My queer favourite game 2024
From Aussie rules football to neo-noir cleaning adventure, some of our LGBTQIA+ picks.
Hello! Eurogamer's latest week of features celebrating the intersection of LGBTQIA+ culture and gaming is almost at an end, but to wrap things up, we've once again spoken with some of our favourite creators, conferred among the team, and even delved into the Eurogamer archive to spotlight just a few of our favourite queer and queer-positive games. Hopefully, you'll find something new to enjoy here, or be enouraged to further explore the wonderful queer stories being brought to life by talented developers today - and if you've any recommendations of your own, please do share them in the comments below!
If you've missed any of this year's other Pride Week features, you'll find them - and indeed everything we've published as part of the series over the last five years - on our new Pride Week hub. Many thanks to our stellar 2024 contributors (in order of appearance): James Croft, Caelyn Ellis, Florence Smith Nicholls, Dr Lloyd (Meadhbh) Houston, Sharang Biswas, Ed Nightingale, Lottie Lynn, Kaan Serin, Eeowna, Robert Yang, Psyche, and Lorenzo Redaelli. Additional thanks to Tom Phillips, Erin Young for the hub page, Maddie Cullen and Jim Trinca for this year's Pride Week video, and to Lucy Grimwood for her wonderful Pride Week artwork and logo.
Eurogamer will, of course, continue celebrating the achievements of, and highlighting issues affecting, the LGBTQIA+ community in gaming throughout the year - and we'll be back with more Pride celebrations again in 2025. Now, on with a few of our queer favourite games...
Little Goody Two Shoes (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC)
As selected by Lottie Lynn, Eurogamer guides editor.
What is it? If you've ever wondered what you'd get if you smashed together 90s anime, a cosy Stardew Valley-style village life sim, and gleefully macabre horror, here's your answer. Little Goody Two Shoes, developed by AstralShift, is a narrative adventure that casts players as Elise, a vibrant and ambitious young woman who dreams of becoming rich. It's a goal that seems like it'll be forever out of reach as she toils to keep the residents of her sleepy village happy – until, that is, she makes an unusual discovery, turning her menial days into terrifying nights of phantasmagorical creatures and the darkest of arts...
Lottie says, "Little Goody Two Shoes is a mixture of life management sim and horror game wrapped together with the aesthetics of an anime fairy tale and served with a side helping of lesbians. You play as Elise who, after finding a pair of definitely magical shoes, decides it's a real good idea to enter the monster-infested woods, so she can perform a ritual for riches. Her time is also spent making sure the villagers don't suspect her of being a witch (historically, things get pretty tricky for women when that fact is decided upon) and win the heart of a lovely lady. All the while, the game effortlessly moves between the storybook-like daytime hours, where you go on dates and play mini-games for money, and night-times spent solving puzzles in the woods, which reminds me of the darkness many old folktales hold. After all, once you've won a lady's heart, what you do with it can be terrible…"
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (Switch, PC)
From the Eurogamer archive.
What is it? The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, from The Red Strings Club developer Deconstructeam, starts off wonderfully high-concept and just gets better from there. It tells the story of Fortuna, a fortune-telling witch exiled to an asteroid, who makes a pact with a forbidden creature in the hope of returning to her coven and reconnecting with her friends. It's a complex tale spanning decades as players delve into the past and future - and one that uses an intriguing card-crafting, Tarot-like divination system to shift the story and determine the fates of its richly realised, often queer cast. Deconstructeam calls The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood an exploration of identity, community, and personal responsibility – but it's also a tender, emotional adventure through time and space that deals a powerful hand.
Eurogamer says, "Even when I didn't fully understand the card readings, I had no choice but to confront the reality of each card I drew. Over time, I got a little better at what I was doing, and as my confidence grew, so did my vision for Fortuna, and how she should position herself in relation to the coven. Each card was a challenge, but also a promise that something would happen to push the world forward; that whatever was weighing me down now wouldn't last forever. Change is inevitable, after all, and we can't hide from entropy forever. When I needed it most, the game reminded me that even if the cards didn't hold a perfect future, it wasn't the end of the world, or even the universe."
