It's the International Women's Day of 2021, so it only makes sense for us to dedicate today's article to the very best PC games with female leads we have available. Coming up with a comprehensive list of favorites was anything but easy. That said, we've managed to pick 15 must-play titles to showcase after all.

From indie slam-dunks all the way to triple-A masterpieces - there's much to love here. One of our goals was to cover a wide range of historical releases, too. Modern games that came out over the past few years are getting most of the limelight nowadays, after all. With that, it only felt fair for us to dedicate some time to older games, such as the legendary Beyond Good & Evil.

Anyhow, we won't dawdle too much on the technical aspect of this article: below you'll find a list of 15 awesome games with female protagonists that's absolutely perfect for those who need something new to play. Why not go for a game with strong women at the helm?

The Best PC Games with Female Leads: Top 15 Titles

It's worth pointing out right off the bat that the games you're about to see are set in no particular order. Just picking these out as favorites was hard enough, but grading them compared to one another? We'll leave that task to you - depending on personal preference, of course.

We should also mention that we decided to avoid games where the player character is customizable (i.e. where you can choose their gender). This means that we had to leave out the stellar Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which is arguably Kassandra's story first and foremost, but we did get to include a variety of other awesome games in its stead. Have fun!

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Though Trip - the female lead - isn't technically the protagonist of the gameplay portions of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, she is definitely the protagonist of the game's narrative. A retelling of the classic Wuxia Journey to the West set in an apocalyptic future, this third-person action-adventure goes into serious depths of character development. Players will mostly control Monkey as he attempts to keep Trip alive, but it's Trip who's going to change, grow, and - for better or worse - make choices as the two progress further.

There's a lot to unpack in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, but we'll never stop recommending it to those who need something narratively brave with a fun gameplay loop to carry them through.

Smoke and Sacrifice

Smoke and Sacrifice is, at face value, a reimagination of Don't Starve with different assets. At its core, though, this game is incredibly focused on telling its story, and it's one of tragedy, loss, and - as the title implies - sacrifice. After losing her son, Sachi decides to leave her fertile homeland for a trudge through the horrors of a post-solar apocalypse.

This game is particularly interesting for its survival elements. While they don't get in the way of Smoke and Sacrifice's storyline - which is key here - they do enhance the moment-to-moment gameplay. What could've been a simplistic hack 'n' slash is now a fully-fledged survival title that, forgiving as it is, doesn't miss a beat where it matters. And that is, of course, the narrative.

Indivisible

Merging Metroidvania staples with JRPG combat and character roster, Indivisible deserves a spot on this list if only for its intent on doing something different.

The protagonist, Ajna, essentially needs to recruit over 20 different incarnations of her previous self, and in doing so, she unlocks new abilities, levels, worlds, and story beats. The game's strongest feature, however, lies in its impeccable roster of characters who all interact with Ajna and one another, as well as with the world that surrounds them. A great coming-of-age story the likes of which we don't often see in video games.

Child of Light

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Child of Light is - believe it or not - a Ubisoft production through-and-through. We touched upon the popular publisher's tendency to experiment a while back, but Child of Light follows that same concept. Featuring Aurora, a young Austrian escapee into the fantasy continent of Lemuria, the game tasks you with leading the protagonist in a struggle against the Queen of the Night, who had stolen the sun.

Here, we're treated to an incredibly beautiful game that has all the makings of a real modern-day fairytale. Even better still, Child of Light is really fun to play. Players will traverse Lemuria, recruit new heroes to help Aurora, and battle the forces of Darkness in fun turn-based combat that doesn't overstay its welcome. A stellar game, truly.

Resident Evil 3 Remake

We're huge fans of Capcom's recent work with the Resident Evil franchise. Jill Valentine's refurbished adventure in the last days of Racoon City, in particular.

Resident Evil 3 Remake stars a modernized and humanized version of Jill as she battles her way through hordes of BOWs and, of course, the Nemesis itself. It's not a very long game, to be sure, and it's very differently paced compared to the more critically-acclaimed Resident Evil 2 Remake, but we love it all the same. If for no other reason, then for Jill's triumphant return to form. And for the amazing action gameplay, of course.

Darksiders 3

The latest in a long line of awesome action-adventures, Darksiders 3 continues the franchise's story without a hitch. The only real difference is that this time, it's Fury's turn to dish out some pain. Let us tell you: Fury is phenomenal at dishing out pain.

While Darksiders 3 isn't going to break any molds with its narrative, it's a really fun hack 'n' slash that deserves way more attention than it got at launch. Sometimes, that's more than enough when it comes to video games.

Othercide

If Darksiders 3 is the bog-standard hack 'n' slash - albeit a good one - Othercide may be the weirdest game on this list.

Incredibly introspective and metaphorical, here's a game that tasks you - the so-called Mother - with sending your clone-daughters to certain death. All to stop a cosmic horror that's intent on destroying all of reality through sheer hatred. The game plays out in a turn-based format akin to that of XCOM, where even the slightest mistake will cost you dearly. Well-worth the trouble, we feel.

Alice: Madness Returns

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An obviously horrifying spoof of the classic Alice in Wonderland story by Lewis Carroll, Alice: Madness Returns is a thing to behold. What other medium would let you take control over Alice herself as she struggles to remember the truth behind the real-world nightmare that left her an orphan?

Anyhow, Alice: Madness Returns is not for the faint of heart. The obvious presence of excessive violence aside, Madness Returns' story is one of those that will stick with you for quite a long while. Further still, there's every bit of chance we'll eventually get a continuation of this story. With that in mind, the conclusion may yet be pending!

