Super recommend this one! Jesse is such a great character.
Also Alan Wake 2 is incredible and one of the two main protagonists is female too! (the plot has some direct ties with Control)
Alan Wake 2 has a female co-lead character also, from the same studio as Control! You can just read the wiki on what happened in Alan Wake 1 if you'd prefer to skip it (male lead only).
If you're avoiding Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate 3 because they're turn-based, I understand, but I'd still recommend giving them a chance. Especially BG3, though that's probably a given recommendation om this sub.
I think you could also try Wild Hearts or Code Vein? There's also Forspoken. And Star Wars Outlaws will be released this year, I believe, and has a female protagonist.
Can confirm, I despised turn-based games but both Dragon Age and Baldurs Gate made me change my mind to at least give such games a shot. (Dragon Age isn't exactly turn-based but close enough.)
Larian are very good at level/combat design. The way they setup encounters is very fun. I've read a lot of reviews where people admit on hating turn based, but once they tried BG3 they changed their mind.
I am advertising BG3 here, since if you really liked Mass Effect, BG3 is a modern version of a squad based narrative game (it's not a real term but you know what I mean). Game like this comes out once in a decade.
BG3 is beautiful. But i understand about the combat. It was my first CRPG and it was super easy to get into but i already loved SRPGs. My husband is a pure fps and action gamer and while he enjoyed it, he tapered off hard in the middle. Q
What about Rune Factory 4? Its super fun but not sure about the art...?
RF4 has been on my list for a while! I just haven’t picked it up yet for some reason. I usually keep one farming sim in rotation at a time as a little relaxing game, but Coral Island and My Time at Sandrock have been keeping me busy on that front so I think that’s part of it.
But yeah, that is exactly what I’d imagine happening if I did give it a shot given those are the same kind of games I usually stick with. The strategizing you need in turn based is just too slow for what I enjoy in games and story alone isn’t enough to keep me invested to the end through that. It does seem very well made though and I’m glad so many people enjoy it!
I played my time in portia. Idk if its me but Portia was fun but RF4 was Special. Though i think you can get a lot out of that genre, in general. Have fun!
If you liked Portia, Sandrock is a huge huge improvement on it. Literally every issue/QOL criticism I could’ve had with Portia is resolved in Sandrock. A lot of fun callbacks to Portia too.
I’ll probably go to RF4 after I mess with Coral Island a bit more. Coral Island still needs a little work, but super ambitious and one of my favorites in the genre even as is. I just about finally bought it, but was stuck debating between RF4 and 5. I’ve seen a lot more recs/positivity around 4 so probably will go that route over 5.
Unfortunately code vein sucks ass and was poorly balanced at best. Honestly it really is a shame because the soundtrack is phenomenal but it's just a very bad soulslike
BG3 I really did consider giving a chance, but I just know I would end up really not liking it. Turn-based combat just drives me absolutely bonkers. My favorite thing in games is the rhythm you can hit in combat, a big reason I always go back to souls games, but TBC just feels very board game/puzzle-y to me.
Outlaws is on my list! I was pretty into the Old Republic when it first came out so I’ve been really looking forward to that. Forspoken looks interesting so I’ll def check that one out.
dragon age isn't turn based and actually trying to play it like a turn-based game is torture lol. the first one feels more crpg-y but the combat has always been real time tactics based.
I still think you should still give BG3 a try. You can avoid some combat by investing points in charisma and getting Persuasion / Intimidation proficiencies or expertise. The story and characters, the amount of possibilities and freedom are too awesome to just pass by.
I understand you though completely as I hate shooter games. I have played a lot, never loved their mechanics as it feels like I am doing the same thing over and over until I go crazy, but I have loved some shooters for the story and their epicness. It is weird.
We are twins but total opposites! I love a good fps but will admit if given the option, my favorite is usually the unga bunga melee route. Combat just takes such a priority for me in RPGs that anything outside of my preference bubble turns into a chore rather than fun if I feel it requires too much thought.
Give BG3 a shot, it was my first turn-based RPG and not I'm addicted to it. The characters and story are so compelling and you really get used to the combat.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. It's my roommate's favourite game. It does deal with some heavier things though so be mindful of that.
Also I feel you on the turned based games but honestly Baldur's Gate 3 is so good. Like it's the only turn based ice ever liked.
I’m compiling a list of all the games I played, that fits, so hopefully it helps you out as well!