Fable 2 (Xbox, PC)
As selected by Kaan Serin, writer and Eurogamer contributor.
What is it? Set 500 years after the events of the first Fable, developer Lionhead's 2008 action-RPG sequel whisks players back to the inimitable land of Albion – a wonderfully imagined bit of extreme whimsy, where fantasy clashes with fairy tale and everyone seems awfully fond of chickens. Fable 2 didn't just fix some of its predecessor's more notorious omissions (which it is to say, yes, you can grow an acorn into a tree this time around), it also expanded on the first game's promise of giving players a world where they could be exactly the kind of hero they wanted to be, their actions – whether boringly benevolent or hilariously evil – reflected back at them through the reactive responses of Albion and its denizens. Never before has the phrase "chicken chaser" felt so intensely personal.
Kaan says, "Fable 2 was always a purely great time for the power fantasy it let you live out. You could be the buff, benevolent hero that hammers bandits and bad guys like a game of whack-a-mole, or the mischievous little freak that farts in villagers' faces for funsies, or the most evil creature of them all: a landlord scumbag that raises rent to rack up gold that'll never be spent.
But for a youngling version of me, Fable 2's power fantasy took shape in its queer roleplaying. Townsfolk might've bullied my character's questionable moral choices or gagged (in a bad way, not the chronically online gay way) at my even more questionable fashion choices, but Fable's Albion was a land where you could marry anyone, free of judgement. Court four wives and three husbands and frolic around holding hands - it'll be just as commonplace as a passing troll. That would be selling Fable's queer fantasy short, though - the appeal doesn't just come from, y'know, not being hate-crimed in a single-player fantasy game. Fable's relentless whimsy has a way of rubbing off on you, and for me, its 'Be Whoever You Want' design hit in a very particular way."
Sudden Death (PC)
As selected by Robert Yang, creator of That Lonesome Valley, The Tearoom, and more.
What is it? Sudden Death is a visual novel about love and sports, from development collective Domino Club, that more than delivers on both. It's got actual Aussie rules football (albeit here presented as a mix of movie script, photos, stats, graphs, and crowd noises), and plenty of wonderfully written words off the pitch too. It bounces from authentic conversational chatter to newspaper articles, to website comments, to messenger apps, all working in service of a captivating, briskly linear story charting the East Glenvale Pikers' tribulations as they attempt to win the cup. It's very gay, very Australian, sometimes steamy, and completely free on itch.io.
Robert says, "Many visual novels reskin the same user interface templates, but this isn't the case with this year's Sudden Death, a sports crime romance about a team of underdog queer Aussie Rules footballers told through a constellation of sports blog commentator shitposts and grungy photocopied Metal Gear Solid codecs. At its climax, the game UI explodes into a cacophonous Jon Bois-ian Universal Paperclips Evangelion dashboard of intensity graphs and metrics. It's a joy to navigate this surprisingly philosophical commentary on today's performance-obsessed sports culture and its tolls on luck, legacy, and horniness, all set in a surreal, yet approachable fantasy world called Australia."
This Bed We Made (PlayStation, Xbox, PC)
As selected by Matt Wales, news reporter.
What is it? This Bed We Made from Lowbirth Games begins just like any other day in the 1950s for protagonist Sophie, a sweet but nosy chambermaid at Montreal's lavish Clarington Hotel. But after finding incriminating photos in a guest's bedroom capturing the extent of her snooping on camera, she's soon swept up in full-on neo-noir mystery full of glamour, intrigue, and murder. This Bed We Made might be relatively short, but it packs in plenty, with gentle puzzling, thrilling twists, a story that can be impacted by the smallest of your actions - right down to what you leave untouched or choose to throw away during your cleaning rounds - even multiple potential love interests to guide you through your investigation.
