The 10 coolest gaming heroines of all-time

In recent years, the gender debate and other woke nonsense has really run amok, not least in the popcultural world. We're often told that women in games are misrepresented and underrepresented, but I've found, time and time again, that most of my favourite heroes have always been heroines, and with additions like Aloy and Amicia, there's no doubt that the gaming world is home to plenty of well-written, memorable, nuanced, strong women who kick more ass than Kratos himself. Here's a bunch (and not close to all) of my favourites.

Amicia de Rune (A Plague Tale)

Battling the Black Plague, millions of oversized rats, swamp creatures and sword-wielding inquisitors while simultaneously defending your tiny, defenceless little brother Hugo - and looking cool as hell while doing it, is of course no easy feat. Amicia manages to do this in the A Plague Tale games, with aplomb, which is why she has become one of my new favourites in a relatively short time. There are so many well-established emotions expressed in such a human and well-written way in these games that it's impossible not to be captivated by Amicia's journey.

Aloy (Horizon)

The Killzone developer's beloved open world adventure is not only drenched in identity and originality via the contrast between stone-age humans and high-tech robotic animals, but also packed with well-written, well-motivated characters that feel alive and real. Aloy is the best of them all and one of Sony's finest characters in terms of personality.

Alex (Oxenfree)

Initially, I thought that the somewhat forgotten Oxenfree would "just" be a cute adventure story with a fancy design style, but it became very clear quite early on that the indie developer Night School was looking to offer something more, something deeper and transformative. The main character Alex and her grieving process after losing her brother is one of the best written characters in gaming history. Strong but vulnerable, her complex approach to the friendships she tries not to destroy over the course of the game is something that rarely works in game form. At least not this well.

Jesse Faden (Control)

Finnish Alan Wake/Max Payne studio Remedy's latest hero is (as we all know, of course) Saga Anderson (Alan Wake 2) but it's not actually her I want to include on this list, but rather Jesse from Control - developed by the same studio. Jesse is a bit of a cross between a female Ethan Hunt and Neo, with long red flowing hair. She's tough as nails. Relentlessly tough and harbouring powers that would make the hardest of Federal Bureau of Control agents tremble with fear.

Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods)

If there's one indie game that I'm overjoyed that I was "forced" to review here on Gamereractor in recent years, it's certainly Night in the Woods, which has lingered in my consciousness and pops up occasionally in the form of little short bursts of memory. When this happens, it's always Mae and her struggle with her mental health that I think of. Because even though this game looks like a children's programme, and even though the characters are animals (Mae is a dark grey cat), it is drenched in humanity, vulnerability, and thus offers an emotional deep dive that lingers for years.

Jill Valentine (Resident Evil)

I remember very well that I almost never played Resident Evil in the role of Chris Redfield. I always chose Jill, and it had nothing to do with the difficulty level. I just thought she looked cool in her black hunter's beret and that's how it's been ever since. I've always loved playing as Miss Valentine, which I personally think Capcom has neglected to some extent. Jill is very strong and I think we all remember her from Resident Evil 3, when she is first attacked by Nemesis and escapes like a resilient weasel.

Alyx Vance (Half-Life)

She is amazing, Alyx. Independent, resourceful, uncompromising, strong, smart and the better hero in a direct comparison to Gordon Freeman and his crowbar. This was proven if nothing else in the VR exclusive Half-Life: Alyx where she ventured into City 17 in search of Combine scalps and to try and save her dad. If I had my choice, we would get to control both Alyx and Gordon (50/50) in Half-Life 3 and watch their relationship grow.

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

We all love Lara. Otherwise, she would be no better recognised and loved as a mascot than Mickey Mouse himself, and that is also where we now end up when she is to be summarised. An icon. This figurehead was created over a busy weekend when producer Toby Gard and the small core team at Core Design decided to cut their already Indiana Jones-like hero "Mark" who they had been working on for a number of weeks. Lara has gone through a number of different versions over the years and she's about to be "remade" a bit again for Crystal Dynamics' upcoming (new) trilogy but as far as I'm concerned the first version, from the first three games, will always be the best.

Samus Aran (Metroid)

I remember the shock. When Samus turned out to be a woman rather than a gruff, alien-ass-kicking tough guy named Roland. I sat petrified, jaw wide open, just staring. I was nine years old, and Metroid was in many ways the most awesome thing I had ever experienced. The rest is as you say... History. Gunpei Yokoi's iconic, elegant, capable heroine has disappeared somewhat in recent years, but fortunately in 2025 she's making a grand comeback with the incredibly hotly anticipated Metroid Prime 4.

Ellie Williams (The Last of Us)

In my opinion, there are very, very, very few game characters (throughout history) that are more well written than Naughty Dog's Ellie. From obstinate, rebellious, lost and angry teenager to that adult, utterly deadly woman with a heart full of hate - we have been able to follow Ellie Williams on her journey and there are no other game characters, other than Joel and Ellie, who regularly pop into my consciousness as if they were real people.