The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Genres and Subgenres
When it comes to variety, there’s no better area of entertainment than video games. With so many different types of games available, there’s something for everyone, whether it’s a fast-paced racing game or a relaxing puzzle.
However, with a variety of video game genres comes an even larger variety of subcategories, each boasting different elements and mechanics that make it unique, even compared to other games in the same genre.
The list of gaming genres is almost endless, but we’ve tried to break them down for you here in this guide to the most popular game genres.
Table of contents:
- Action
- Adventure
- Fighting
- Horror
- Party
- Puzzle
- Role-playing games (RPGs)
- Shooter games
- Simulation
- Sports
- Strategy
Action Games
Fast-paced gameplay, coordination and reflexes, and combat are all common components of action games. These games often involve overcoming physical challenges, such as tough opponents or obstacle-filled levels.
Platformer
When it comes to area navigation and obstacle courses, few categories showcase these key action elements like platformers. Platformers are a subcategory of action games that focuses on beating levels riddled with obstacles, enemies, and physical challenges.
At its core, this subcategory involves moving your character from one point to another by jumping over hazards, climbing, or otherwise navigating uneven and dangerous terrain. They can be 2D or 3D, with the latter more common in modern platform games.
Popular games: Super Mario Odyssey, Celeste, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Roguelike
Many roguelike video games draw inspiration from tabletop games. In fact, many of the popular roguelike games of today share similarities with popular tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, giving you a character to control and develop.
Popular components of this action subcategory include permanent death (permadeath), dungeon crawling, and combat. However, there are also many roguelike games that stray away from permadeath, instead using in-game deaths as a way to develop your character and their skills through the experience acquired in your last run.
Popular games: Hades, Slay the Spire, Balatro
Stealth
From assassins to spies, there’s no shortage of roles you may find yourself in when playing a stealth game. This category focuses on utilizing stealth to complete goals, whether that’s conquering levels or overcoming enemies. In some titles, you may be able to choose a less discrete approach, but stealth tends to be rewarded.
Popular games: Assassin’s Creed, Dishonored, Alien: Isolation
Survival
Survival is an essential part of most action games. While some only include minor elements, such as a health bar system, some games truly embrace the survival subcategory. These titles often place you in an open environment where you need to find food and water, defend against hostile creatures, and complete an immersive storyline.
Another common feature of survival games is several different game modes, including various difficulties as well as creative modes that focus on exploration and building with little to no survival requirements.
Popular games: Green Hell, Sons of the Forest, Minecraft
Adventure
Often paired with action, adventure is another one of the most popular video game genres. Titles that fall into this genre are often driven by exploration, whether that’s uncovering the secrets buried within a thrilling storyline or discovering new locations. As you explore, you may need to navigate enemies, solve puzzles, or otherwise conquer the challenges standing between your character and their goal.
Graphic Adventures
Graphic adventure games use graphics to establish mood and convey environments. Titles that fall into this subcategory often focus on puzzle solving and progressing through a storyline, usually with simple mechanics like point-and-click.
Graphic adventures can be a great option for players looking for games with more visual details than text adventures — which are discussed further below — while maintaining immersive storylines, dialogue, and character development.
Popular games: Twelve Minutes, Return to Monkey Island, The Wolf Among Us
Interactive Adventures
Are you looking for a game that truly immerses you in the storyline? If so, then interactive adventure may be the subcategory for you.
Interactive adventures promote player agency; in many titles, you’ll have the freedom to make choices as you please, which can ultimately affect the storyline and characters within. Interactive adventure games often pair this agency with traditional adventure elements, like puzzle solving and exploration.
Popular games: The Last of Us, Until Dawn, Firewatch
Text Adventures
Some of the first games to emerge in this genre include text adventures. Rather than focus on controlling a character and exploring a map, text adventures allow you to use textual inputs to navigate a storyline. For example, the game may introduce you to a door and provide different options, such as “try to open” or “look for a key.”
Popular games: Colossal Cave Adventure, Zork, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Visual Novels
Visual novel games tend to straddle the line between video games and other types of digital media. They focus heavily on visuals and storylines, though their exact degree of interaction varies. Some visual novels may lean closer to graphic adventures and story games, while others may be more reminiscent of traditional novels available on gaming platforms.