Beyond Good & Evil

Another Ubisoft classic, Beyond Good & Evil was a benchmark for adventure games for a long, long while. And for good reason, too. Here we have a game with a strong female protagonist as she struggles to unveil an ecological conspiracy on an alien planet.

And yes - we know - Beyond Good & Evil 2 has been announced, but it's anyone's guess if and when it might actually come out. For the time being, we recommend you play through BG&E on its own merit, because it's a classic whose specific niche hasn't really been tackled since.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider / Dishonored 2

This one's a bit of a double-take because both Dishonored 2 and its standalone Death of the Outsider expansion pack feature strong women as their main protagonists. We didn't think Dishonored 2 alone warranted an entry, however, since the game does let you pick between Corvo Attano and his daughter, the princess Emily Kaldwin.  Don't get us wrong: Dishonored 2 is one of the all-time greats. What we'd like to focus on, however, is the story of Billie Lurk.

Presented as the logical conclusion of the Dishonored games, Death of the Outsider sees Billie Lurk - who misses an eye and her right arm in the main game - receive magitek upgrades for her final mission as an assassin. We're not going to go into too much detail here, but what you need to know is that this is Arkane Studios at their absolute best. Immersive sims are few in number, and Death of the Outsider stands out even in such an exclusive company. A must-play.

Resident Evil Revelations 2

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Another Resident Evil game, that's right! Arguably, Revelations 2 was one of the first major reinventions of the Resident Evil wheel following the mess that was Resi 6. Better still, it ended up being one of the best PC games with female leads!

To be more specific, only slightly more than half of Revelations 2 is played out from the perspective of Claire Redfield. She is, however, the protagonist through-and-through. Interestingly, we were taken aback by how strangely candid the whole thing ended up being. Even if only tangentially, this game deals with PTSD and its subsequent issues. There's an undercurrent of companionship and loyalty beneath the classic horror facade, too. All in all, it's a surprisingly interesting narrative.

If you're only ever going to play one Resident Evil game, consider making it this one.

Bayonetta

Bayonetta is ridiculous. We could leave it at that and we'd be in the clear, we believe.

This game sees you take control over a badass witch that wears high-caliber revolvers as heels and kills beatific angels whenever she feels like it. It's a game that's designed to be as incredibly over-the-top as it could possibly get, and it's really hard not to enjoy it at face value. What makes it particularly relevant for today, of course, is that it's not yet another Devil May Cry title, but rather something adjacent, from a female perspective. It's better than good!

Alien: Isolation

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Alien: Isolation is, arguably, the best Xenomorph game ever created. In fact, we'd even go so far as to suggest that it's the best piece of Xenomorph media since the original Alien movie. The one from 1979! It's a hard sell, we know, but Isolation simply oozes quality.

More pertinent to this article is the fact that Alien: Isolation is played from the perspective of Ellen Ripley's daughter. And look, Terminator's own Sarah Connor is cool and all, but she's merely a runner-up to the sheer '80s awesomeness that Sigourney Weaver channeled through Ripley. Now, we could also make an argument that the Xenomorph is the real main character here. We'll let you decide, however.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

No list of best PC games with female leads will be complete without Horizon: Zero Dawn. Following its actual PC release, of course.

While the process of porting Horizon over from PlayStation may not have been as smooth as we'd have liked it to be, the game is now in top-notch form. Few other open-world adventure games can match it in width and breadth. What really sets Horizon: Zero Dawn apart, however, is its protagonist - Aloy. Aloy is the kind of awkwardly affable character we'd love to see more of. If you're really hoping to see a female character grow and become true to themselves in the best way possible - look no further.

Control

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Control is hands-down one of the best games of all time. This is our own opinion, to be sure, but Control is hard to match in most respects.

Where the game differs from most others on this list is in character development, however. Jesse Faden is an average-ish girl next door, but since Control is a New Weird game, she might be a bit different than you'd expect. We'll always recommend Control to anyone who will listen. However, it being so weird and out-there is a feature of the genre, not an issue with the writing.

To that end, not everyone's going to enjoy Jesse's antics at face value. Even with that kept in mind, what you're getting with Control is an impeccable and visually astonishing gameplay experience through-and-through.

Celebrate International Women's Day by playing the Best PC Games with Female Leads!

We hope our list of best PC games with female leads got you interested in some new titles. Or old ones, for that matter. Each and every game on this list offers something you'll be hard-pressed to find virtually anywhere else. Be it setting, narrative, or the protagonist herself, we're 100% sure you'll have plenty of fun with any of them. Especially on Women's Day.

If you're looking for more gaming-related goodness, our Community site is just the place for you. Just last Friday, for example, we covered the upcoming Fates Divided DLC for Total War: Three Kingdoms. All the important info you could wish for is waiting for you there. Earlier still we did something similar with Guilty Gear - STRIVE -, which is shaping up to be genre-defining with its innovative netcode implementation.

Of course, you may also wish to grab more good games at awesome prices. If that's the case, look no further than our March Madness coverage. Heaps of deals available today, with even more coming in the next few weeks.

It’s the International Women’s Day of 2021, so it only makes sense for us to dedicate today’s article to the very best PC games with female leads we have available. Coming up with a comprehensive list of favorites was anything but easy. That said, we’ve managed to pick 15 must-play titles to showcase after all. From indie […]