10 best female protagonists in gaming: Lara Croft, Ellie, Aloy, and more

With Stellar Blade just on the horizon, it looks like the gaming world will be graced with another awesome female protagonist in the form of Eve. However, Eve is not the first female protagonist in gaming and that trail has been blazed by countless women before her. In this piece, we will look at 10 of the greatest female protagonists that you can play as in gaming. These women prove that butt-kicking is a gender-neutral ability!

Before we get to that, let’s lay down some ground rules. First off, I’m going to stick to one woman per franchise. Second, I’m sticking to playable characters in games. So while the likes of Cortana (Halo) and Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite) might be memorable, you don’t really get to play as them. Finally, characters from fighting games are not included as there are too many to count. So the likes of Chun-Li and Sonya Blade are out as well. Maybe we can do another listicle on them in the future!

So, with that out of the way, let’s go through our list.

Lara Croft

Franchise: The Tomb Raider series

First appearance: 1996

The first lady of gaming is one of the biggest and most important characters in gaming, regardless of sex. Before her, most female protagonists were side characters in their own games. Lara Croft helped change all that. The Tomb Raider series of games was all about her and they were successful enough to spawn an entire franchise. We also got one of the best movie adaptations of video games starring Angelina Jolie no less. Thank you, Lady Croft.

Princess Peach

Franchise: The Mario series

First appearance: 1985

Princess Peach might be best known for being in another damn castle, but aside from her penchant for getting kidnapped, she is pretty awesome in her own right. She can race karts, play tennis, and even battle it out with other characters. She has shown that she is well and truly capable of keeping up with Mario and Luigi. If she could just stop getting kidnapped all the time.

Samus Aran

Franchise: The Metroid series

First appearance: 1986

The first Metroid probably had one of the best twists (if you can call it that) in gaming. You play the game as a butt-kicking bounty hunter only for it to be revealed that the player character is actually a woman. The surprise was obviously well received by players as the Metroid franchise has quite a history of success. Packing a whole host of abilities that aid in traversal and attack, Samus Aran is one of the most well-rounded characters in gaming.

Princess Zelda

Franchise: The Legend of Zelda series

First appearance: 1986

Like Princess Peach, Zelda might be best known for being rescued by Link, but she is a formidable character on her own. Whether it is helping Link as Sheik in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, or as a fully playable character in games like Hyrule Warriors or even Smash Bros she is ready to take on any challenge to help save her world. As a mortal reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, Zelda possesses incredible levels of wisdom and intelligence.

Alyx Vance

Franchise: The Half-Life series

First appearance: 2004

For a very long time, it felt like Alyx Vance would be limited to being a secondary character. Thankfully, we finally got to step into her shoes (quite literally) in Half-Life: Alyx, which is considered by many to be one of the best VR games currently on offer. Alyx is not only a good mechanic and a great shot, but is also quite witty, making her quite beloved in the gaming community.

Bayonetta

Franchise: The Bayonetta series

First appearance: 2004

Few game characters can be as sexy as they are badass and Bayonetta is one of them. While she may speak in a lot of innuendos, you get the sense that she isn’t trying to be sexy, she’s just that confident. And that confidence is quite warranted. As one of only two surviving Umbra Witches, Bayonetta is incredibly powerful and can summon a variety of objects to inflict pain upon her enemies.

Ellie Williams

Franchise: The Last of Us series

First appearance: 2016

While she wasn’t the primary protagonist in the first game, Ellie was absolutely essential to the plot. Even as a kid, she showed glimpses of resourcefulness and intelligence which made her loved. So much so that players could easily resonate with the main protagonist’s (Joel) choice at the end of the first game. The Last of Us Part 2 fleshed out her character even more and showcased how much she has grown since the last outing.

Aloy

Franchise: Horizon series

First appearance: 2017

Let’s get this straight. Being a hunter is pretty cool. Being a hunter that hunts robotic animals is even cooler. This is exactly what Aloy does on a daily basis. Her skills allow her to take on robots many times her size while being armed with high-tech versions of primitive tools. That’s pretty badass, no matter which way you cut it.

Senua

Franchise: Hellblade series

First appearance: 2017

Senua is one of the most unique characters in gaming as a whole. She is not only a great fighter, but she is also one of the few who strives to accurately portray mental illness in gaming. In fact, Senua can use the illness as a gameplay feature, with the voices in her head acting as narrative devices. Even with her issues, Senua is strong enough to take on the challenges that the world throws at her.

2B

Franchise: Nier: Automata series

First appearance: 2017

YoRHa No. 2 Type B, commonly known as 2B, is a battle android designed to help humanity take back Earth from invading aliens. 2B is initially portrayed as cold and emotionless, but as the story progresses, the player learns a great deal about what is going on as well as her true nature.

Honourable mentions

There are a few names that just couldn’t make that cut but were too deserving to not be mentioned at all. First up is Ms. Pac-Man, one of the first women in gaming and arguably offered a better gameplay experience as compared to the standard Pac-Man. Then there is Jill Valentine from the Resident Evil series of games. Jill has taken on hordes of zombies as well as all sorts of unimaginable horrors and has lived to talk about it. Similarly, we have Ciri from the Witcher series. Not only is she good with a blade, but has powers that allow her to cross space and time. Finally, there is Chell from the Portal series. Chell is extremely resourceful and great at thinking outside the box. She is also one of the greatest silent protagonists in gaming. 

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