Popular games: Doki Doki Literature Club!, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa
Fighting
From fists to swords, fighting games focus on combat between your character and one or more enemies. While combat is common in most video games, especially those in the action or RPG genres, fighting games are distinct because combat is their main focus.
Some storylines or additional elements may be present, but in these games, your goal is often to beat as many enemies as possible with the tools at your disposal. This includes weapons, defensive moves, and combos that can deal large amounts of damage at once.
2D Fighters
2D fighters are some of the earliest games to come out of the fighting genre, and they can come in two different forms.
Some fighting games may be entirely 2D. The graphics themselves are two-dimensional, as is the arena you fight in. Others, however, utilize 3D rendering but maintain the side view and two-dimensional plane.
Popular games: The King of Fighters, Street Fighter, Guilty Gear
3D Fighters
3D fighters use many of the same mechanics, themes, and elements as 2D fighters. However, they differ mainly in perspective and graphics. In this subcategory, the games utilize 3D graphics, which can introduce the opportunity for more unique environments and animations.
Some popular fighting game franchises may feature both 3D and 2D titles. This is because they have previously experimented with 3D graphics or switched entirely to 3D from 2D.
Popular games: Dead or Alive, Tekken, Virtua Fighter
Platform Fighters
Platform fighters blend the elements of 2D fighters with platformers. These titles utilize the mechanics and combat of 2D fighters alongside floating platforms you can climb and jump off.
In platform fighters, you may notice that your character often doesn’t have a health bar. Instead, you win combat by knocking other players out of the arena.
Popular games: Super Smash Bros., MultiVersus, Brawlhalla
Horror
If you’re interested in a game that sends chills up your spine and has you second-guessing shadows, look no further than horror games. This genre is designed to scare you, whether through psychological horror or jumpscares.
There are several types of horror games to enjoy, each offering a different scary experience. These often blend in elements from other genres, such as adventure horror or survival horror.
Popular games: Left 4 Dead, Dead by Daylight, Five Nights at Freddy’s
Party Games
While many games offer multiplayer support, party games are designed specifically with friends in mind. Party games also often encompass many different genres, blending your favorite genre elements with teamwork and collaboration — or a bit of friendly competition.
Imposter Games
Common in-person party games, imposter games were popular well before they became digital. These games involve stealth, teamwork, and wit to capture the imposters before they eliminate the rest of the players. In all, they’re great social games that focus on deduction.
Popular games: Among Us, Push the Button, Project Winter
Mini Game Collections
Why settle for one party game when you can download a variety? Mini game collections offer several games to play under a single title. Some, like the Mario Party series, offer mini games alongside the main gameplay (collecting Stars to beat your friends). Others are true collections with several unrelated games you can pick and choose from, depending on what you and your friends are in the mood for.
Popular games: Mario Party, The Jackbox Party Pack, Pummel Party
Rhythm and Music Games
Rhythm and music games can be both challenging and fun, making them perfect for a party. Whether focusing on hitting the right dance move at the right time or button mashing to the beat, these games test your sense of rhythm.
Popular games: Rock Band, Beat Saber, Just Dance
Trivia Games
If physical coordination isn’t your or your friends’ specialty, then you may find that trivia games fit your group better. These games are often included as a part of mini game collections, such as with Jackbox Party Packs, but you can also find games solely focusing on trivia as well.
Trivia games are great for keeping your mind active while having fun with your friends.
Popular games: Trivia Crack, Sporcle Party, Trivial Pursuit Live!
Puzzle
Puzzle games go beyond placing pieces together to create an image. Instead, games that fall into this genre can also be challenging and thought-provoking, forcing you to think outside the box to navigate obstacles.
Many games, like the Legend of Zelda franchise, include puzzle-solving elements. However, some titles are entirely focused on puzzles.
Because of their simple but engaging mechanics and graphics, many puzzle games are among the best iPhone games.
Popular games: Tetris, Candy Crush Saga, Portal
Role-playing games (RPGs)
Dive headfirst into an immersive world that feels real enough to touch with role-playing games. RPGs focus on creating and developing a character throughout a storyline. Oftentimes, these games are open worlds with different branching paths, and they can be single- or multiplayer.