Matt says, "Who would have thought a game about cleaning up after people could be so thrilling? This Bed We Made, though, is a wonderful surprise – a stylish, gentle, but deliciously twisty adventure set in the confines of a wonderfully realised 1950s hotel. It's a game full of life, despite the fact you rarely see another soul, in part because its warm cast of core characters are just such a pleasure to be around. But, really, what makes This Bed We Made so special are the stories playing out behind closed doors. As Sophie moves from room to room, snooping through their inhabitants' discarded ephemera, she uncovers some wonderfully human stories of hidden lives and hidden loves. And it's here, in all these tiny vignettes of sadness and joy, Lowbirth's game becomes an affecting reminder that places like the Clarington were vital havens for queer people at a time homosexuality wasn't just frowned upon, it was punishable with imprisonment."
Baldur's Gate 3 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
As selected by Ed Nightingale, Eurogamer deputy news editor.
What is it? Larian Studios' massive, brilliant, and multi-awarded-winning Baldur's Gate 3 hardly needs an introduction, seeing how much it dominated 2023. This hugely ambitious delve into the dice-rolling world of Dungeons & Dragons – which boasts wonderful visuals, a richly realised cast of characters, and a frankly staggering number of story shifting quest options as the freewheeling adventure unfolds - is as dizzyingly flexible as its tabletop RPG inspiration, and it's particularly accommodating to those who want to play queer.
Ed says, "Part of what makes Larian's epic RPG so special is allowing players to be whoever they want to be, stemming from its tabletop roots. Its detailed and diverse character creator features inclusive representation, separating body type, identity, and voice so players can choose any gender identity. From there, players shape the story into their own adventure, with a branching narrative that moulds to every decision and a whole spectrum of romanceable companions no matter who the player chooses to be - whether that's a demon, a vampire, or even a bear."
Coffee Talk
As selected by Eeowna, Twitch and YouTube streamer.
What is it? Coffee Talk, from Indonesian developer Toge Productions, is a "coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator" set in an alternative version of Seattle where the likes of elves, mermaids, and orcs live alongside humans. Here, you play as a barista in a cosy local coffee shop, brewing up the perfect drink for each new customer while listening to their problems as they shelter from the cold, rainy night. It's a soothing, laidback experience – complete with a jazzy, lo-fi soundtrack – filled with relatable stories, all of which can be influenced depending how you treat your clientele. As Toge puts it, Coffee Talk is an experience to make you "think, feel, and help rest your body and soul."
Eeowna says, "I love the fact that the queer character isn't necessarily you but instead you hear all about the lives of the characters that you serve - many of whom are queer. And in some cases, you even get to see characters fall in love with each other, all from behind the bar."
Goodbye Volcano High (PlayStation 5, PC)
From the Eurogamer archive.
What is it? Ever had one of the days where your world felt like it was ending? Spare a thought for the teenage dinosaur friends at the heart of Goodbye Volcano High, all facing the extinction event as an asteroid hurtles toward earth. Its compelling mix of visual novel, rhythm game, and animated movie combines into a bittersweet coming-of-age story, with real stakes, about queer love at the end of the world. As Goodbye Volcano High's charming cast - including its non-binary protagonist Fang - faces a future cut short, players make choices that'll guide them through their final days, helping them laugh, squabble, and rock their way to the apocalypse – loving and living as hard as they can. It's surprisingly affecting stuff.
Eurogamer says, "After I finished Goodbye Volcano High, after a brief recess where I had a little cry, I found myself re-watching The OC. [It] has little to do with Volcano High beyond the idyllic beachy high school setting - they're completely different types of stories. But Ryan and the pool house is an almost perfect visual inversion of Volcano High's emotionally ruinous end - a reminder not to go gently into that good light, a crystal-clear moment of collective wonder and defiance in the face of something unknowable and unchangeable."
Sayonara Wild Hearts (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Mac, iOS)
As selected by Psyche, streamer and Twitch Ambassador.