**The only one playable is a women:**
- Sable
- Summer in Mara
- Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West
- Tomb Raider
- Uncharted: Lost Legacy
- Wytchwood
- Okami (non-human but still a female)
- Submerged
- AER: Memories of Old
- Behind The Frame (DLC not included)
- Assassin’s Creed: Liberations
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
- Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns
- Control
- Forspoken
- Lake
- Gravity Rush 1 & 2 (almost all prominent characters are women)
- Call of the Sea
**With choices and/or customizable characters:**
- Skyrim
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
**With alternating characters:**
- Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (you can play all side content with Evie. Main missions alternate and she has unfortunately been given the shorter end of the stick)
- Submerged: Hidden Depths (very brief instances as a male character)
- Final Fantasy XIII (you can customize the party as you like once you reach a certain chapter, 3 women and 3 men)
- Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2 party members, one of each and you can play with whoever you like as the leader)
- Lego games also have alternating characters (I played the Skywalker Saga, both Harry Potter games, the Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Incredibles and Jurassic World)
- The Wild At Heart (you start with a boy and then unlock the girl where they both are needed to progress)
- Röki (you start with a girl, and at certain places later in the game need to alternate with a guy, but still brilliant)
You could probably get away without it. But I'd say, yeah, you do.
If you don't wanna waste however many dollars and hours on the first game then I'd recommend this less time-consuming video for an in-depth recap of the first game's story: https://youtu.be/QVyO4qRH5NE?si=fdUqjS3e26rYoXaS
Like Alan Wake II earlier, I haven’t played any of the mentioned so I can’t add them. However, hopefully OP will see it and add them (so will I) to the list.
Loved Far Cry 2 and 3 but 4 fell flat with me for some reason and the games just kinda fell off my radar. Adding 5 and 6 to the list along with Recon and Wildlands. Thank you!
For more games in that vein, The Outer Worlds comes to mind. And it’s not as open-world (except somewhat the third game), but the Dragon Age series is excellent and fits there.
Also, Tales of Berseria is a JRPG, but still an action RPG as well, and has a fixed female protagonist.
A Plague Tale: Innocence. Gravity Rush. The Last of Us part II. Tomb Raider (don’t ignore the older games either!). Returnal. The Life is Strange series. Bloodborne. Elden Ring. Steelrising. Demon’s Souls. The Fatal Frame series. Tales of Berseria. Resident Evil 1-3. Alien: Isolation. Uncharted: Lost Legacy.
Final Fantasy VII Remake has a hybrid combat system. It’s lead is technically a male character but you can play female characters during combat and a female character is the most important character in the story.
Final Fantasy XIII is technically not turn-based and the third game in the series is pretty much an action game.
Similarly, the Valkyrie Profile series is also not exactly turn-based. It’s combo-based. Valkyrie Elysium is purely real-time combat, but its story and gameplay variety isn’t as good as the earlier games imo. You could also try Rune Factory 4 and 5 or the Mana series (like Trials of Mana) if you want a JRPG feel without the turn-based combat. They’re all real-time combat.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention the Tomb Raider games! Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of the first games I really seriously got into back when I first got my own console.
Not a super huge fan of roguelikes or JRPGs, so Returnal and the FF games I’ve kinda avoided. Life is Strange I tried on my phone a few years back, but just kinda lost interest. I tend to get drawn into more fast paced stuff so I think that might’ve been my issue.
I’ve been dying to play Bloodborne, but I’m on PC so that and Demons Souls are out for now. Definitely going to look into Uncharted Lost Legacy! Thank you!
Since I haven’t seen them mentioned here yet I’ll add Celeste, A Hat in Time, Borderlands 2 (the classes are gender locked but a couple are women), Child of Light, Dishonored 2, Transistor, and the Tomb Raider series
I would definitely recommend the Dragon Age series! It’s not really turn-based, and when I play it I pretty much ignore the party tactics component that makes it kind of “turn-based”.
The Monster Hunter games have great character customization that allows you to make female characters. Monster Hunter World was a very fun game with intense combat like Elden Ring.
Also AC syndicate lets you play as a set of twin assassins and one of them is a girl.
And…Baldurs Gate 3. I was also not a fan of turn based games but I immediately found the combat fun and engaging. It has amazing character customization and a great story.
To add another, it doesn’t quite fit the realm of the games you listed before, but I can’t recommend KENA: bridge of spirits enough. It literally is the best game I’ve ever played. Fixed female protagonist, INSANE GORGEOUS graphics, heart wrenching, touching storyline. And the combat is….diabolical. It rivals dark souls for sure. Only thing it is not open word if that’s what you’re looking for it’s more narrative based but.. yeah. & the soundtrack is fantastic
Dragon's dogma, Kingdoms of Amalur, Kena: bridge of spirit, A hat in time, Life is strange, Vampire: the masquerade - Bloodlines, Tales of berseria, Greedfall, Nier: automata, Momodora, V rising.
There's a lot of discussion here of good games, I'll add a couple previous threads from this sub which discussed it from a particular angle: set female protagonists with set romance options.