Action RPG
Action RPGs combine the elements of action games with RPGs, creating a blend of story-driven elements and combat. Also known as ARPGs, these can take themes from many of the subcategories of action, whether that’s an RPG with survival elements or even dungeon-crawling RPGs.
Popular games: Hogwarts Legacy, NieR: Automata, The Witcher
Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG)
JRPGs share many qualities with global RPGs, especially in terms of immersion and role-playing elements.
However, they may differ in graphics, leaning more toward anime-inspired visuals, and gameplay elements. Although not every JRPG is the same, these titles often include turn-based combat and greater attention to plot and storylines.
Popular games: Final Fantasy, Xenoblade Chronicles, Persona
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing (MMORPG)
You don’t have to play RPGs alone. With the best MMORPGs, you can join hundreds of other players in a shared world, playing out your own storylines and quests alongside them.
Many franchises that offer traditional RPGs also have MMORPG titles, especially in newer installments.
Popular games: The Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft, Wizard101
Tactical RPG
Tactical RPGs bring the joys of tabletop gaming to your PC or console. Also known as strategy RPGs, these games combine the core components of RPGs with tactical strategy video games. Because of this, they focus on immersive, thought-provoking gameplay that will leave you ruminating about your next move, whether in a turn-based or real-time format.
Popular games: Divinity: Original Sin, RAID: Shadow Legends, Pathfinder
Shooter Games
Shooter games focus on gun combat, although many include other weapon options as well. Even among similar titles, no two shooter games are the same. The best shooter games offer action-packed, strategic gameplay that’s so fun you’ll want to play for hours.
Shooters can differ in perspective, weapon choice, and game modes available. Some titles even offer multiple game modes, including single- and multiplayer options.
First-person Shooter
First-person shooters, or FPS games, maintain the traditional elements of a shooter from the first-person perspective. This means you play from your character’s viewpoint, seeing the world as they would. This heightens the realism while putting more pressure on your reflexes and aiming skills.
Popular games: Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Valorant
Third-Person Shooter
Third-person shooters offer a different perspective on shooting games — literally. Unlike FPSes that put you in your character’s shoes, these games are shown from the third-person perspective, allowing you to see your character and their environment.
Popular games: Fortnite, Gears of War, The Last of Us
Run and Gun
Want less focus on strategy and more on fun-packed action gunfighting? Run and gun games might be the choice for you.
Unlike most FPS and TPS games, which involve working either alone or with teammates to complete campaigns and PvP matches, run and guns place you into fast-paced action. In these games, you advance through levels while constantly firing your weapon and enemies.
Popular games: Contra, Cuphead, Gunstar Heroes
Shoot ‘Em Ups
Shoot ‘em ups blend fast-paced, dynamic combat with strategy. Falling somewhere between runs and guns and perspective shooters, this subcategory involves shooting enemies while dodging their gunfire, with many titles holding an arcade-like quality to their gameplay and visuals.
Shoot ‘em up games can include bullet hell and even platform elements, creating diverse, interesting gameplay despite its simplicity.
Popular games: ZeroRanger, Danmaku Unlimited 3, Crimzon Clover
Battle Royale
Most shooting games have relatively small lobbies. For example, in a competitive game of Counter-Strike 2, you’ll be placed in a 5v5 match. Battle royales are not the same. These titles often support up to 100 players, though many support even more. Once you’re in a battle royale match, it’s a test of survival and endurance, as you’ll have to become the last one standing.
Although battle royales are common in shooting games, not all battle royales involve guns. Some offer unique ways to play, such as Fall Guys, which focuses more on surviving through platforming.
Popular games: PUBG: Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, Fortnite
Simulation
With a simulation game, you can dive into a brand-new life. These titles foster a sense of realism, so much so that playing one of the games can feel as real as the room around you.
Simulation games come in a variety of subcategories depending on their main premise. There are life and social simulators that revolve around slice-of-life gameplay, as well as management simulators that place you in charge of a civilization, military, or even business.
Life Simulation
With a life simulation game, you control one or more virtual characters and live out their daily lives. The characters may be human, but they don’t have to be, unlocking a world of possibilities depending on the title you choose.
