20 Games That Cast Queer Actors as Straight Leads and It Was Perfect Casting

For decades, LGBTQ+ actors have been vital to the success of many popular video game franchises with straight main characters, often appearing in multiple games within those series. They’ve brought recognizable voices and consistent performances to beloved roles. Here’s a list of 20 games where an openly LGBTQ+ actor voiced or provided performance capture for a straight lead or co-lead, along with the game’s developers and publishers. When you see a series listed multiple times, it’s because the same actor continued to play a key role in several releases that fans enjoyed.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

This game marks the beginning of the acclaimed Arkham series, starring Kevin Conroy as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Conroy, who was openly gay, reprised his iconic role, bringing together familiar voices from the animated Batman universe. Developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the game was built using Unreal Engine 3 and later distributed by Warner Bros. on various platforms. DC Comics’ tribute to Conroy following his passing notably acknowledged his husband, Vaughn C. Williams, recognizing his personal life alongside his professional legacy.

Batman: Arkham City

Rocksteady Studios brought back Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman for their latest game, published only by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game built upon the open-world gameplay of the previous titles and continued to feature the series’ well-known voice actors, including Conroy. It was released on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and Warner Bros. oversaw its distribution, marketing, and ports to other platforms.

Batman: Arkham Knight

So, I finally got to play the last game in the Arkham series, and it was awesome to hear Kevin Conroy as Batman one last time! Rocksteady Studios really nailed it, and Warner Bros. published it for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The launch on PC was a little rocky, but they fixed things up eventually. Honestly, Warner Bros. really pushed this as the epic ending to the whole trilogy, and it definitely felt like it. It’s still one of the games everyone talks about when you mention the Arkham universe.

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown

NetherRealm Studios created this mobile game, featuring Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman, and it was published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Using the Unreal Engine 3, the game was first released for iOS and then Android, shortly after the popular console game ‘Batman: Arkham City.’ This project brought the ‘Arkham’ series to mobile devices under the Warner Bros. banner.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

NetherRealm Studios brought back Kevin Conroy to voice Batman in their DC fighting game, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game featured a wide range of DC’s heroes and villains, all using the same gameplay system, and importantly, kept the characters’ classic voices. Both console and mobile versions of the game were released by Warner Bros. Official records confirm Conroy’s role as Batman in the game.

Injustice 2

NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. released a new game featuring Kevin Conroy as Batman. The game improved upon previous versions with more options for character customization and a deeper story, while maintaining the same vocal performance direction. Warner Bros. was responsible for distributing the game worldwide on all platforms, and records confirm Kevin Conroy’s involvement.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

In this Spider-Man game developed by Beenox and published by Activision, multiple Spider-Men team up, each voiced by a different actor. Neil Patrick Harris, who is openly gay, lends his voice to the Amazing Spider-Man. Activision funded and released the game on all major gaming consoles, and interviews with the cast have confirmed this unique approach of having several Spider-Men as leads.

Star Trek (2013)

Zachary Quinto, who is openly gay, returns to play Spock in this third-person adventure game developed by Digital Extremes and published by Namco Bandai Games, with permission from Paramount/CBS. The game was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and features the original actors from the films. Its release was timed to coincide with the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ movie.

Grandia II

Ryudo, the main character in this Japanese role-playing game, is voiced by Cam Clarke, who is openly gay. The game was originally created by Game Arts and brought to North America by Ubisoft. While the character is presented as straight in the game’s story, Clarke provided the English voice acting. Over time, the game has been re-released on various platforms by different publishers, expanding its availability.

Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (CD-ROM)

Cam Clarke provided the voice for Freddy in the CD-ROM version of this Sierra On-Line adventure game, which was created and released by Sierra. This updated release featured full voice acting for every character, with Clarke playing the main role. The game ran on Sierra’s internal SCI1.1 engine.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja

Maile Flanagan, who is openly lesbian, is the English voice actor for Naruto Uzumaki in this fighting game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Namco in Western regions. She leads the voice acting for both the Story and Versus modes, which are based on the anime series. The core fighting mechanics of this game were also used in future installments developed by CyberConnect2, and records clearly show Flanagan as the voice of Naruto.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2

CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai created a sequel, with the same actor reprising his role as Naruto. The new game featured more characters and a longer story, and Namco Bandai continued to publish it in Western regions. Records confirm the returning voice actor.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

So, when the series jumped to HD, CyberConnect2 teamed up with Namco Bandai to make it happen. Thankfully, they kept Robbie Daymond as the English voice of Naruto, which was awesome. This new version really changed things up with free-roaming battles and these epic, cinematic boss fights. Namco Bandai took care of getting the game out to everyone worldwide, and the official voice actor lists confirm Robbie’s still voicing Naruto – a huge relief!

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai released a sequel on multiple platforms, again featuring Kyle Hebert as the voice of Naruto. This new game included online multiplayer and continued the story from the Shippuden arc. Namco Bandai continued to publish and distribute the game, and the voice actors remained consistent throughout the series.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai Games built upon the game with more elaborate levels and a larger roster of characters, again featuring Colleen Flanagan as the voice of the main character. A later ‘Full Burst’ version included additional content and improvements to gameplay balance, still published by the same companies. Records show Flanagan also performed the English voice work for Naruto in this version of the game.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

As a long-time fan, it was great to finally see the end of the main Storm story! CyberConnect2 really delivered with this one, and it was cool that Bandai Namco Entertainment published it. Thankfully, they kept Christopher Sabat as Naruto’s voice, and they even included the ‘Road to Boruto’ story arc. It came out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and everything was pretty clear about who developed and published the game – CyberConnect2 made it, and Bandai Namco got it out there.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution

CyberConnect2 developed this game, which features a large cast of characters, and Bandai Namco Entertainment published it, keeping Derek Flanagan as the English voice director. This spin-off emphasizes tournament gameplay and includes brand new animated cutscenes. Bandai Namco also handled distribution in Western markets across all platforms, and the game continues the voice cast from previous Storm titles.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

Developed by Ubisoft Montréal and published by Ubisoft, this Xbox 360 game lets players control Naruto in English, voiced by Flanagan. It combines exploring an open world with arena-style battles designed for console gamers. Ubisoft positioned the game as a Western interpretation of the popular Naruto franchise, and the game’s credits list the development studio and publisher.

Naruto: The Broken Bond

Ubisoft Montréal and Ubisoft created a direct sequel featuring the same English voice actor, Flanagan, as Naruto. This new game offered more opportunities for exploration and improved the fighting mechanics, but was only released on the Xbox 360. Ubisoft was responsible for both developing and publishing the game worldwide, and the game’s credits list all the actors and crew involved.

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker

I’m so excited about this new online action game! Soleil Ltd. created it, and Bandai Namco Entertainment is publishing it. Even better, Christopher Sabat is back voicing Hokage-era Naruto in English, which is amazing! Bandai Namco is planning to keep the game fresh with new modes and seasonal updates, and all the voice actor and company credits confirm everyone involved is fantastic. It sounds like they’re really committed to supporting the game long-term.

Share more examples you love—or ones we should add—in the comments!

2025-12-08 07:46