What is it? Sayonara Wild Hearts, from the ever-brilliant Simogo, is a swooning, swirling rhythm adventure that's part love-letter to the golden era of arcade games and part neon-drenched queer fever dream. It's packed with speedy on-rails racing and chasing as its heartbroken heroine battles (and occasionally smooches) all-girl biker gangs, androgynous twins, even giant robot wolves - sometimes while on a motorbike, other times while waving a bloody great sword, but always to a sweet, shimmering synth pop soundtrack by Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng. There's not much Sayonara Wild Hearts doesn't manage to squeeze in, in fact – it's got romance, action, even Queen Latifa doing the narration - and it all adds up to a joyously unbounded treat.
Psyche says, "Sayonara Wild Hearts was an incredibly bisexual game where you pretty much just play through a visualisation of a pop album. You play as a bisexual woman who has just had her heart broken, and venture through different levels set to catchy tunes, culminating in kissing people of all genders at the end. It's a super short game but I loved it, I cried at the end just because I felt so seen! And I still get tunes from the game stuck in my head a few years after I last played it. It helps that the whole game is very much the colours of the bi flag too!"
Mediterranea Inferno (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC)
From the Eurogamer archive.
What is it? If it's cute and cosy you're after, you'll be wanting to give Lorenzo Redaelli's pitch-black, unabashedly queer visual novel Mediterranea Inferno a mile-wide berth. Set in the aftermath of Italy's long-lasting coronavirus restrictions, it follows three beautiful, fashionable friends - Claudio, Andrea, and Mida - as they finally reunite for a three-day holiday in the blazing heat of a southern Italian summer. Tensions simmer from the start, but when an enigmatic stranger arrives promising a truly "endless summer" of pleasures for one lucky young man – manifesting as increasingly hallucinatory journeys into each boy's fractured psyche - resentment tilts into all-out horror. It's vicious, emotionally pulverising, and darkly hilarious stuff - and there's real, raw feeling in its bruised and bruising heart.
Eurogamer says, "There are big, ambitious themes at play in Mediterranea Inferno – the importance of community and compassion; the precariousness of safe spaces; an existential howl into the void for a generation stranded between a selfish past, a broken present, and a fading future; a call for action against emotional, cultural, and political inertia – and it can occasionally feel (appropriately enough) like it's losing its way amid its overwhelming concerns. Its emotional authenticity never wavers, though, and the result is a dense, provocative, playful, exasperating, horrifying, poetic, often very funny, and occasionally even profound rumination on the sometimes-paralysing search for a place in the disenfranchising shadow of modern-day life."
Thirsty Suitors (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC)
From the Eurogamer archive.
What is it? Hot-headed Jala is coming home, and her long-suffering exes have something to say about it. If Jala's dating history's a mess then Thirsty Suitors from Outerloop Games reflects that mess in its own brilliantly tangled way - mashing skateboarding, turn-based battles, even cooking into a queer, horny, and surprisingly heartfelt adventure pulsating with bi energy. It's effortlessly cool and frequently hilarious - particularly during its absolutely wild Mario-RPG-style battles in the psychic realms of Jala's exes - but it's also insightful about real-world struggles, particularly the intersection of queer and immigrant identities. Not all of its disparate elements gel entirely successfully, but we'd still happily chill will Jala and friends any day.
Eurogamer says, "Awkwardly placed skateboarding aside, Thirsty Suitors is a confident swing that takes commonplace romantic mishaps and turns them into epic, queer spectacles. It'll have you thinking about all the great people you hurt because you were young and dumb. It'll make you type out a heartfelt text to someone who's basically a stranger now, shortly before deleting it and coming to your senses. But most of all, it'll remind you of how easy it is to catch feelings... for these characters... in a totally chill, non-committal way."
Midnight Scenes: From the Woods (PC)
As selected by Matt Wales, Eurogamer news reporter.
