Top 10 heroines of all time

Video games are no longer dominated by men in the leading roles. In fact, a leading lady is often a big selling point these days. We’ve put together the 10 best gaming heroines of all time. Can you guess who has taken the top spot?

10. Elaine Marley: Monkey Island Series (1990)

Not only was Elaine Marley more than a vapid love interest, she was governor of Melee Island and serves as one of the best female comedy characters in gaming history. Sure she’s regularly being kidnapped by LeChuck, but her come-backs set her apart from the typical damsel-in-distress.

Stand-Out Trait: Lines like “Let’s face it, LeChuck. You are an evil, foul-smelling, vile, co-dependent villain and that’s just not what I’m looking for in a romantic relationship right now.”

9. Jill Valentine: Resident Evil (1996-present)

Jill Valentine showed up in the first Resident Evil of the series as one of the primary officers of S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics And Rescue Squad), but she’s still one of the most memorable names in the franchise. Not only has she been in more games in the series than any other character, she’ll be forever lodged in the memories of gamers as the Master of Unlocking.

Stand-Out Trait: Extensive knowledge in bomb disposal and mechanics.

8. Faith: Mirror’s Edge (2008)

Faith is one of the most striking characters you’ll lay your eyes on. As an exotic, tattooed parkour pro she walks the fine line between tomboy and minx. And unlike most female protagonists she actually wears trousers.

Stand-Out Trait: She’s one of few females that avoid running in a skirt.

7. Zoey: Left 4 Dead (2008)

Sure, she’s a brunette in a jumper and can handle herself around a horde of zombies. She can wield dual pistols, too. But the beauty of Zoey is her personality. She’s scrappy, snarky, and a regular citizen just fighting to avoid infection.

Stand-Out Trait: Great voice acting. Zoey is voiced by Jen Taylor, who also voices Cortana in the Halo series.

6. Chun-Li: Street Fighter Series (1991-present)

Back in the early nineties Chun-Li was one of the few stand-out female characters who could hold their own in a fight. She was feminine, she looked like a girl, and an entire generation learned how to fight using her character.

Stand-Out Trait: She’s a classic girl of ’90s gaming.

5. Alyx Vance: Half Life 2 (2004-present)

Alyx Vance spent her time in Half Life 2 using her smarts, but she is more than your everyday sexy scientist. As the daughter of Eli Vance she comes from a mighty fine lineage of thinkers and when she needs to the girl can handle a gun.

Stand-Out Trait: The lady has a brain.

4. Aeris: Final Fantasy VII (1997)

With her death being one of the saddest moments in gaming, Aeris managed to be one of the only characters of any title to touch us at an emotional level.

Stand-Out Trait: Her ability to make grown men weep.

3. Jade: Beyond Good and Evil (2003)

She’s a reporter and she’s good with a dai jo stick. But more significantly she stands out by just being a regular girl. Jade is tomboyish, smart and fully clothed, and together that makes her one of the most impressive and likeable female characters of video games.

Stand-Out Trait: She’s one of the most realistic girls in video games.

2. Samus: Metroid (1986-present)

Surprise, Samus isn’t a guy after all. Stuck in a cybernetic power suit until the end of Metroid, it was impossible to identify her as female or otherwise until she shed the armour. Today she serves as one of the first major female protagonists in video games: tough, silent, deadly, and wearing a bikini under her transformers-like suit.

Stand-Out Trait: She was our early introduction to gender equality in games.

1. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Series (1995-present)

She’s the perennial heroine who came on to the scene in ’96 as a lady that can simultaneously handle a gun, take down dinosaurs and still look good. Croft made the cross-over from classic video game character to legitimate cultural icon and has appeared in over 10 games, two films and a handful of comic books.

Stand-Out Trait: One of the few classic gaming characters that can be referenced by your mother.