with players able to approach things however they like. Crafting may make up the crux of the experience, but there are many alternative ways to play the game as well.

17 Pumpkin Days

Pumpkin Days character creator.

Released in 2021, Pumpkin Days is a farming RPG complete with mining, fishing, raising animals, and catching bugs. The game is quite comparable to Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon, complete with marriage, raising a family, and giving gifts to others in the town. The game also has multiplayer modes, different difficulties to choose from, and has four different towns to choose from to live in.

Unlike other farming games though, there is a lot more to LGBTQIA+ representation and relationships. Nothing is gender locked in the character creator, there is no gender restriction for marriage, and players can even have polyamorous relationships with up to three people included in a wedding ceremony.

16 Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077

Console gamers may have to wait a little while longer to enjoy the extensive character customization options on offer in Cyberpunk 2077 due to the current state of the game. Buried beneath the many bugs and glitches, however, are a veritable treasure trove of dials and sliders that make expressing oneself easier than ever. Unfortunately, despite all of this creative freedom, gender pronouns are tied to the pitch of the voice that players select, which feels very much like a case of two steps forward and one step back.

When it comes to the game itself, much like CDPR's Witcher titles, Cyberpunk 2077 is laden with things to see and do and has enough content to keep players busy for quite some time. With an online mode still somewhere on the horizon as well, if the developer can patch things up before interest begins to wain, they'll really have something special on their hands.

15 Saints Row 4

Character customization in Saints Row 4

Although some of the earlier Saints Row titles follow a more traditional path when it comes to their approach to character creation, later entries in the series have gone to great lengths to ensure that they are as inclusive as possible. There's perhaps still work to be done when it comes to the way that the games handle the labeling of these options, but they remain some of the most non-binary friendly AAA titles on the market.

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Players are given complete control over the way their character looks, the way that they dress, and even the way that they move. What's more, it's possible to continue to make changes as the game's events begin to unfold. There's also an option to select they/them pronouns as well as a decent variety of voices available for selection.

14 2064: Read Only Memories

2064: Read Only Memories

2064: Read Only Memories is somewhat unique in that the player never actually gets to see what the main protagonist looks like. They are, however, given plenty of options when it comes to the character's name, gender, and sexuality, amongst other things. There is a non-binary gender option, and it's also possible to select between a range of existing gender-neutral pronouns or even add custom ones.

The character's personality depends entirely on the decisions that players make, allowing for a great level of freedom and variety. The supporting cast of characters are also incredibly diverse and have their own distinct mannerisms. It's a fairly short game to play through but also an incredibly enjoyable one!

13 Robots Need Love Too

The character creation options in Robots Need Love Too

Robots Need Love Too allows players to name their robots and choose their gender pronouns. There are six to choose from in total, including zie, ey, and xie along with the more traditional options. It's also possible to choose which robots will fall in love, paving the way for a wide range of relationship types.

The game is fairly simplistic in its design and doesn't offer too much mileage in terms of replayability either, but it has enough going for it to provide a good few hours of entertainment nonetheless. The puzzles are well-thought-out for the most part, although they don't quite do enough to set the game apart from other puzzle titles.

12 Forza Horizon 5

Forza 5 character creator.

Released in 2021 for Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, Forza Horizon 5 is a racing game that was met with universal acclaim. It has gotten perfect review scores from places like IGN, GamesRadar+, and VG247. It has also won awards such as Best Audio, Best Sports/Racing Game, Racing Game of the Year, and Innovation in Accessibility. Some awards are still pending for this year.

In character creator, players get the option of they/them pronouns. Another cool feature in character creator that sets this game apart from many is the option to give characters prosthetics.

11 Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Presently, Animal Crossing is one of the most well-known games to make it to this list. The series has slowly unguarded itself when it comes to gender binaries, letting anyone wear whatever clothes they choose. In its most recent game, New Horizons, the player chooses between different styles instead of male or female. You can have any hairstyle or facial hair, any eye shape, and wear whatever accessories no matter what style you choose.

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This is just one major progressive change in the series too. This is also the first game in the popular series to let players choose their skin color.

10 The Sims 4

To fans of The Sims, this is old news. Since 2016, The Sims has given the players the freedom to make characters outside of the gender binary. Just recently, they even made their first non-binary stock character in their Island Living expansion pack. The character, Lia, has a masculine physical frame with a feminine clothing preference.