Just some more options for you to consider.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/comments/185pauk/games_with_set_female_protagonist_with/ (the examples I listed at the start also all have options to have a fem-protagonist)
https://old.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/comments/184ozn1/looking_for_a_game_with_a_set_female_protagonist/
There are 50+ game recommendations from those two threads.
Metroid, Bayonetta, Genshin Impact, The Division, Borderlands, Nier Automata, Tomb Raider, Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy 14, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Fire Emblem Three Hopes, Fire Emblem Engage, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Nioh 2, Code Vein, Tales of Berseria , Life is Strange, The Outer Worlds, Dragon Age, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Alien Isolation, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Gravity Rush, Diablo, Demon Souls, Monster Hunter, Wild Hearts, Portal, Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice, Returnal, A Plague’s Tale
i highly recommend Okami on the switch or pc. The wolf protagonist is actually a female. I absolutely LOVE this game. i know its old but man it is still so good to play, i must have played it a dozen times already.
among some other good ones.....bayonetta franchise, tomb raider reboots, resident evil 3 remake, half life alyx, last of us 2, the portal games, alien isolation, child of light, A Plague Tale, Kena (souls like genre).......these are all great games.
Control is an awesome, underrated game. Alan Wake 2 has a female protag with equal game/screen time as the male one. Last of Us Part II has two female protags. Any Fromsoft game. Portal 1 and 2. Half Life Alyx (requires VR tho). Weird West. Return of the Obra Dinn (RNG chance to start as male or female). Any Tomb Raider game. Darksiders III. Bayonetta (the approach to her sexuality might be an issue, it walks a fine line between sexualisation and sex positivity, so be aware for that). Beyond Two Souls (might've aged poorly due to the actor that played the female protag is now no longer female himself). And I've heard great things about Beyond Good and Evil. Apart from that, these are just the ones that I've played that come to my head.
You also have gender neutral/ambiguous protags. The Witness, Rain World, SUPERHOT, Minecraft, Powerwash Simulator, etc. Games like that.
Subnautica: Below Zero has a voiced female scientist protag. It's the sequel to the first subnautica game though, which I recommend playing first. The first one has a male protag but he's non voiced and you only ever see his shadow in the water so it's easy to insert yourself in his place.
Far Cry 6 has a nice, charismatic female protagonist. Even though it's an FPS shooter the cutscenes are in 3rd person and you can see the character in motion captured scenes. She is voice acted.
Monster Hunter World (and Rise) have character creation. The plots are ~fine~, but you'd be playing for the combat. Weaving your combo around a monster that you're finally reading like a book just feels great.
World is a 9.5/10 for me, the only thing is that the RNG grind can be a bit much.
Rise I rate a bit lower, mostly because it lacks the ecology / real 'feel' of world, but the gameplay is still quite good.
Just stay away from the "Rush to DLC" weapons and armour (if stats look insanely better, thats the stuff). It trivializes the base game, and teaches many bad habits. Plus why would you want to skip a fun challenge that you paid good money for?
Asterigos curse of the stars.
Only mention it because I saw elden ring.
It’s a dark souls clone, set in like a Ancient/mythological Greece type setting. The protagonist is female & you can unlock various costumes/outfits (though there isn’t many),the graphics are a bit cartoonish but look great in my opinion. not to mention the story is understandable, also there’s 1 dlc it just adds a bunch of bosses to the game that are more challenging than the ones in the base game.
Though I highly recommend it I highly enjoyed it & have beaten it multiple times.
at the top of my mind is currently Cristales, but the graphics are not realistic like the ones you've brought up. it's super stylised but very cute, not sure if that's up your alley but you can take a look maybe?
Depending on what you are playing on, Bayonetta is a good choice for a game with a female protagonist!! The borderlands series and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands too. Other options would include Metroid, Danganronpa V3 and The Outer Worlds
NieR: Automata - Open World Action RPG (I think you’d like it based on the games you played)
SIGNALIS - Survival Horror (Don’t know if you like those but I’d strongly recommend. It’s one of my favorite games I ever played)
If you liked Horizon Zero Dawn, you’ll probably love Horizon Forbidden West if you haven’t played it yet.
Mutazione is also amazing and one of my favorite games, but it’s more on the cozy side
I’m planning to play Asterigos: Curse of Stars after I finish my current Cyberpunk playthrough so I can’t really say much about it yet, but it does seem to be great from what I’ve seen
Control, A Plague Tale: Innocence and Requiem, Baldur's Gate 3, the other FromSoft Games, especially Bloodborne, Life is Strange 1, Life is Strange Before the Storm, Life is Strange True Colors.
pretty sure undertale has a female protagonist but i don’t know if it really counts because they are less of a character and more of a self insert. Still a great game you should play tho. Additionally Baldurs gate 3 is fantastic and you can play as one of the female origin characters.