What is it? Octavi Navarro (who provided art for Ron Gilbert's Thimbleweed Park) has been releasing bite-sized chunks of wonderfully evocative horror as part of their Midnight Scenes anthology series since 2020, and From the Woods is an equally engaging bit of spookiness. For this fourth instalment, the series' narrative-focused point-and-click formula is deployed within the halls of the Fernwood Creek mental health centre for youth, where 18-year-old Elijah strikes up a tentative friendship with its latest resident, Oliver - a teenager recently discovered in the forest after disappearing ten years earlier following a violent kidnapping. Oliver, though, seems unusually fixated on an ancient oak tree growing in the centre's grounds, and before long, Navarro's nimble narrative is juggling burgeoning love with some pleasing shivers.
Matt says, "From the Woods packs an awful lot into its hour or so of playtime, opening with the compelling mystery of a suddenly returned kidnap victim and slowly ramping up the intrigue as it introduces Elijah and the rest of its deftly sketched cast. It's surprisingly suspenseful at times, too, with some effectively orchestrated scenes of unease and a nice line in folk horror, and it's all underpinned by a sweetly understated queer love story that gives the spookiness some heart. From the Woods is a little lightweight, sure, and the mystery at its centre perhaps doesn't land quite as well as it might, but its brisk mix of jolts and warmth is surprisingly affecting – and it's a wonderful introduction to Navarro's Midnight Scenes series and other horror works."
Hades (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC, Mac, iOS)
As selected by Ed Nightingale, Eurogamer deputy news editor.
What is it? At first glance, Hades might not look to be especially ground-breaking. It's a fast-paced action-roguelike with some lovely visuals, satisfyingly fleet combat, and compellingly varied persistent upgrades that would probably make for a very good game if it stopped there. But there's a reason we named it Eurogamer's Game of the Year in 2020: developer Supergiant Games takes things much further, imbuing the experience with a dazzling amount of depth and variety. This manifests most extraordinarily in the massive cast of wonderfully realised Greek gods protagonist Zagreus encounters during his escape from Hell, each given seemingly endless amounts of dialogue that remains fresh even hundreds of attempts in. It's an action game with real heart (you can even romance a few of the characters) and easy to fall in love with.
Ed says, "The Greek pantheon of gods were a horny bunch and Hades knows it. Its selection of boon-offering gods are among the hottest - and most diverse, especially in Hades 2 - in all of gaming. But beyond Dionysus' thighs, there's bisexual and polyamorous protagonist Zagreus. He's both sexy and sensitive, no matter which relationship you choose to follow, and a keenly authentic depiction of bisexuality when too often it's depicted as smutty or erased altogether. After each hectic attempt to escape the underworld, it's a pleasure to return in a moment of peace and see how his relationship with each character has developed."
The Tearoom (PC)
As selected by Mediterranea Inferno and Milky Way Prince creator Lorenzo Redaelli.
What is it? Robert Yang's acclaimed "historical public bathroom simulator", in which players - standing at a urinal somewhere in Ohio, 1962 - attempt to attract the attention of strangers in order to initiate oral sex, all while keeping watch for passing cop cars or undercover police. Inspired by Laud Humphreys' 1970 sociological study Teamroom Trade: A Study of Impersonal Sex in Public Places and a real-life 1962 public sex raid by police in Mansfield, Ohio - which resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of several men under the state's sodomy laws - Yang has said The Teamroom is "about gay history [while also speaking] to how video games think of sex and violence". As he noted elsewhere, " I have swapped out any pesky penises in my game for the only thing that the game industry will never moderate nor ban - guns."
Lorenzo says, "I think The Tearoom has all the key elements of a queer video game: the desperate search for an alternative and safe space, the fear of the fascist authority of the police and the craving for dicks. It's a queer game that's not afraid of not being straight-friendly and showing unsweetened practices. Also, replacing penises with guns to avoid censorship says a lot about the political and social situation we are in now, and reminds us that pride is not a party but an endless fight."