The Sims has always strived for representation, and have had homosexual relationships available to players long before other games followed suit.

9 Monster Prom

Monster Prom

This is one of the more obscure titles. It came out in 2018 but wasn't released on the Nintendo Switch until this year. It is a role-playing visual novel. While the player doesn't go through a character creator like in Animal Crossing or The Sims, they do get the option of a non-binary pronoun.

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The 2D dating simulation has an adorable style and won Best Narrative at Casual Connect Asia in 2017. Those who don't even like dating sim games tend to still like Monster Prom for its charm and humor.

8 Calico

Calico character creator screen.

Released in 2020, Calico is an adorable simulation game about rebuilding a town's cat cafe and filling it with cute animals and decorations. All animals are interactive, there is magic, and there are cooking mini-games. What has been detailed as the games' greatest asset, though, is its character creator that allows a lot of creative freedom that is not based on gender.

While the game has favorable reviews on Steam, it does have some issues such as repetitive quests, clunky controls, and glitches. Many players have mentioned wanting more depth in the story, but still overall recommending it to others. It is especially satisfying to interact with all the animals, a trait many gamers wish every game had.

7 Sunless Sea

Sunless Sea is a big step away from a cute dating sim and goes into seafaring horror. There is no physical character creator, but you have the choice of pronouns that aren't trapped in the binary. Some other games that deserve a mention and are super similar to Sunless Sea are Fallen London and Sunless Skies. Those titles also offer non-binary pronouns.

This role-playing game has a lot of choices. You even get to choose an ambition, which basically sets what you need to accomplish in order to beat the game. The world it takes place in is very creepy and would be enjoyed by any fan of horror and/or Lovecraft.

6 BattleTech

This turn-based strategy game allows players to pick a character portrait, name, and pronoun. Unfortunately, the game got a lot of trolling backlash from giving players this option. This may not be too surprising though, as wargaming and military science fiction isn't typically the site for progressive LGBTQIA+ inclusion. However, that makes this all the cooler.

On the bright side, the game is pretty well-known and has been since the 80s. It is setting the bar for other turn-based strategies. It has a ton of spin-offs and tie-in fiction as well.

5 The Arcana: A Mystic Romance

This dating sim visual novel has somewhat of a cult following. You play the apprentice of a mystic in a kingdom and get to follow through a narrative of your choice depending on who you pick to romance. While you never actually see your character, you do have the choice of their pronoun which includes they/them as an option.

Be careful though, the game may be free, but it is easy to throw money at it for the extra juicy scenes that don't affect the story.

4 A Foretold Affair

Similar to The Arcana, A Foretold Affair is a visual novel that is very LGBTQIA+ friendly. You get to choose your characters' pronouns and have a potential relationship with a man, woman, or gender-nonconforming character. It is also a pretty long game for a visual novel and can take between five and nine hours to complete.

The story is pretty interesting too, as you play someone who sees into the future to see themselves happily married to someone they never met before. They decide to go out and convince this person that they are meant to be together.

3 Hustle Cat

Love cats and coffee? Then this dating sim may be perfect for you. You play as an employee at a cat cafe that has a little secret. There are six lovely and unique characters you can date. Like many other titles on this list, you don't physically make a character but get to choose your pronoun with they/them options available.

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It is shorter than A Foretold Affair as going one route only takes two hours, which some dating sim fans prefer.

2 Love Is Dead

This adorable game has you and your lover reanimated as zombies with your minds intact due to the power of your love. However, the family isn't complete without your pets. So the plot is to reunite with your beloved cat and dog in the apocalypse.

You get to choose the pronouns of not only yourself but also your partner. The story is cute, the puzzles start simple yet get harder, and the art and music are bouncy. It is definitely not your average zombie story. It was released in 2018 and published by Armor Games Studios, which is known for indie games.

1 VERSUS: The Lost Ones

This interactive novel is quite different from the rest of this list because it is entirely text-based. That's right, no graphics or sound. However, it is full of choices and one of those choices is your pronoun. In fact, you can do more than just a they/them pronoun. You can play as intersex or transgender as well! There are tons of romance options too from aliens to royalty.

It's definitely not for every gamer since it is much like a choose your own adventure novel, but its reviews are overall pretty positive on Steam. In total, it has 123,000 words and was written by Zachary Sergi, the author of the Heroes Rise trilogy. It was published by Choice of Games, which has made a lot of high-quality choose text-based RPG games.

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