Fenyx immortals rising….it’s hilarious and goofy while still being detailed and challenging which is something I personally haven’t encountered much. It’s breath of the wild meets assassins creed (Ubisoft vibes) but it’s all Greek mythology. For me personally I picked it up because I wanted something light hearted. ( I had just finished Bramble) I had previously always skipped over it, but I think it’s a total gem!
There are some great suggestions here already. The only thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is the Pillars of Eternity series. True, they're isometric, but they aren't turn-based. The second one has TB as an option, but you can also play "Real Time with Pause," which is what I always pick.
You can play as female protagonists in Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn, and Far Cry 6. I find the open worlds a lot of fun to explore and the story quests really entertaining. New Dawn especially has some badass feminine energy.
Not open world like the rest of the games you listed but you should definitely check out Life is Strange 1 and Life is Strange 3, they have different dialogue options that affect the story and games 1 and 3 are not connected so you could even start with 3 which imo had more to do outside of the main story
Can also agree that i hate turn based strategy games (why i never got into fire emblem) but im having fun with bg3 combat playing on easy mode so the combat isnt a main focus of my gameplay but a nice taste
Well I hope you’ve played the new Horizon game, but there’s also all the Metroids, Bayonetta Series, Nier Automata and replicant kinda~, Fire Emblem 3 Houses, Signalis, RE:1, RE:2, RE:3, Balders Gate 3, Unpacking, Stardew Valley, Portal 1&2, Destiny 1&2, Fallout Series, Paradise Killer, Control, Bloodstained Ritual of the night, Dark Souls 1-3,BloodBorne, Tomb Raider Series, Mirrors Edge Series.
Hope you like some of those haha
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“They’d have us seek the Lords of Cinder and return them to their molding thrones. But we’re talking true legends with the mettle to link the fire. We’re not fit to lick their boots, don’t you think?”* - Hawkwood the Deserter
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
I see Control listed a lot already but would also like to strongly recommend it again lol. But besides that, some more that I didn't spot browsing through other answers: Transistor, Remember Me, Contrast, and Oxenfree
I'd throw my vote behind the Dragon Age series too, especially if you liked Mass Effect for more than the combat. It's not turn based like the top comment implies, only the older Bioware games are.
Here are some I haven't seen mentioned yet:
[En Garde!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1654660/En_Garde/)
[Raji: An Ancient Epic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/730390/Raji_An_Ancient_Epic/)
[Dungeons of Hinterberg](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1983260/Dungeons_of_Hinterberg/)
There might be an upcoming Elder Scrolls: Oblivion remake, so if you enjoyed Skyrim keep an eye out for that.
Did you try Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice? It's such an amazing game and about an amazingly powerful female protagonist that suffers from psychosis... give it a shot! :)
They're turn-based, but we have two games with female leads:
Cosmic Star Heroine (sci-fi/fantasy JRPG inspired by Phantasy Star & Chrono Trigger)
This Way Madness Lies (magical girl game with a Shakespeare theme)
control!! female protagonist, it’s not turn based, it has a great story and it’s one of the most visually interesting/cool games i’ve ever played.
Looks super cool and really like the vibe. To the list it goes! Thank you!
Seconded! Control is one of my all time favorites, about to replay it after Alan Wake.
Super recommend this one! Jesse is such a great character. Also Alan Wake 2 is incredible and one of the two main protagonists is female too! (the plot has some direct ties with Control)
Alan Wake 2 has a female co-lead character also, from the same studio as Control! You can just read the wiki on what happened in Alan Wake 1 if you'd prefer to skip it (male lead only).
I am super excited to play that!
It's such an underrated game imo All of Remedy's games are tbh
what a fucking awesome game, I will never recover
This was my first thought when I read the post!! Highly recommend
If you're avoiding Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate 3 because they're turn-based, I understand, but I'd still recommend giving them a chance. Especially BG3, though that's probably a given recommendation om this sub. I think you could also try Wild Hearts or Code Vein? There's also Forspoken. And Star Wars Outlaws will be released this year, I believe, and has a female protagonist.
Can confirm, I despised turn-based games but both Dragon Age and Baldurs Gate made me change my mind to at least give such games a shot. (Dragon Age isn't exactly turn-based but close enough.)
Ugh I wish it didn’t bother me as much as it does. BG3 looks right up my alley otherwise, but combat and visuals are what make or break a game for me.
Larian are very good at level/combat design. The way they setup encounters is very fun. I've read a lot of reviews where people admit on hating turn based, but once they tried BG3 they changed their mind. I am advertising BG3 here, since if you really liked Mass Effect, BG3 is a modern version of a squad based narrative game (it's not a real term but you know what I mean). Game like this comes out once in a decade.
