Safe In Our World community celebrates games that bring queer joy this Pride Month

We asked the Safe In Our World community to share their queer gaming recommendations for Pride Month, focusing on games that had brought them joy.

Video games can tell us a story, or let us tell our own. This Pride Month, we asked our community to tell us about the games they love; games that have let them explore their queer identity, given them queer representation, and brought them queer joy.

We hope these recommendations will inspire you to play more games with LGBTQ+ themes, characters, and stories. Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community or you just like great games, there’s so much joy to be found in these ones!

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Recommended by Mashfiq Ahmed

Sayonara Wild Hearts was one of the first games I played during the COVID-19 lockdown. I still remember sitting in my dimly lit room, completely mesmerised by its visuals and music.

Although it’s technically a game, I see it more as an interactive album where every level feels like a music video. Through queer romance, a killer synthpop soundtrack, a story of self-acceptance, and bisexual lighting, the game felt comforting during an isolating time.

Sayonara Wild Hearts shows us how games can celebrate queer identity through style, emotion, and music all at once. To this day, I still have songs from the game’s soundtrack in my current playlists.

Unpacking

Recommended by Izzie Micul

The premise of Unpacking is simple: unpack some boxes and put everything in the right place. But there’s so much more to it beneath the surface.

We help the main character move, unpack her belongings, and navigate school, work, and relationships. With every unpacked item, we learn more about the character and her story.

The game covers important themes with sensitivity and integrates LGBTQ+ representation in an authentic way. The character’s bisexuality is never announced or centred – it’s simply present through story progression.

Playing Unpacking was the first time I saw my own experiences reflected so naturally in a game, and that’s why this puzzle game will always hold a very dear spot in my heart.

The Sims

Recommended by Leah Morris (Ravynlea)

The Sims franchise helped me sandbox parts of my queer life before I fully understood how to name them. In building households led by women, experimenting with the science babies mechanic, creating characters with different sexualities and gender expressions, and shaping families that didn’t follow traditional expectations, I found a surprisingly meaningful space for reflection, play, and possibility.

The game let me explore identity, belonging, and alternate ways of building a life — not loudly, but honestly. For me, queer joy in The Sims wasn’t only representation. It was the freedom to quietly imagine futures, families, and versions of home that felt closer to my own truth.

This Bed We Made

Recommended by Caitlin Doleman

As This Bed We Made is set in 1950’s Canada, it wasn’t a game I expected to have joyful queer representation, expecting a focus on the discrimination common in the era.

However, I was so excited when I found that you can have your character end up in a happy lesbian relationship, and that it includes some beautiful gay love letters that play a relatively big part in the plot.

While it doesn’t shy away from the homophobic views of the 50s, it does a great job of showing genuine love and queer joy, despite others’ opinions.

Celeste

Recommended by Em Aspinall

I started Celeste with a vague idea of the story – a girl overcoming personal struggles while hiking up a perilous mountain. But as the story unfolded, I discovered something much deeper.

Hidden within the most beautiful game I’ve ever played is a heart-wrenching allegory for the transgender experience. The protagonist, Madeline, looks into a mirror to find what she feels are the worst parts of herself – personified, and on the attack. The game perfectly encapsulates anxiety and self-doubt, and made me take a good, long look at my own mental health.

No game has made me feel joy the way Celeste did. This game, known for its difficulty, also brings immense satisfaction when you finally complete a challenging level. Every win feels like you’re putting a little piece of yourself back together.

Tiny Life

Recommended by Sky Tunley-Stainton

When I first checked out Tiny Life I was excited about another cute life sim, as a big fan of the genre. But after just a short time playing, I found I was delighted by how queerness seemed to be weaved into the game so seamlessly.

Not only was there an option for my Tiny to be non-binary, but there were pride items to decorate my home, Tinies of all genders and sexualities populating the world, and dialogue options to ask other Tinies their pronouns. I was surprised by how much it affected me to just feel seen in such a subtle, normal, natural way.

Fields of Mistria

Recommended by BubblesIsGaming

This game has brought me the most queer joy: Fields of Mistria feels like a world where I can simply exist as myself. The game’s approach to romance and relationships is inclusive without feeling forced. One thing that immediately stood out to me was the variety of pronouns in the game, which is still rare in similar games.

I’ve played many cozy games over the years, but Fields of Mistria is one of the few that makes me completely lose track of time. The inclusivity feels genuine, as if the developers created a welcoming world because they were listening and truly wanted to, not because they were ticking boxes. It’s why I always go back to it, because it just feels like it was made by the community for the community.

Thank you to everyone who submitted game recommendations for this article. Share your own queer gaming recommendations and join the discussion in our community Discord server, Safer Together. You can find more recommendations on our list of mental health-related games and apps. From everyone at Safe In Our World, we wish you all a happy, safe Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️