Genre catalog

Open any genre to see its definition and representative games. Selecting a parent genre in the catalog also includes its descendants.

• ShootersA genre family built around shooting and real-time positional play.
• Tactical shooterRound-based play, costly mistakes, limited lives, and an equipment economy or pre-round preparation.
• Arena shooterFast movement, control of pickups around the map, short respawns, and minimal combat preparation.
• Hero shooterFixed characters with unique abilities and team roles.
• Battle RoyaleA large starting roster, a shrinking zone, equipment found on site, and one surviving player or team.
• Extraction ShooterMap raids, item collection, the risk of losing equipment, and a required extraction to keep the loot.
• Looter ShooterPersistent character and stat-based equipment progression, endgame activities, and repeatable loot acquisition.
• MMO shooterA persistent world with many concurrent participants, front lines, and territorial objectives.
• ActionA genre family built around real-time action and reflexes, where shooting is not the main focus.
• Melee actionCombat focuses on close-range attacks, blocks, parries, and positioning.
• FightingOne-on-one or team combat in a shared arena, with characters defined by their move sets.
• PlatformerThe core loop is movement, jumping, and overcoming obstacles.
• Party GameShort mini-rounds with simple rules, designed for a group to play together.
• BrawlerA short fight between several players in a small arena, with simple controls and a character roster.
• .ioA large shared-arena fight with instant entry, growth by consuming opponents, and constant restarts.
• Social deductionHidden roles, discussion, and voting form the core of each match.
• Asymmetric horrorUnequal sides, with one pursuer against a group under different rules and objectives.
• Action-adventureWorld exploration and storytelling combined with real-time action.
• Action RPGCharacter progression paired with reflex-based real-time combat.
• MOBAMultiplayer online battle arena where each player controls one hero in a team match with lanes, objectives, and base destruction.
• AdventureA genre family built around exploration, storytelling, and situational problem-solving.
• Action-adventureWorld exploration and storytelling combined with real-time action.
• Narrative adventureStory, dialogue, and player choice matter more than mechanical difficulty.
• Point-and-click adventureExploring scenes, using items, and solving logic problems without reflex challenges.
• Survival HorrorScarce resources, character vulnerability, and mounting tension form the core loop.
• RPGRole-playing games where developing a character, their attributes, and equipment is an essential part of the loop.
• Looter ShooterPersistent character and stat-based equipment progression, endgame activities, and repeatable loot acquisition.
• MMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing game with a persistent shared world, long-term progression, and group endgame.
• Sandbox MMOA persistent world where players largely shape the rules of its economy, territory, and conflict.
• Action RPGCharacter progression paired with reflex-based real-time combat.
• Tactical RPGSquad progression and battlefield positioning, usually in turn-based combat.
• RoguelikeA procedurally generated run with permanent death and progression within the run.
• Idle RPGCharacter and equipment progression continues without the player; active choices involve the lineup, investments, and shared events.
• Team battlerBuilding and developing a squad from a character collection. Combat depends on the lineup and abilities rather than reflexes, usually alongside guilds and an arena.
• Puzzle RPGPuzzle-solving determines combat, while progression and squad composition follow RPG rules.
• Dungeon CrawlerRepeatable dungeon runs for loot and progression, usually with a small group.
• DeckbuilderThe deck is built during a run and lost when the run ends.
• StrategyA genre family built around planning, managing forces and resources, and competing for position.
• Tactical RPGSquad progression and battlefield positioning, usually in turn-based combat.
• RTSReal-time strategy with simultaneous action, resource gathering, production, and army control.
• Turn-based strategyActions are divided into turns, prioritizing planning over speed.
• 4XExplore, expand, exploit, and exterminate across a large-scale map.
• MOBAMultiplayer online battle arena where each player controls one hero in a team match with lanes, objectives, and base destruction.
• MMO strategyA persistent map with thousands of players, real-time city or base development, alliances, and territorial events.
• Auto BattlerThe player assembles and positions a lineup, and combat resolves automatically.
• Tower DefenseDefending a route from waves of enemies by placing defensive structures.
• WargameA military operation simulation that prioritizes realism over pace.
• SimulationA genre family that models an activity, system, or environment.
• Life simulationThe everyday lives, relationships, and routines of characters.
• Farming simulationA loop of planting, tending, harvesting, and developing a farm.
• Vehicle simulationOperating a vehicle with a simulation of how it works.
• ManagementDeveloping a business, settlement, or institution while allocating resources and staff.
• Job simulationRecreating the workflow of a specific occupation.
• Sports managementManaging a team, roster, training, and transfers without directly taking part in matches.
• Survival and sandboxA genre family where players set their own goals in an open system or work to stay alive.
• Extraction ShooterMap raids, item collection, the risk of losing equipment, and a required extraction to keep the loot.
• Asymmetric horrorUnequal sides, with one pursuer against a group under different rules and objectives.
• Survival HorrorScarce resources, character vulnerability, and mounting tension form the core loop.
• Sandbox MMOA persistent world where players largely shape the rules of its economy, territory, and conflict.
• Open-world survivalGathering resources, meeting character needs, building a base, and risking the loss of possessions.
• SandboxFreely changing and building in the world as the main form of play.
• Social worldA persistent space focused on socializing, self-expression, and shared activities.
• UGC platformA user-generated content environment where players create the main content while the platform provides tools, distribution, and an economy.
• Sports and racingA genre family built around competition under the rules of a real or fictional sport.
• Sports simulationA simulation of a sport and matches played under its rules.
• Arcade sportsA fictionalized sport with simplified or invented rules and a fast pace.
• Sports managementManaging a team, roster, training, and transfers without directly taking part in matches.
• RacingCompeting to complete a track or route as quickly as possible.
• Card and board gamesA genre family built around a deck, a set of pieces, or board game rules.
• CCGCollectible card game built around collecting cards, constructing a deck, and playing matches under its rules.
• Card battlerA card collection grows through random rewards, while short matches depend on the strength of the collected set rather than building a deck during play.
• DeckbuilderThe deck is built during a run and lost when the run ends.
• Board gameA digital adaptation of a board or classic game.
• Social casinoGambling-style formats that use virtual currency without cash prizes.
• Casual and puzzleA genre family with short sessions, simple rules, and a low barrier to entry.
• PuzzleSolving logic or spatial problems as the core loop.
• Puzzle RPGPuzzle-solving determines combat, while progression and squad composition follow RPG rules.
• Match 3Levels built around matching rows of identical elements with increasingly complex goals.
• Idle and clickerProgress continues with little player input; the main choice is where to invest accumulated resources.
• Endless runnerA short score-focused run followed by an immediate restart.
• TriviaTimed questions and answers, often in competition with other players.
• Rhythm gamePlayer actions follow the musical rhythm, and results depend on timing accuracy.