The video game industry began with a male-dominated fanbase. Nevertheless, over time, women have not only integrated into the gaming community but have contributed greatly to game development. In fact, as of 2025, 47 per cent of gamers in the United States were women. Still, women have always been a big part of gaming, either behind the controller or behind the scenes. The Omega has compiled a list of women behind legendary performances over the years who deserve recognition for helping make gaming so memorable for so many.
Laura Bailey
Laura Bailey is an award-winning Los Angeles-based actor, with almost 20 years of experience voice acting in video games, animation and anime. With over hundreds of video game titles under her belt, Bailey has cemented her presence as one of the leading women in voice acting with notable roles such as Kait Diaz (Gears of War), Fetch (Infamous: Second Son), Supergirl (Injustice 2) and even Catwoman (Batman: The Telltale Series).
As one of the most prolific female voice actors in gaming, on par with Troy Baker, Bailey has built a career with a plethora of iconic roles throughout major franchises. Bailey’s work includes iconic characters and jaw-dropping performances in narrative games. She has worked closely with one of PlayStation’s most notable developers, Naughty Dog, delivering performances that stayed with gamers for years. Portraying Abby Anderson in The Last of Us Part II (2020), which earned her one of her first British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards for Performer in a Leading Role.
Additionally, in 2018, she was nominated for Best Performer for her role as Nadine Ross in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017). Bailey’s repertoire of iconic characters doesn’t end there, having portrayed Fiona in Tales from the Borderlands, Lucina in Fire Emblem Awakening and related titles, Chun-Li in recent Street Fighter games and Mary Jane Watson in Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 and 2. One of her latest iconic performances was as Invisigirl in Dispatch, a character that connected with gamers around the world and helped make the game a success.
She has paved the way for future women seeking to enter the video game industry as voice actors. Voicing lead and supporting characters in big AAA franchises across many genres like action, adventure, role playing games (RPG), and fighting games, plus earning prestigious awards for her video game work, Bailey is no doubt an actor who deserves to be celebrated.
Ashley Johnson
Ashley Johnson is a Los Angeles-based actor with an incredible portfolio of performances throughout the years. Nevertheless, the portrayal she is best known for is Ellie in The Last of Us franchise, a performance that would catapult her to success as a voice actor in video games and animation.
Her transformative performance as Ellie in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, Left Behind, and The Last of Us Part II helped Johnson become a notable actor in the video game industry, inspiring fellow co-workers and aspiring actors. Performing not only behind a microphone but also through motion capture, Johnson brought Ellie to life with her mannerisms, comedy and brutality. This performance earned her multiple awards, including a BAFTA for Performer in a Leading Role for The Last of Us Part II and Best Performer for The Last of Us and its DLC Left Behind. On top of her groundbreaking work as Ellie throughout the years, Johnson has lent her voice to numerous supporting roles in games like Dispatch, Date Everything!, Minecraft: Story Mode and many Ben 10 video games. On the animation side of her resume, Johnson has contributed to many animated TV shows through the years, including Cartoon Network’s Infinity Train, Ben 10 and Teen Titans.
Overall, her powerful performance as Ellie in The Last of Us Part I and her emotional evolution in Part II have made her one of the most prominent voice actors in gaming.
Ashly Burch
Ashly Burch is an American-based actor, singer and writer, with numerous iconic performances that span several pop-culture mediums, including video games, animation and anime. Her unique knowledge and understanding of her characters have solidified her position as one of the most iconic actors in the industry, featuring a voice you are sure to recognize, on the spot.
Burch is credited with being the woman behind the sprites of several iconic characters in modern gaming. Her extensive resume includes voicing characters in narrative-driven franchises like the explosive Tiny Tina in the Borderlands series, Chloe Price in Life is Strange, Cassie Cage in Mortal Kombat X and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel in Lego Marvel’s Avengers.
The role she may be most well-known for, however, would be Aloy in Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn, its sequel Horizon: Forbidden West and the franchise’s hotly anticipated, but highly secretive, Horizon 3. The action/adventure/RPG franchise was such a monumental success for PlayStation that it spawned other titles in different genres, including a virtual reality spin-off, Horizon: Call of the Mountain and a Lego game, Lego Horizon Adventures.
Burch’s performance as Aloy earned her two Golden Joystick Awards for Best Gaming Performance and Breakthrough Award in 2017, and a BAFTA nomination for Best Performance.
Burch has been widely recognized for her explosive voice acting and the iconic characters she has portrayed over the years, making every franchise she joins memorable to players all over the world.
Tara Strong
Tara Strong is a Canadian actor who began her career at age 13. Her early credits include roles in several TV, film and musical theatre productions, with her voice acting debut taking place as the title character of Hello Kitty. Since then, Strong has been in hundreds of projects that span animation, anime and video games. With a deep and varied voice-acting portfolio, Strong is a legend in the industry who couldn’t be left out of our spotlight.
Strong’s notable video game performances include Rikku in Final Fantasy X, Harley Quinn in the Batman: Arkham universe, Paz Ortega Andrade in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Phantom Pain and Juliet Starling in Lollipop Chainsaw. Her most recognizable work in the industry is her constant portrayal of Harley Quinn in numerous Batman projects, a character that has become synonymous with Tara Strong due to her mastery of the character. Her continuous performance as Harley Quinn earned Strong two awards for the character, a National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) award for Lego DC Super-Villains and the award for Best Performance by a Human Female for Batman: Arkham City at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, the predecessor to what is now the annual Game Awards. With a robust resume regarding video games, what has made Tara Strong a legendary actor is her portfolio in television and animation. Though many audiences may not know her by name, many fans will immediately recognize Strong’s performances as Timmy Turner in The Fairly OddParents and Raven in Teen Titans Go.
Jennifer English
Jennifer English is a rising star from the United Kingdom who has recently gained recognition in the voice acting industry, with notable roles in Elden Ring and breakout performances in the critically acclaimed games Baldur’s Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Her energetic performance and deep understanding of her character’s emotions have propelled her career to another level, earning her praise from industry professionals and fans alike.
As a fairly recent talent, English has set the stage as one of the best up-and-coming voice actors in the industry. Following her breakout role as Latenna, a non-playable character in Elden Ring, English moved on to voice Shadowheart, one of the main companions in the behemoth game that was Baldur’s Gate 3. With extensive dialogue and a strong branding narrative, English’s performance was widely praised for her emotional depth and character nuance, quickly making her a player favourite. She would then go on and play one of the main characters in the 2025 game of the year, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, as Maelle, a performance that would earn her two awards: Best Performance at the 2025 Game Awards and Best Performer in the Golden Joystick Awards. English’s quick praise is well earned, delivering groundbreaking emotional performances that will stick with gamers for years. Her work in Baldur’s Gate 3 has positioned her as one of the most talked-about RPG voice performances in recent years.