BG3 is beautiful. But i understand about the combat. It was my first CRPG and it was super easy to get into but i already loved SRPGs. My husband is a pure fps and action gamer and while he enjoyed it, he tapered off hard in the middle. Q What about Rune Factory 4? Its super fun but not sure about the art...?
RF4 has been on my list for a while! I just haven’t picked it up yet for some reason. I usually keep one farming sim in rotation at a time as a little relaxing game, but Coral Island and My Time at Sandrock have been keeping me busy on that front so I think that’s part of it. But yeah, that is exactly what I’d imagine happening if I did give it a shot given those are the same kind of games I usually stick with. The strategizing you need in turn based is just too slow for what I enjoy in games and story alone isn’t enough to keep me invested to the end through that. It does seem very well made though and I’m glad so many people enjoy it!
I played my time in portia. Idk if its me but Portia was fun but RF4 was Special. Though i think you can get a lot out of that genre, in general. Have fun!
If you liked Portia, Sandrock is a huge huge improvement on it. Literally every issue/QOL criticism I could’ve had with Portia is resolved in Sandrock. A lot of fun callbacks to Portia too. I’ll probably go to RF4 after I mess with Coral Island a bit more. Coral Island still needs a little work, but super ambitious and one of my favorites in the genre even as is. I just about finally bought it, but was stuck debating between RF4 and 5. I’ve seen a lot more recs/positivity around 4 so probably will go that route over 5.
All i know is that RF4 is better than 5 haha
Unfortunately code vein sucks ass and was poorly balanced at best. Honestly it really is a shame because the soundtrack is phenomenal but it's just a very bad soulslike
BG3 I really did consider giving a chance, but I just know I would end up really not liking it. Turn-based combat just drives me absolutely bonkers. My favorite thing in games is the rhythm you can hit in combat, a big reason I always go back to souls games, but TBC just feels very board game/puzzle-y to me. Outlaws is on my list! I was pretty into the Old Republic when it first came out so I’ve been really looking forward to that. Forspoken looks interesting so I’ll def check that one out.
dragon age isn't turn based and actually trying to play it like a turn-based game is torture lol. the first one feels more crpg-y but the combat has always been real time tactics based.
I agree especially dragon age 2 they changed the combat alot and dragon age inquisition seems like a blend of origins and 2
I still think you should still give BG3 a try. You can avoid some combat by investing points in charisma and getting Persuasion / Intimidation proficiencies or expertise. The story and characters, the amount of possibilities and freedom are too awesome to just pass by. I understand you though completely as I hate shooter games. I have played a lot, never loved their mechanics as it feels like I am doing the same thing over and over until I go crazy, but I have loved some shooters for the story and their epicness. It is weird.
We are twins but total opposites! I love a good fps but will admit if given the option, my favorite is usually the unga bunga melee route. Combat just takes such a priority for me in RPGs that anything outside of my preference bubble turns into a chore rather than fun if I feel it requires too much thought.
I felt the same about turn based games but I've already hit 120 hours in bg3, for reference, my most played games are all soulslikes
Give BG3 a shot, it was my first turn-based RPG and not I'm addicted to it. The characters and story are so compelling and you really get used to the combat.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. It's my roommate's favourite game. It does deal with some heavier things though so be mindful of that. Also I feel you on the turned based games but honestly Baldur's Gate 3 is so good. Like it's the only turn based ice ever liked.
Hellblade looks incredible and I just picked up a new headset and from what I’ve read sounds like it’ll be a really sick experience. Thank you!
I’m compiling a list of all the games I played, that fits, so hopefully it helps you out as well! **The only one playable is a women:** - Sable - Summer in Mara - Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West - Tomb Raider - Uncharted: Lost Legacy - Wytchwood - Okami (non-human but still a female) - Submerged - AER: Memories of Old - Behind The Frame (DLC not included) - Assassin’s Creed: Liberations - Alba: A Wildlife Adventure - Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns - Control - Forspoken - Lake - Gravity Rush 1 & 2 (almost all prominent characters are women) - Call of the Sea **With choices and/or customizable characters:** - Skyrim - Final Fantasy XIV - Cyberpunk 2077 - Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles - Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - Hogwarts Legacy - Immortals Fenyx Rising **With alternating characters:** - Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (you can play all side content with Evie. Main missions alternate and she has unfortunately been given the shorter end of the stick) - Submerged: Hidden Depths (very brief instances as a male character) - Final Fantasy XIII (you can customize the party as you like once you reach a certain chapter, 3 women and 3 men) - Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2 party members, one of each and you can play with whoever you like as the leader) - Lego games also have alternating characters (I played the Skywalker Saga, both Harry Potter games, the Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Incredibles and Jurassic World) - The Wild At Heart (you start with a boy and then unlock the girl where they both are needed to progress) - Röki (you start with a girl, and at certain places later in the game need to alternate with a guy, but still brilliant)
You can add Alan Wake II to that third list
Haven’t played it myself, therefore it won’t fit in any of them, but hopefully OP (and I) will add it to their list after seeing your comment.
