HAVING to spend most of our time at home has made us search for different ways of fighting off boredom.

Therefore, the recent study that claims sales of video games increased by 35% in lockdown comes as no surprise.

Gaming has always been a great way to escape reality and dive into new worlds.

Just like reading a book or watching a movie, most times we end up falling in love with the characters too.

With that in mind, OnBuy's Technology Department sought to find out who are the best female characters in video games.

To find that out, OnBuy created a survey asking 3,508 gamers to pick their favourites.

Is your favourite in the top 10?

1 Ciri (Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon) – The Witcher

Geralt of Rivia would be proud to see his daughter winning yet another battle. Ciri was voted the best female character in video games, by 72% of gamers. It’s quite hard not to love her, a great storyline combined with her personal charm make for a winner. Let’s just hope she will make a cameo in Cyberpunk 2022.

2 Lara Croft – Tomb Raider

Lara Croft is one of the most iconic characters of all time, there is no mystery there! In fact, gamers have voted her the second-best female character in video games (66% votes). And if the games are not enough, there are also plenty of films to choose from.

3 Princess Zelda - The Legend of Zelda

Third on the list we find none other than Princess Zelda. While a princess in distress, Zelda has warmed the hearts of 63% of voters since the beginning of the series in 1986.

4 Ellie – The Last of Us

Living in a pandemic can be pretty traumatizing, however the experience made Ellie “mature beyond her years" as the developers describe her. Ellie gained the appreciations of 57% of voters who named her their favourite character.

5 Princess Peach - Super Mario Bros

Mario and Bowser are not the only ones obsessed with Princess Peach, in fact 53% of our voters named her as their favourite female character in video games.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

6 Clementine – The Walking Dead

Living in a zombie-filled world can be pretty overwhelming, especially for an 8-year-old. However, her perseverance and intelligence not only keep her alive, but make her one of the best characters of all time, according to 49% of voters.

7 Elizabeth - Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock lovers will be happy to find out Elizabeth was voted as the best female character by 48% of voters.

8 Cortana – Halo

Who wouldn’t want an AI friend to help them though difficult situations? 45% of our voters do for sure, naming Cortana their favourite female video game character!

9 Alyx Vance - Half-Life

The release of Half-Life Alyx made many people beyond excited as they got to experience their favourite character in virtual reality. In fact, Alyx is ninth on the list, with 41% of gamers naming her their favourite character.

10 Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy

If you are a Final Fantasy fan, then you are probably a fan of Tifa too. In fact, Cloud's childhood friend is 10th on our list of the best female characters in video games.