Happy Pride Month Blerdy Tribe! Representation has come a long way over the years and now more than ever, there are so many great games featuring stories and identities from within the LGBTQ+ community. So, to celebrate Pride, I’ve compiled a list of amazing LGBTQ+ visual novels that you should definitely add to your play lists, backlogs, and wishlists.
While Pride Month is celebrated in the month of June, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play these games all year round! Also there is currently a Queer Games Bundle on itch.io—for just $60 USD you can snag nearly 500 games from 271 queer creators (including some of the titles in this list)!
Trouble Comes Twice
Amare | Male & Female Protagonists | Bi Characters
Trouble Comes Twice is a bisexual romcom visual novel. The two playable protagonists, twins Hazel and Jace, are twenty-somethings who have never been in a serious relationship before. Like any other not-so-rational person, they decide to turn this into a bet! Whichever twin scores a boyfriend or girlfriend first wins!
May the best twin win!
Clear Skye Thinking
Girls Love | Female Protagonist
A cute, wholesome yuri visual novel about a haughty young girl called Alice who goes on holiday to the Isle of Skye. Once there, she meets the plucky young Piper, and a romance between the two slowly unfolds.
Crushed
Boys Love | Male Protagonist | Bi Character | Diverse Cast
Corey’s winter break gets a lot more interesting when the love of his life, ahem, his newest crush moves to Thomastown. Can he convince the new kid to give him a chance or will he fumble at love once again?
Royal Order
Amare | Male & Female Protagonist
Play as Aarya, the newest member of the High Council, and help manage the Royal Order. Intrigue, betrayal, deaths! A LGBT+ survival Raising Simulation in a high-fantasy royal court setting with RPG elements.
Please Be Happy
Girls Love | Female Protagonist
Please Be Happy is a comfy, slice-of-life yuri visual novel set in a fictional version of Wellington, New Zealand. A story about love, trust, mortality, and about understanding not just how to be happy, but how to be human.
Breathless Winds
Amare | Transgender Protagonist | Diverse Cast
Dorman, a closeted trans woman, has just finished recovering from a sailing incident that left her bedridden when her grandmother encourages her to start a new career. All the while, she struggles with the expectations her parents left behind – of her as a sailor and as a man.
As she begins to settle back into her life, she finds that Two Elk Island isn’t as tranquil as she remembers; a group of poachers has begun to disturb the balance between humans and spirits.
Dreambound
Boys Love | Male Protagonist
When introverted artist Noah finds himself deep within a series of murders, he’s forced out of his shell and back into reality—or in his case, back into the dreams of those that wronged him in the past.
Surrounded by grief, will Noah be able to move forward and solve the mystery—or will he give in to the demons of his past?
A tale of loss and love, the past and the future. In the world of dreams, will Noah find a way to face reality?
Validate Struggling Singles in Your Area
LGBTQ+ Cast | Diverse Cast
Set in the Jercy City area, our cast of lovers trudge through the dregs of capitalism – a journey, a transition – a rite-of-passage that leads into uncertain mid-adulthood. In one side but not yet out on the other, 13 playable characters find romance amongst cosplay, trash mixtapes, and even poetry straight from the soul.
A Summer’s End Hong Kong 1986
Girls Love | Female Protagonist
Follow the story of Michelle and Sam, and how their chance meeting evolves into a deeper relationship. Set in vibrant Hong Kong in the year 1986, it is an original story about love, family, and culture.
A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is about seeking identity and meaning in a rapidly changing world where conflicting worldviews and cultures collide. Inspired by Hong Kong cinema, 80s anime, city pop, and contemporary Asian literature, A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is an homage to the past and a visual delight for fans of retro art and fashion.
A Year of Springs
Amare | Transgender Protagonist | Ace Representation
Three women, three stories, three springs.
Experience the stories of Haru, Erika, and Manami in A YEAR OF SPRINGS, a visual novel trilogy about three friends navigating their feelings of love, connection, and just wanting to belong.
Synthetic Lover
Boys Love | Male Protagonist
Synthetic Lover is a sci-fi story about an individual who discovers the challenges of being human. During his journey, he navigates through the ups and downs of an imperfect life while trying to avoid conflict with a powerful organization, learning to understand emotions, forming friendships, and possibly finding love along the way.
Happy Pride to everyone in the community!
A Year of Springs is so special and made me feel so many different things, aaaaaaa- to see it featured alone makes me emotional, so for it to be in such great company!! \o/ (Now I want to replay it. :D). Loving the curation, and here’s hoping you get even more smash hits to list in your next iteration! <3
Happy Pride!! OOOH I love that A Year of Springs resonated with you, it’s one of my fave games on this list!
Glad you liked the list, I can’t wait to play more games and see what else comes out before next year’s pride! I am always impressed with the indie games scene!
Happy Pride! I just played Clear Skye Thinking and loved it! I even learned a little about lolita fashion, and Skye itself 🙂
Many of the games you mention were on my radar, but I hadn’t heard about Breathless Winds and Synthetic Lover, so thank you for the recommendations.
I’ll also recommend Butterfly Soup, Love Hues and Heart of the Woods to anyone who hasn’t already played them (I believe you’ve featured all of these in past years). Take care y’all 🙂
Happy Pride! Glad to hear you enjoyed Clear Skye Thinking, ebi hime does some of the best GL games!
Please check out Breathless Winds, it’s amazing and Synthetic Lover is SO good!
Butterfly Soup is a classic! Have you played the sequel yet?
Heart of the Woods is amazing and so beautiful!
Those are all fantastic reccs!
What does “Amare” mean?
Amare is an inclusive term that describes relationship-focused visual novels and interactive fiction games that feature a wide range of diversity.
It came about to describe romance games that don’t fit into any of the existing genre. I talked about it in my article about inclusivity in otome games: https://blerdyotome.com/2021/08/10/is-this-otome-inclusivity-in-the-otome-games-fandom/
Happy Pride! Thank you for this post! I bought A Year of Springs on your recommendation last year and oh my god, THANK YOU, I love it to bits. Your reviews and recommendations are always so comprehensive and accurate. Validate is still on my Wishlist, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.
I will never miss an opportunity to plug A Year of Springs, it is LIFE CHANGING! Thank you so much for the support and kind words, seriously they mean a lot to me. They give me a motivational boost!
Also, I highly recommend Validate, it’s quirky and messy, but soooo good!
Thanks for the recommendations! I initially subscribed for the amare content and am happy to see you still do posts like this.
Thank you for your comment! I kinda fell off the recommendation lists, but I’m gonna fix that so keep and eye out! Thank you for the support! 💜