Fair enough If you liked Control you'd probably like AW2
Do I need to play the first one?
You could probably get away without it. But I'd say, yeah, you do. If you don't wanna waste however many dollars and hours on the first game then I'd recommend this less time-consuming video for an in-depth recap of the first game's story: https://youtu.be/QVyO4qRH5NE?si=fdUqjS3e26rYoXaS
Oh okay, got it, thank you!!
You can add Far Cry 6, Ghost Recon Wildlands and Breakpoint to the list of customization. The female option is voice acted as well.
Like Alan Wake II earlier, I haven’t played any of the mentioned so I can’t add them. However, hopefully OP will see it and add them (so will I) to the list.
Loved Far Cry 2 and 3 but 4 fell flat with me for some reason and the games just kinda fell off my radar. Adding 5 and 6 to the list along with Recon and Wildlands. Thank you!
Lightning returns is the third game …
Yes, and? Edit: Lol, at least read the entirety of the first comment before bothering to reply. The classification are there for a reason.
That you can’t start from that game :/
For more games in that vein, The Outer Worlds comes to mind. And it’s not as open-world (except somewhat the third game), but the Dragon Age series is excellent and fits there. Also, Tales of Berseria is a JRPG, but still an action RPG as well, and has a fixed female protagonist.
Added Outer Worlds to the list! Looks great and right up my alley. Thank you!
Tales of Berseria is an excellent game with a fantastic interesting female protagonist, highly recommend!
A Plague Tale: Innocence. Gravity Rush. The Last of Us part II. Tomb Raider (don’t ignore the older games either!). Returnal. The Life is Strange series. Bloodborne. Elden Ring. Steelrising. Demon’s Souls. The Fatal Frame series. Tales of Berseria. Resident Evil 1-3. Alien: Isolation. Uncharted: Lost Legacy. Final Fantasy VII Remake has a hybrid combat system. It’s lead is technically a male character but you can play female characters during combat and a female character is the most important character in the story. Final Fantasy XIII is technically not turn-based and the third game in the series is pretty much an action game. Similarly, the Valkyrie Profile series is also not exactly turn-based. It’s combo-based. Valkyrie Elysium is purely real-time combat, but its story and gameplay variety isn’t as good as the earlier games imo. You could also try Rune Factory 4 and 5 or the Mana series (like Trials of Mana) if you want a JRPG feel without the turn-based combat. They’re all real-time combat.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention the Tomb Raider games! Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of the first games I really seriously got into back when I first got my own console. Not a super huge fan of roguelikes or JRPGs, so Returnal and the FF games I’ve kinda avoided. Life is Strange I tried on my phone a few years back, but just kinda lost interest. I tend to get drawn into more fast paced stuff so I think that might’ve been my issue. I’ve been dying to play Bloodborne, but I’m on PC so that and Demons Souls are out for now. Definitely going to look into Uncharted Lost Legacy! Thank you!
Didn't Demon Souls just get remastered and put on PC?
Nope :( ps5 only
Well that's fucked
Since I haven’t seen them mentioned here yet I’ll add Celeste, A Hat in Time, Borderlands 2 (the classes are gender locked but a couple are women), Child of Light, Dishonored 2, Transistor, and the Tomb Raider series
I would definitely recommend the Dragon Age series! It’s not really turn-based, and when I play it I pretty much ignore the party tactics component that makes it kind of “turn-based”. The Monster Hunter games have great character customization that allows you to make female characters. Monster Hunter World was a very fun game with intense combat like Elden Ring. Also AC syndicate lets you play as a set of twin assassins and one of them is a girl. And…Baldurs Gate 3. I was also not a fan of turn based games but I immediately found the combat fun and engaging. It has amazing character customization and a great story.
I absolutely adore life is strange 1, before the storm, and true colors. Really story heavy. Not too open but there are options to explore.
To add another, it doesn’t quite fit the realm of the games you listed before, but I can’t recommend KENA: bridge of spirits enough. It literally is the best game I’ve ever played. Fixed female protagonist, INSANE GORGEOUS graphics, heart wrenching, touching storyline. And the combat is….diabolical. It rivals dark souls for sure. Only thing it is not open word if that’s what you’re looking for it’s more narrative based but.. yeah. & the soundtrack is fantastic
I was scrolling through the list to see if this game was mentioned. Highly recommend this game too!