These games are all about maintaining a life. You may need to guide your character through their day while fulfilling emotional and social needs or tend to a virtual pet. Life simulations can also be combined with aspects of other simulation types, such as Stardew Valley, which combines farming with social simulation elements.
Popular games: The Sims, Stardew Valley, Story of Seasons
Management Games
Management games can be a bit more intense than life simulators because they revolve around creating and managing businesses or cities, often with limited resources.
In one management game, you may need to run a restaurant, including serving customers, cooking, or handling administrative tasks like pricing and ordering. In a different game, you might end up in a position of power, needing to build and lead a city to success.
Popular games: Cities: Skylines, Planet Zoo, Supermarket Simulator
Vehicle Simulation
Have you ever wanted to fly a plane? Or operate a tractor trailer? Vehicle simulators place you behind the wheel, letting you experience what driving a variety of interesting vehicles feels like. Some titles offer free driving, while others offer tasks and quests to complete, putting your virtual vehicle skills to the test.
Popular games: Euro Truck Simulator, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Derail Valley
Sports
No two sports games are the same. When it comes to this genre, there are a variety of possibilities, from team sports to solo options, from friendly skirmish to competitive racing.
Sometimes, sports games might cross into other genres. For example, you may place a sports simulation game that revolves more around managing a sports team than diving into high-action sports gameplay itself.
Racing
When you first think of sports games, you might think about soccer, football, basketball, or similar options. However, racing games fall into this genre, too, and they’re a popular subcategory of sports games.
Like vehicle simulation games, sports games put you behind the wheel. However, these games often focus less on realistic driving, instead aiming to accelerate and win races. Plus, many racing titles offer a high level of customization, letting you change your car’s cosmetics.
There are also variants of racing games, so not every game will put you in a modern sports car. Instead, depending on the title, you may find yourself racing other vehicles, including karts!
Popular games: Need for Speed, Forza Horizon, Mario Kart
Individual Sports
Whether you’re looking to play entirely alone or against a loved one for some friendly competition, individual sports games bring the fun of solo sports to your PC or console.
Many popular sports are available in video games, such as soccer, football, basketball, and more. However, you can also install games with some less common sports, like mini golf, track and field, and even winter sports.
Popular games: Winter Resort Simulator, Nintendo Switch Sports, Golf with Your Friends
Team Sports
Playing a sports game doesn’t have to involve playing alone. Although some friendly competition can be fun, there may be times you want to join forces with a friend against others or AI. Team sports games are great for this, giving you the option to partner up with a friend or AI and tackle fun matches.
Like individual sports games, there are several different options for what sports are available, like tennis or volleyball.
Popular games: Rocket League, Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Strikers
Strategy
Strategy is one of the most diverse video game genres. Not only are there many subcategories, but strategy elements are also present in nearly every other game genre.
Strategy games require careful thinking, planning, and execution. You may be solving a puzzle or engaging in intense real-time tactics, but either way, you’ll need to think outside the box with the genre.
4X: Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate
Known more commonly as 4X, the explore, expand, exploit, exterminate subcategory is present in both video and tabletop games. Games that fall into the 4X genre tend to begin with you building a nation. This may be an entire planet or only a country.
From here, you’re placed into a role of generalship, micromanaging everything from the economy to the military — all while conquering new territory and resources.
Popular games: Dune: Spice Wars, Sins of a Solar Empire, Sid Meier’s Civilization
Auto Battlers
If you’re not familiar with the term “auto battler,” you may recognize this subcategory as “auto chess.” Games that fall into this genre involve much of the strategic thinking that goes into chess, like unit value and positioning. However, they also pair these elements with different title-dependent features, like unique items and abilities.
In most of these titles, you have a short period of time to set up your team, buy upgrades, and attach items. Then, you’ll be whisked away into a match where your units automatically battle the enemy.
Popular games: Teamfight Tactics, Dota Underlords, Backpack Battles
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
MOBAs combine strategic thinking with teamwork, quick reflexes, and real-time competitive gameplay.
Usually, teams consist of five players, each with their own role and map positioning. For example, the most common MOBA map layout involves three lanes (top, middle, and bottom) with a non-lane “jungle” separating each lane.
