Summary
As part of theLGBTQ+community, polyamorous people have a pride flag and gradually growing representation in certain media. These characters might be in a relationship with other NPCs or be a romance option for anyone who picks up their games. However they show their polyamorous ways, these fictional people are part of a trend in expanding romance beyond monogamy.
Find a canon OT3 to cherish or a poly partner for you to court as you play through the story. In everything from indie games to triple-A titles, you can discover some of the best video game characters that thwart love triangles by having two hands for two lovers (or more).
Spoiler Alert: There are spoilers for some romance options in these games.
8Farmer - Pumpkin Days
When it comes to polyamorous relationships, you’re most likely to see what the fandom calls an OT3 (playing off the term OTP, which means one true pairing). They could be triads, which is when all three people love each other, or V structures in cases where two people love the same person. In Pumpkin Days, you can branch out from the popular OT3 scenario and enter into poly units with more than three people.
Include several characters in your wedding to explore the structures of different polycules like quads. By having this option in a farming RPG similar toStardew Valley, polyamorous people can be true to themselves while enjoying these cozy games.
The official Steam page for this video game explains that you can date or marry characters of any gender as well.
7Zagreus - Hades
Depending on how you playHades, you can be in a relationship with all three romance options in the game. The way this indie roguelike distinguishes itself here is that your possible partners and other NPCs will talk about the fact that you’re wooing more than one person at a time.
When the time comes for the romance scene, Thanatos and Megaera will wait in Zagreus' room and point out that they’ve known each other longer than the prince himself has been alive. This communication with one another and their closeness with Zagreus create a supportive dynamic for the poly unit, and Dusa herself will express that she’s not into romance but cares for Zagreus deeply.
6Serafina - Serafina’s Crown
In the fantasyvisual novel, Serafina’s Crown, you’re the new regent of the kingdom, Darzia, tasked with investigating the late queen’s murder and other issues at home and abroad. Romance adds to the tale with a variety of characters you can get into a relationship with, and two of them include Serafina and her charismatic husband, Reuben.
This couple is next in line for the throne according to the politics of the fantasy kingdom. With the added intrigue around Reuben’s possible involvement in the former queen’s death and Serafina’s alignment with Demetral, the goddess of love and fertility, there are familiar tropes and serious stakes in this romance.
5Ezra Lyon - When the Night Comes
The supernatural mystery visual novel, When the Night Comes, has two polyamorous endings. One of them involves the vampire, Finnegan Kazimir, and the witch, Ezra Lyon, a magic user who is intelligent and compassionate for a love interest that hits all the cozy milestones.
While Finn is a clan leader and almost 700 years old, the lawful good Ezra owns his alchemy shop and has a mortal lifespan. His humbler origins help normalize poly people, and the fact that he met Finn by saving his life adds a sentimental touch to your eventual triad; since Ezra saved him, Finn feeds on the witch voluntarily to avoid hunting and hurting others.
The other polyamorous route for When the Night Comes is with Omen Morningstar the demon and Alkar Cassian the lycan.
4Octavia - Pathfinder: Kingmaker
At the start ofPathfinder: Kingmaker, Octavia is very close with Regongar because of their various attempts to escape slavery together. They can be recruited together in Act One; Octavia is a half-elf with a chaotic good alignment that gives her enough in common with the chaotic evil half-orc, Regongar, to keep that bond even after their captivity has come to an end.
You can enter into a relationship with them as a poly unit, which gets a better ending for Regongar as well. Octavia has all the heroic qualities most players love and a bit of an impish streak that sets her apart as a good representation of women and bisexual people too.
3Symbiosis “Sym” - I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
If you don’t date the socially withdrawn romance option, Dys, he ends up in a relationship with the gardener, Sym, that you may join later on. This lets you explore the nuance of polycules and how these relationships can have different dynamics than monogamous pairings inI Was a Teenage Exocolonistset in the Vertumna Colony.
His endings include a V structure poly unit, in which Dys and you both love Sym without being romantically involved with one another. In another ending, Dys has feelings for both you and Sym, but he has a deeper bond with Sym as his first partner, so these different endings shed light on polyamorous relationships.
2Nami - Legends of Runeterra
Originally a support champion inLeague of Legends, Nami became playable in the spin-off,Legends of Runeterra. She’s from an aquatic tribe called Marai, and her classic tale of undertaking an important quest for her people brings poly representation into timeless fantasy stories.
She’s in a canon relationship with the songstress Tama and the Abyssal Guard Loto, showing that she is bisexual as well; they’re a triad together with all three of them in love with each other. Dialogue from Nami’s partners will change if she’s present or if one of them is already there when the other is summoned, adding depth to their canon polycule.
1Halsin - Baldur’s Gate 3
Both well-written and fairly new in the video game world, Halsin makes exceptional poly representation in games if you get a chance to enter into a triad with him duringBaldur’s Gate 3. This druid is patient and gentle with a persistence that fits his preferred form as a bear.
Most importantly, if you’re already in a relationship when Halsin confesses his feelings for you, he won’t pursue you romantically before you talk to your current partner about him. Communication and respect are crucial to poly dynamics, and by insisting that you speak with your partner first, Halsin embodies the standard for healthy polygamy.