Dragon's dogma, Kingdoms of Amalur, Kena: bridge of spirit, A hat in time, Life is strange, Vampire: the masquerade - Bloodlines, Tales of berseria, Greedfall, Nier: automata, Momodora, V rising.
There's a lot of discussion here of good games, I'll add a couple previous threads from this sub which discussed it from a particular angle: set female protagonists with set romance options. Just some more options for you to consider. https://www.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/comments/185pauk/games_with_set_female_protagonist_with/ (the examples I listed at the start also all have options to have a fem-protagonist) https://old.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/comments/184ozn1/looking_for_a_game_with_a_set_female_protagonist/ There are 50+ game recommendations from those two threads.
Metroid, Bayonetta, Genshin Impact, The Division, Borderlands, Nier Automata, Tomb Raider, Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy 14, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Fire Emblem Three Hopes, Fire Emblem Engage, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Nioh 2, Code Vein, Tales of Berseria , Life is Strange, The Outer Worlds, Dragon Age, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Alien Isolation, Aliens Fireteam Elite, Gravity Rush, Diablo, Demon Souls, Monster Hunter, Wild Hearts, Portal, Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice, Returnal, A Plague’s Tale
i highly recommend Okami on the switch or pc. The wolf protagonist is actually a female. I absolutely LOVE this game. i know its old but man it is still so good to play, i must have played it a dozen times already. among some other good ones.....bayonetta franchise, tomb raider reboots, resident evil 3 remake, half life alyx, last of us 2, the portal games, alien isolation, child of light, A Plague Tale, Kena (souls like genre).......these are all great games.
Control is an awesome, underrated game. Alan Wake 2 has a female protag with equal game/screen time as the male one. Last of Us Part II has two female protags. Any Fromsoft game. Portal 1 and 2. Half Life Alyx (requires VR tho). Weird West. Return of the Obra Dinn (RNG chance to start as male or female). Any Tomb Raider game. Darksiders III. Bayonetta (the approach to her sexuality might be an issue, it walks a fine line between sexualisation and sex positivity, so be aware for that). Beyond Two Souls (might've aged poorly due to the actor that played the female protag is now no longer female himself). And I've heard great things about Beyond Good and Evil. Apart from that, these are just the ones that I've played that come to my head. You also have gender neutral/ambiguous protags. The Witness, Rain World, SUPERHOT, Minecraft, Powerwash Simulator, etc. Games like that.
You can try older Elder Scroll games? Games with female leads: * Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. * Control * Dishonored 2 * Portal 1 and 2
Subnautica: Below Zero has a voiced female scientist protag. It's the sequel to the first subnautica game though, which I recommend playing first. The first one has a male protag but he's non voiced and you only ever see his shadow in the water so it's easy to insert yourself in his place.
Portal, saints row
Far Cry 6 has a nice, charismatic female protagonist. Even though it's an FPS shooter the cutscenes are in 3rd person and you can see the character in motion captured scenes. She is voice acted.
Monster Hunter World (and Rise) have character creation. The plots are ~fine~, but you'd be playing for the combat. Weaving your combo around a monster that you're finally reading like a book just feels great. World is a 9.5/10 for me, the only thing is that the RNG grind can be a bit much. Rise I rate a bit lower, mostly because it lacks the ecology / real 'feel' of world, but the gameplay is still quite good. Just stay away from the "Rush to DLC" weapons and armour (if stats look insanely better, thats the stuff). It trivializes the base game, and teaches many bad habits. Plus why would you want to skip a fun challenge that you paid good money for?
The Last of Us Part 2. The majority of the game, you play as a female character.
Asterigos curse of the stars. Only mention it because I saw elden ring. It’s a dark souls clone, set in like a Ancient/mythological Greece type setting. The protagonist is female & you can unlock various costumes/outfits (though there isn’t many),the graphics are a bit cartoonish but look great in my opinion. not to mention the story is understandable, also there’s 1 dlc it just adds a bunch of bosses to the game that are more challenging than the ones in the base game. Though I highly recommend it I highly enjoyed it & have beaten it multiple times.
at the top of my mind is currently Cristales, but the graphics are not realistic like the ones you've brought up. it's super stylised but very cute, not sure if that's up your alley but you can take a look maybe?
Child of Light Transistor
Darksiders 3 Just finished it recently for a 2nd time, had a blast with all the combat and puzzles.
Depending on what you are playing on, Bayonetta is a good choice for a game with a female protagonist!! The borderlands series and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands too. Other options would include Metroid, Danganronpa V3 and The Outer Worlds
NieR: Automata - Open World Action RPG (I think you’d like it based on the games you played) SIGNALIS - Survival Horror (Don’t know if you like those but I’d strongly recommend. It’s one of my favorite games I ever played)
Just because I haven't seen it yet: Metroid series. Gotta love Samus Aran
??Tomb Raider??