Most MOBAs have base-race style gameplay. This means that the goal is to reach and destroy the enemies’ base before they can do the same to yours. You’ll often have to fight through defensive structures to do so, all while balancing combat against your opponents.
Overall, this genre hosts some of the best PvP games because of its emphasis on teamwork, strategy, and collaborative combat.
Popular games: League of Legends, Arena of Valor, Heroes of the Storm
Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
Unlike turn-based games, real-time strategy games allow players to conduct their turns simultaneously. You can position your units, build structures, or perform other actions (depending on the title) while your opponents do the same — no need to wait for your turn.
However, this can make winning gameplay tricky, as you need to micromanage your own board while paying attention to what your opponents are doing. In all, RTS games are a great way to exercise your brain while having competitive fun.
Popular games: Age of Empires, Pikmin, Command & Conquer: Generals
Real-Time Tactics
Real-time tactics games are similar to RTS games, but they’re not the same. While there’s still the real-time action where players complete actions simultaneously, real-time tactics revolve more around unit management and battle than the resource management common in RTS titles.
With a real-time tactics game, your gameplay depends more on how you organize and control your military than on how you gather and use resources. This involves the same quick thinking of RTS games but with a different focus and goal.
Popular games: Manor Lords, Total War: WARHAMMER, Men of War
Tower Defense
Strategy games often have a strong element of offense. However, with tower defense games, you get to take on a defensive role instead. As you navigate sieges of enemies, tower defense games put you in charge of blocking, attacking, or otherwise impending the advancement of foes, protecting your base.
Tower defense games can occur both in real time or as a turn-based strategy game.
Popular games: Bloons Tower Defense, Plants vs. Zombies, Grit and Valor – 1949
Turn-Based Strategy (TBS)
Have you ever played a video or board game where you had to wait for another player to complete all their actions before you could do anything? If so, then you may be familiar with turn-based games.
Turn-based strategy games are similar to RTS, but they differ in how and when actions unfold. Whereas RTS games have all players completing actions at the same time, in a TBS game, each player takes a turn completing actions.
TBS games are often closely related to turn-based tactics games.
Popular games: Kards, Total War, Risk
Turn-Based Tactics
In the same way that RTS and turn-based strategies are similar, turn-based tactic games reflect the elements of real-time tactics. These games revolve around warfare and operational tactics, moving away from the microstrategy required for turn-based strategy games.
Popular games: Company of Heroes, Gears Tactics, The Lamplighters League
War Games
War games combine elements of shooter games, history, and, of course, strategy. Sometimes, a war game may launch you into a real historic war, such as World War I or II. Other times, you may find yourselves on the battlefield of a fantasy or otherwise made-up war.
Popular games: Command & Conquer: Generals, Company of Heroes, Call of Duty
Explore New Video Game Genres for Mobile and Desktop
There are dozens of video game genres to discover and play, each one unlocking the door to a new world to discover.
Whether you’re interested in life simulators and managing your own virtual character, sports games where you can team up with and against friends, or action games that keep you on the edge of your seat, there’s no shortage of possibilities for games to play. Plus, with cross-platform games, you can play your favorite genres on mobile, desktop, or console!
If you’re looking for your next virtual adventure, there’s a wide variety of popular games to explore across every genre that you can start playing today.
Video Game Genres FAQ
There are dozens of types of games, each with their own unique and shared elements. Even after exploring our video game genre list, with so many options available, you may still have some questions. Below, discover some of the most frequently asked video game genre questions and their answers.
How Many Video Game Genres Are There?
There isn’t a definitive number of video game genres. In fact, if you were to try and count all the video game genres available, you might get a different number each time depending on your sources.
However, video games can be broadly sorted into over a dozen categories, including the genres and subcategories included in our list.
Are There Official Genre Classifications, or Is It Subjective?
While some understandings of genre are more rigid, such as the distinction between action and horror, video game genres are widely subjective overall. Many games fall into several categories at once, and some people may believe a game better fits one genre over another.
What’s the Most Popular Video Game Genre on Twitch?
During the second quarter of 2024, shooter games were the most popular video game genre on Twitch, followed by adventure and RPGs.
