Many popular video games of the past few years have featured both unique, captivating narratives and interesting, thoughtful characters. More recently many of these characters have been represented as members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, Queer and others community. This inclusion is a positive step toward realistic and positive portrayals of the LGBTQ+ community. The following video games are some of the most popular games with LGBTQ+ representations.

1. Undyne and Alphys from "Undertale."

This role-playing video game released on September 15, 2015, by indie-game developer Toby Fox was an instant and huge success. In the game, the player controls a human child as they navigate a world underneath the Earth known as the Underground. Throughout the game, the child must interact with many Underground beings known as monsters and either fight them or befriend them. All of the choices made by the player have an affect on the outcome of the game.

Two monsters that the child encounters in the game are Undyne, the head of the royal guard, and Alphys, the kingdom's royal scientist. While these two monsters play an integral role in the child's adventure, it is the separate story between these two female characters that is more relevant. Undyne and Alphys enter into a romance during the child's journey through the Underground. Through interactions with both Undyne and Alphys, it is observed that Alphys has feelings for Undyne. Throughout the course of the game these feelings become expressed by Alphys and luckily for her, the feelings are reciprocated by Undyne.

2. Max and Chloe from "Life is Strange."

This episode graphic adventure game first released on January 30, 2015. Dontnod Entertainment was generally received quite well in regard to the game's character development, unique rewind mechanic and the focus on many taboo subjects. The game focuses on the protagonist Maxine (Max) Caulfield, a photography student who discovers she can manipulate time by rewinding. The player must navigate the game by making choices and deciding whether to utilize the rewind function to potentially correct mistakes and re-select choices.

Throughout the game Max reunites with her childhood friend, Chloe Price, who becomes an essential figure in the game. Chloe is the first person that Max reveals her newly discovered ability to and is the person that Max spends the most time with in the game. It is implied in the game that both Chloe and Max are bisexual, although this is not made explicit. Chloe is implied to have had a romantic relationship with a missing girl, Rachel Amber. Although Max is controlled by the player, the player is given the option to kiss Chloe as a joke. In one ending of the game, Max and Chloe share a romantic kiss.

3. "Dragon Age: Inquisition."

This game was originally released on November 18, 2014, by Bioware, and received critical acclaim upon its release. The player controls a character known as the Inquisitor, and must travel the continent of Thedas and fight demons that are spawning from a mysterious tear in the sky known as the "Breach." The reason I titled this part with only the game title is because this game features an abundance of LGBTQ+ characters that interact with the main protagonist.

One such character that the player encounters is Sera, a female elven archer that is confirmed to be a lesbian, and can only be romantically pursued if the player chooses to be a female. In the Trespasser DLC (downloadable content) of the game, the two have the option to get married. Another character the player encounters is Dorian Pavus, a male mage that will flirt with the player's character regardless of gender, but will only pursue a relationship with a male character. The player also meets a character called the Iron Bull who is an openly pansexual, male qunari warrior, who can be romanced by the player regardless of gender.

4. Athena and Janey from "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel."

This game, a first-person shooter released on October 14, 2014 by 2K Australia, is the third part in the "Borderlands" series and acts as an interquel between "Borderlands" (2009) and "Borderlands 2" (2012). It received mixed reviews after its release with praise for its continued humorist style and new gameplay features, but was criticized for having confusing level designs, a lack of deviation from the core mechanics of the previous games. The player may choose from four different characters who were all previously NPCs (non-playable characters) in previous games. The plot focuses on Handsome Jack, an employee of the Hyperion corporation, who leads the player on an expedition to regain control of Helios, the company's space station, which has been captured by a military operation known as the Lost Legion.

One of the characters that the player can choose from is called Athena, "the Gladiator," a rogue assassin from the Atlas Corporation. Janey Springs, a female NPC, continually flirts with Athena throughout the game. Later on in the game, their relationship is confirmed during a conversation between Athena and another character, Tiny Tina, when Tina asks if Janey and Athena ever "hung out," and Athena defensively replies that it is "none of her business." Tina then demands a high-five from Athena for having "hit that" and Athena reciprocates the high-five.

5. Ellie and Riley from "The Last of Us."

This action-adventure survival game released on June 14, 2013 by Naughty Dog was highly anticipated upon its announcement and received high praise, becoming one of the best-selling Playstation 3 games. In the game, the player controls a character named Joel who must escort a young girl named Ellie through the now post-apocalyptic United States of America. The player must defend themselves and Ellie against both violent humans and dangerous creatures that have been infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus.

Ellie appears in both the main game and the DLC (downloadable content) "Left Behind," which features Ellie as the main character and takes place before Ellie meets Joel. In the DLC Ellie unexpectedly runs into her friend Riley who reveals that she has now become a member of the Fireflies, a revolutionary militia group. The two friends then sneak out of the quarantined area they're living in to hang out and play around in an abandoned mall. Toward the end of the game, Riley reveals that she has been reassigned to another Fireflies group and wanted to see Ellie a final time before she leaves. Ellie becomes tearful and begs Riley not to leave, and when Riley decides to stay with her, Ellie kisses her impulsively, a kiss which is reciprocated by Riley.