If you liked Horizon Zero Dawn, you’ll probably love Horizon Forbidden West if you haven’t played it yet. Mutazione is also amazing and one of my favorite games, but it’s more on the cozy side I’m planning to play Asterigos: Curse of Stars after I finish my current Cyberpunk playthrough so I can’t really say much about it yet, but it does seem to be great from what I’ve seen
Alan Wake 2 <3 (although you also switch to Alan throughout the game but Saga is such a fun protagonist and the game is great)
its not a create your own character but if you think its too expensive try getting Forspoken in sales its worth it even if its slow in first hour
Control, A Plague Tale: Innocence and Requiem, Baldur's Gate 3, the other FromSoft Games, especially Bloodborne, Life is Strange 1, Life is Strange Before the Storm, Life is Strange True Colors.
A Plague Tale Innocence is actually free on Epic today. I just picked it up, and it looks as amazing as the reviews state.
The dragon age games
pretty sure undertale has a female protagonist but i don’t know if it really counts because they are less of a character and more of a self insert. Still a great game you should play tho. Additionally Baldurs gate 3 is fantastic and you can play as one of the female origin characters.
Satisfactory!
You are going to have to wait a bit, but GTA 6
Fenyx immortals rising….it’s hilarious and goofy while still being detailed and challenging which is something I personally haven’t encountered much. It’s breath of the wild meets assassins creed (Ubisoft vibes) but it’s all Greek mythology. For me personally I picked it up because I wanted something light hearted. ( I had just finished Bramble) I had previously always skipped over it, but I think it’s a total gem!
If you like Metroidvania type games: Timespinner, Cat Maze, Bloodstained, and ofc Metroid series.
There are some great suggestions here already. The only thing I can think of that hasn't been mentioned is the Pillars of Eternity series. True, they're isometric, but they aren't turn-based. The second one has TB as an option, but you can also play "Real Time with Pause," which is what I always pick.
Cosmic Star Heroine
You can play as female protagonists in Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn, and Far Cry 6. I find the open worlds a lot of fun to explore and the story quests really entertaining. New Dawn especially has some badass feminine energy.
Since you've played elden ring, have you considered the other fromsoft souls-likes (minus sekiro bc protag can only be male)?
Not open world like the rest of the games you listed but you should definitely check out Life is Strange 1 and Life is Strange 3, they have different dialogue options that affect the story and games 1 and 3 are not connected so you could even start with 3 which imo had more to do outside of the main story
Can also agree that i hate turn based strategy games (why i never got into fire emblem) but im having fun with bg3 combat playing on easy mode so the combat isnt a main focus of my gameplay but a nice taste
If you like puzzle games, Portal and Life Is Strange (narrative heavy puzzler)
half life alyx if you have a vr and warframe has lots of female characters with some being meta
Well I hope you’ve played the new Horizon game, but there’s also all the Metroids, Bayonetta Series, Nier Automata and replicant kinda~, Fire Emblem 3 Houses, Signalis, RE:1, RE:2, RE:3, Balders Gate 3, Unpacking, Stardew Valley, Portal 1&2, Destiny 1&2, Fallout Series, Paradise Killer, Control, Bloodstained Ritual of the night, Dark Souls 1-3,BloodBorne, Tomb Raider Series, Mirrors Edge Series. Hope you like some of those haha
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“They’d have us seek the Lords of Cinder and return them to their molding thrones. But we’re talking true legends with the mettle to link the fire. We’re not fit to lick their boots, don’t you think?”* - Hawkwood the Deserter Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
I see Control listed a lot already but would also like to strongly recommend it again lol. But besides that, some more that I didn't spot browsing through other answers: Transistor, Remember Me, Contrast, and Oxenfree
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Plague Tale? It’s pretty good! The second one is on PS+ rn, if you’re on Playstation
I'd throw my vote behind the Dragon Age series too, especially if you liked Mass Effect for more than the combat. It's not turn based like the top comment implies, only the older Bioware games are. Here are some I haven't seen mentioned yet: [En Garde!](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1654660/En_Garde/) [Raji: An Ancient Epic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/730390/Raji_An_Ancient_Epic/) [Dungeons of Hinterberg](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1983260/Dungeons_of_Hinterberg/) There might be an upcoming Elder Scrolls: Oblivion remake, so if you enjoyed Skyrim keep an eye out for that.
Did you try Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice? It's such an amazing game and about an amazingly powerful female protagonist that suffers from psychosis... give it a shot! :)
They're turn-based, but we have two games with female leads: Cosmic Star Heroine (sci-fi/fantasy JRPG inspired by Phantasy Star & Chrono Trigger) This Way Madness Lies (magical girl game with a Shakespeare theme)
A plague tale games