In previous decades, especially during the 1980s, LGBTQ characters in games were not so prevalent. Even if they were, they would be objects of ridicule and jokes. The trend of stereotypical gay characters was also present throughout the 1990s.
The wind of change that came with the 21st century has affected the way society sees the LGBTQ population in general. That has influenced all spheres of entertainment, even various games. With smartphones growing in popularity and the appearance of mobile games, gay games also started to emerge.
We could say there are two sorts of these games — the ones with an LGBTQ character involved in the game and the others which are completely LGBTQ-orientated. In the second type, the whole storyline is adapted to fit the needs of the LGBTQ population.
The best-known franchises that feature one or several LGBTQ characters are Assassins Creed, Borderlands, Dragon Age, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, etc.
Best Free Gay Mobile Games for Android in 2019
Nowadays, the gaming industry has been making huge steps, and the inclusion of the gay population is evident through the rising number of gay mobile games. On the other hand, these games are mostly not free to play or have a donation or “name your own price” tag. Players can rarely find quality free gay mobile games for Android. However, dating RPGs are numerous. Here are some of them:
- Gaydorado
- Tennis Ace
- Love Triangle — Free Otome Game
- Wolfstar Sins
- Long Story
- My Virtual Gay Boyfriend Free
1. Gaydorado
Gaydorado is an ultra-popular, free-to-play RPG. CocoBear, U.S., created the game. It includes 16 various characters. This game was first released in June 2017, but it did not lose its popularity. That gives Gaydorado the right to be in the first place of this year’s list.
By choosing a character, the player enters a storyline. All stories are very well managed and packed with action. The next feature is dressing up where players can adjust their outfit for a specific occasion or type of job. There are loads of stuff to do during the game, such as, for example, going to the gym, joining the PvP arena, and showing off strength.
| Developer/Publisher | Release Date |
| CocoBear | June 2017 |
2. Tennis Ace
Tennis Ace is in the form of a visual novel with a prologue. The developer is WOTB (Worst of the Bunch). The story takes place in Japan.
The main character is an 18-year-old boy. He is a tennis player and the star of Japan’s Junior Tennis division.
His greatest wish is to become no. 1 Japan’s junior player. Tennis Ace has three characters, and the main character can date. They are all in his inner circle of friends.
| Developer | Release Date |
| WOTB | Jun 7, 2019 |
3. Love Triangle — Free Otome Game
Love Triangle is an RPG visual novel. The developer is Hanabi Media, Hawaii. Although Otome games were primarily created for female players to simulate love and relationships, lately, they have been widely used by gay players.
The game follows a story about a new graduate who is going to share a new apartment with two cuties. The game was released for the first time in December 2015, but the latest update for Android is from 2017.
| Developer/Publisher | Release Date |
| Hanabi Media | August 2017 |
4. Wolfstar Sins
Wolfstar Sins is a visual novel developed by Wolfstar, WsSaP. The game is tagged “name your own price.”
The story follows Wolfstar, who is lost in the city of sin. He works as a striper. The focus is mainly on Wolfstar’s choices he makes in the afterlife. The player has four options throughout the game, and the goal is to explore every possible course of action.
Another character is the so-called Tax Man — a dark entity in this afterlife city. He comes at the end of every month to collect taxes. The game was last updated in February 2019.
| Developer/Publisher | Release Date |
| WsSaP | November 2017 |
5. Long Story
Long Story is a role-playing, dating game. It is fiction based on true stories and experiences. The developer is Bloom Digital Media, Canada.
Players can select a gender and date. For now, the game has eight episodes in different settings. The player can navigate through social landscapes, get involved in dramas, go to dancing parties, or reconcile with enemies.
| Developer/Publisher | Release Date |
| Bloom Digital Media | December 2017 |
6. My Virtual Gay Boyfriend
My Virtual Gay Boyfriend is another RPG. The developer is Wet Production Inc.
The player is on a quest to meet a man. Other than that, the player is expected to go through the dating process, form a true and strong relationship with the chosen guy, and eventually marry him. The game has 35+ levels. With each level achieved, your boyfriend is closer to you.
| Developer/Publisher | Release Date |
| Wet Production Inc. | November 2015 |
Shotacon Gay Mobile Games
Shotacon games are mainly adult mobile games. They have origins in Japan. Shota and Shotacon stories revolve around young boys. One can compare these games to the story about Lolita.
Shota is a young, pubescent boy with problems typical for that age. Shotacon is derived from the Shōtarō complex. Translated from Japanese slang, it means attraction to young boys.
The games have come from the manga and anime genre called Shotacon. The games apply to post-pubescent (adolescent or adult) characters with neotenic features. Those features make them appear younger than they are.
Shotacon games are named after a 1958 manga character Shōtarō from Tetsujin 28-go. Both in Western and Japanese fan cultures, the term includes categories from entirely non-sexual ones, called true shotacon, to romantic, mildly suggestive, and explicitly pornographic ones.
The concept of kawaii (cuteness) and moe (young, cute, and helpless) characters are involved in these games. Also, the yaoi element, i.e., homoerotic love, is included.
The typical storyline in a shotacon game can be described as eroticized but unconsumed love between a young boy, about 12 years old, and a young-in-appearance male character, approximately 20 years old.
Shotacon for men has two categories; the story can be for heterosexuals or gay men. The main characters are an older man, and a shota, who is a boy or a girl. Also, there are cross-dressing male shotas with young adolescents, who are highly eroticized but without any pornographic context.
Shotacons are part of Japanese culture through manga, anime, but also online gay games. There are a lot of websites with this game genre, and most of them are free to play (FTP).
