Throughout history, video games have had the reputation of being a market exclusivity to boys or strictly a male dominated audience. Despite initially gender-neutral marketing and multiple women having key roles in major games, the gaming marketing crash of 1983 had companies move to marketing video games strictly towards boys, believing that would be the logical move for the industry to survive going forward. Because of that, the majority of video games released back then would often center around male heroes or strong male protagonists.
That’s not to say that EVERY single video game out there had a male protagonist. There have been a handful of successful female protagonists in video games such as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and Samus Aran from Metroid. But for the most part, video games for the longest of time would have a male protagonist front and center more often than not, with female protagonists acting as a side playable character at best or NPC at worst. And even when the women were playable, they were mostly design with a clear sex appeal and male gaze in mind that was also clearly targeted towards boys and men. However, that has changed dramatically for the better course of a decade.
Recent studies have shown that women are playing a much bigger role in the video game industry than ever before. Women are increasingly represented in the gaming industry, including in senior management and developers. There are more organizations out there than before that provide resources and mentorship to help women succeed in the industry. Best of all, studies have shown that by June 2024, 49% of gamers in the United States were female, an increase from nearly a decade ago when female gamers averaged around 41 to 42%. Needless to say, gaming is much more than just a boy brand now and companies are clearly starting to take notice of it.
And I don’t think there is a more prime example of women having a more dominant presence in video games than seeing the phenomenal lineup of upcoming releases, both mainstream and indie, that is excepted to come out in 2025 and beyond, with a good portion of them either being female led or have a strong female protagonist that is playable. Because of that, I don’t have a choice but to admit it: women are now becoming the face of gaming now and possible for the foreseeable future.
If you don’t believe me, just check out this list of the number of women-led video games that are set to come out in 2025 and beyond.
Eternal Stands
- Developer: Yellow Brick Games
- Playable Female Character: A Warrior Named Brynn
- Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Civilization 7
- Developer: Firaxis Games
- Playable Female Characters: Amina, Himiko, And Hatshepsut
- Release Date: February 11th, 2025
Assassin’s Creed Shadow
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Female Playable Character: A Shinobi Named Naoe
- Release Date: February 14th, 2025
Judas
- Developer: Ken LevineĀ (Bioshock)
- Playable Female Character: A Young Female Rebel Named Judas
- Release Date: March 1st, 2025
Split Fiction
- Developer: Hazelight Studios
- Playable Female Characters: Mio and Zoey
- Release Date: March 6th, 2025
Fable (2025)
- Developer: Playground Games
- Playable Female Character: Unnamed At This Time
- Release Date: 2025
Perfect Dark (2025)
- Developer: The Initiative
- Playable Female Character: Joanna Dark
- Release Date: 2025
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Developer: Retro Studios
- Playable Female Character: The Legend Herself, Samus Aran
- Release Date: TBD
South of Midnight
- Developer: Complusion Games
- Female Playable Character: Unnamed At This Time
- Release Date: TBD
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
- Developer: Leenzee
- Female Playable Character: Wuchang
- Release Date: TBD
Retrieval
- Developer: 333 Studios
- Female Playable Character: Hana Losche
- Release Date: TBD
Okami 2
- Developer: Clover Studio
- Female Playable Character: The Japanese Goddess Known As Ameraterasu
- Release Date: TBD
Untitled Tomb Raider Game
- Developer: Embracer Group
- Female Playable Character: The G.O.A.T. Lara Croft
- Release Date: TBD
Wonder Woman
- Developer: Monolith Productions
- Playable Female Character: Diana Prince, A.K.A. Wonder Woman Herself
- Release Date: TBD
The Witcher 4
Ghost of Yotei
- Developer: Sucker Punch
- Playable Female Character: A Female Ronin Named Atsu
- Release Date: 2025
Grand Theft Auto VI
- Developer: Rockstar
- Playable Female Character: Lucia
- Release Date: 2025
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
- Developer: Naughty Dog
- Playable Female Character: A Bounty Hunter Named Jordan A. Mun
- Release Date: TBD
And there’s plenty more that I’m sure I’m missing!
It goes to show just how bolder and more confident gaming studios are getting when it comes to releasing more gaming titles with playable female protagonists. This is the type of progress that you wouldn’t imagine seeing several decades ago because it was mostly the boys that dominated the marketing and demographic. Could you imagine seeing that many upcoming female-led games 10 to 20 years ago?
Could you imagine Rockstar taking a chance with a female protagonist front and center for GTA V in the hopes that it wouldn’t affect sales? Would Sucker Punch have been bold enough to change up the protagonists from male lead Sakai to female led Yotei? Imagine Naughty Dog having the balls to make back-to-back games where the only playable characters were women? If that’s not the sign how times have changed when it comes to demographics for video games, then I don’t know what does.
If even a handful of the titles I suggested are successful, this will no doubt push boundaries and make room for even more women in the industry than before. If Wonder Woman, Tomb Raider, and Metroid can continue to honor the legacy of their beloved female leads, then those IPs can continue to expand even more. If Fable, Ghost of Yotei, and The Witcher 4 is able to prove that their female leads can be just as acclaim and successful as their male leads in their own respective franchises, then that will undoubtedly lead to more female-centric games in the future. If original projects like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet can sell enough copies on their own, then more original female-led games will be surely to come. And of course, if GTA VI is able to gain even an ounce of the success of GTA V, that act alone will make female characters more playable in games than ever before. The future of gaming is looking female…….and it feels just right.
Before I get anyone outrage over this, there will certainly be many male-led games as well for the future. There is too many successful male-led gaming IPs such as Mario, Sonic, Zelda, Halo, Call of Duty, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Fallout, and PokĆ©mon that will continue to be mostly male-centric in terms of narrative and/or will always give you the option to play as a male character. It’s just that there will now be just as much gaming options for female gamers as there always has been for male gamers.
And if this momentum continues, there’s no doubt come this time come 2028, the percentage of male and female gamers will be at a complete 50%, proving that video games belong just as much to girls as it does to boys. It’s only then will the gender balance be completed and there will be room for video games for just about anyone, regardless of your gender. Perhaps then we can put this discussion of needed progression and pushing boundaries aside and just treat any game with a female protagonist as we would with a male protagonist. If that is the true goal, then it’s on the verge of being complete.
Regardless of what your stance is in all of this, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that women are leading gaming in 2025 and beyond. There are more women creators and gamers than ever before and the next main lineup of games for the next few years will clearly have plenty of playable female characters and then some. If it’s all done well and is even remotely successful, this will only be the beginning.
And speaking as a male gamer who has always loved playing as female characters and has a good handful of female-led games that are among my most favorites of all time, I can not wait!
The future is all yours, ladies!
Adam's Blog 