The Pioneer from Satisfactory

Although Melinoë comes a close second, as I am playing Hades 2 currently.

(Okay, maybe not protagonist, necessarily...)

Max Caulfield in Life is strange 1

Commander Shepard.

Tormentor from Tormentor❌Punisher!

I have 400+ hours and was HardMode #2WR until I the students I tutored defeated me lol

In my opinion, it's the best twin stick shooter ever made. Hugely discoverable mechanics, completely skill-based, and a nearly infinite skill ceiling.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/500670/TormentorPunisher/

They gave it away on Epic as well several years ago, check your launcher!

Aloy from the Horizon series

Aya Brea, from Parasite Eve

The perfect mix of unsuspecting hero, chosen one, and bad ass. The sequel also gives her an Ellen Riply in Aliens vibe as well. Shame about 3rd Birthday and the fact we will never get another one. For those who don't know, the owner of the original IP didn't want to renew the license for the games, which means the games can no longer use anything from the novel which includes all references to mitochondria and Eve. That's why 3rd Birthday was seemingly a totally different game; they tried to make a sequel that couldn't reference any of the main plot points of the previous games or novel.

Lilith “the Firehawk” (Borderlands)

2B || !2B

Traff (the Princess of Cursing) from Ink Inside (a cartoon action RPG)

Some of my other picks have already been mentioned so I'll go with an obscure answer: Cpt. Olivia Rhodes from the VR game Lone Echo.

She is by far the most realistic and immersive NPC I have ever had the fortune of experiencing. The storytelling and immersion in Lone Echo is S tier. The game itself is in my top three VR games with Half-Life Alyx and Boneworks.

Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Fantastic voice acting, awesome gameplay, beautiful world. 10/10 I love her.

Alyx

Cate Archer from No One Lives Forever

if you know you know

Mara Jade from Mysteries of the Sith (and Star Wars extended universe)

Protagonist has got to be Bayonetta (though it's based only on the first game). Her character growth in the first game was so good, even if the plot was a little convoluted. Never finished the second one since I didn't like playing on the Switch and never played the third one. Hope her character is still good though.

Honorable mentions are Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite, and Stelle from Honkai Star Rail (though this one is mostly for the absolutely ridiculous dialogue options we get to choose).

Favorite female antagonist is hands down GLaDOS. Such a fun, sarcastic, and likeable villain.

Can I say female V from CP2077?

Okay, V is what you make of her, but damn the story bites hard. The voicing is superb, and customisations permissive.

Zero, from Drakengard 3. The perfect amount of crude and the dryest delivery of humor imagineable.

Madeline from Celeste

Samus from Metroid

Mae from Night in the Woods

Some of my favorites have already been mentioned.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice by Ninja Theory

This lady is a standout from recent games I played in the past several years. Senua is an incredible character, complex, driven, and felt very human. I and probably a million other gamers connected with her deeply. Won’t say any more to avoid spoilers, but she was in one of the greatest games I ever played. Her actress, Melina Juergens, was perfect for the role in many ways (which I won’t say why here to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t played this game). Haven’t played the sequel yet, but I remember Melina won an award at the recent Game Awards for her performance in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

Hi!!!

Lea.

Even she's not one of many words, Lea still manages to be expressive and have a fantastic story.

Laverne from Day of the Tentacle: