Types of Video Games: A Breakdown of Styles & Game Genres
Jump into Steam, the Playstation store, or your favorite game service and search by category – you’ll see dozens and dozens of genres and sub-genres.
The different types of video games can be a little overwhelming. To make things worse, many platforms have different ideas about what defines each genre and how games are classified.
Today’s WTFast guide breaks down the most fundamental styles and genres of video games to help you spend time browsing the genres that are most relevant to you.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of every category imaginable. Rather, the goal is to nail the most important aspects of each major genre, show how they are different, and explain how they crossover.
Without further ado, let’s do this thing!
What Are the Main Genres of Video Games?
Although genres can be fluid, today we’re looking at these popular game styles:
Action
Adventure
RPG
Strategy
Simulation/Sandbox
Of course, there are also puzzle games, educational games, and even party games like Mario Party or Mario Kart available to play.
Each of these categories easily has a dozen sub-categories, from real-time strategy games (AKA, RTS games) to survival horror games to Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Still, understanding the core aspects of the main genre will explain a lot about its sub-genres.
Action
The first on our list also happens to be the most popular overall. The action game genre includes major sub-genres such as first-person shooters, third-person shooters, fighting games, platformers, rhythm games, arcade games, and many sports and racing games.
Action is possibly the most versatile of the major genres, often crossing over with other genres to form popular hybrid genres such as action-adventure and action RPG.
What Defines Action Games?
So what exactly makes a game an action game? Wouldn’t every video game need some kind of action in it?
All games do have some form of action, but games in this genre place their focus on physical action – meaning they challenge your reflexes, coordination, timing, and focus.
Action games are often fast-paced and competitive, though they can just as easily be cooperative or based on environmental challenges.
In most action games, you’ll control a character as you overcome obstacles or face enemies with the threat of losing and the game ending should you fail.
Most action games are high intensity and, potentially, high stress. Even the more casual action games might drive away players looking for a more thoughtful, slow-paced, or easy-going gaming experience.
The nature of action games makes them perfect for online multiplayer. As long as you’re equipped to prevent lag, playing action games online is a great way to enjoy video games and stay social. Otherwise, lag is bound to frustrate your experience.
Everyone has different goals for gaming. If you enjoy exciting, fast-paced challenges and testing your physical abilities, this may be the genre for you.
What Are Examples of Action Games?
Shooter games, specifically first-person shooters, are the most popular video games worldwide. Titles like Call of Duty and Halo are household names even amongst non-gamers, while more recent entries to the genre such as Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege have massively grown in popularity.
Action games also include fighting games such as Mortal Combat, arcade games like Space Invaders, platformers such as Super Mario Bros., and much more.
The genre is truly expansive, but you can always recognize an action-style game if reaction time, reflexes, precision, coordination, and timing are involved.
Adventure
Adventure is another highly flexible genre, often mixed with other genres. While there are pure adventure games, and adventure certainly warrants its place as a primary game genre, action-adventure and adventure RPG games are almost just as common.
What Defines an Adventure Game?
The main aspects of a pure adventure game are exploration, discovery, and storytelling.
Obstacles are often involved, too, adding challenging elements at different stages of the adventure to make progression more rewarding.
Puzzles are one of the most common adventure elements. In an action-adventure game, combat or fast-paced platforming might make up the challenges that stand between you and progressing in your adventure.
Adventure games are likely for you if you love to explore and find new experiences. The genre also appeals to people who enjoy adventure stories in books and films, as these games often carry cinematic elements.
What Are Examples of Adventure Games?
Some of the most popular adventure games heavily crossover with other genres. 2018’s God of War is widely considered one of the greatest adventure games of all time, along with other masterpieces like The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption 2.
The Legend of Zelda and Assassin’s Creed series have many excellent entries in the adventure genre as well.
RPG
Role-Playing Games (RPGs) are some of the most immersive and content-packed games one can play. In most cases, RPG players are ready to dedicate dozens or even hundreds of hours to a single playthrough as they develop their character or party from a lowly novice to the highest level.
In modern times, RPG elements are becoming more and more common in other game genres. In fact, most games today have some sort of roleplaying element, even if it’s as simple as choosing your cosmetic appearance, tracking levels and customizing your gamertag, or upgrading your abilities as you progress through a game.
It’s also important to mention MMORPGs, a type of RPG where huge communities of players create characters within the same online world and interact with each other.
What Defines an RPG?
As the name might suggest, a roleplaying game is all about putting yourself into the role of another character or characters. Typically you control a single protagonist, but controlling a character is part of almost every game you play. So what’s different?
RPGs focus on progression and customization. You aren’t just choosing a character from a menu of 30 different options. You’re building a new character to your own preferences and forming a story with the same character as you go through the game.
You don’t necessarily build your character from scratch in every RPG, but you’ll always be able to determine certain facets of your character and personalize them in some way.
You’ll likely be gaining “experience,” which is a game term representing your progress towards the next milestone in your character’s development. This usually leads to unlocking new abilities and options for your character.
If you enjoy being creative and empathetic and immersing yourself in another world, an RPG is likely the perfect kind of game for you.
What Are Examples of RPGs?
Single-player RPGs of note include Final Fantasy Tactics, The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Dark Souls, and many more.
MMORPGs have been some of the most played games of the 21st century, particularly in the first decade. You’re sure to recognize the name World of Warcraft, and other games such as Runescape and Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic garnered some serious player bases too.
Strategy
Strategy games are often the most in-depth and slow-paced games. It comes with the territory, as strategy elements usually (though not always) require more time and thought.
What Defines a Strategy Game?
As with all the genres we talk about today, we need to distinguish just what makes a game a strategy game. Of course, tactics and strategy play a role in every video game, no matter the genre.
However, to be distinguished as a strategy game, the game's focus should be on making deep strategic choices. Strategy games present complex scenarios and require equally complex player actions to succeed.
You might need basic tactics to succeed in a shooter game, but the decisions you’re making aren’t as complex or involved as those of, say, a city management or real-time strategy war game.
Strategy video games often borrow elements from strategy tabletop games and sometimes even replicate those very tabletop games. If you enjoy such board games, strategy games are the genre for you.
What Are Examples of Strategy Games?
Major strategy game series include Sid Meyer’s Civilization games, Starcraft, Age of Empires, the Total War games, and more.
Not all strategy games have to take such a grand scale. The strategy genre also includes card games such as Hearthstone and Gwent and even sports games like Football Manager.
Simulation and Sandbox
Simulation games, including sandbox games, are some of the most expansive and interactive types of games you can play. This genre is vast and can entice the most casual gamers to the most dedicated.
What Defines a Simulation or Sandbox Game?
Simulation games are all about your interactions with the simulated environment created in the game. Within this simulated world, the direction players can take is usually very open-ended.
The world puts systems in place, such as physics engines, economic systems, weather cycles, and more. Then, players get to interact with those systems however they choose.
For example, a farming simulation game might have players planting crops and planning the setup of their farm.
A sandbox game is a life simulation game with the most open-ended design. While some simulation games have set goals for progression, sandbox games let players decide everything about how they want to play.
What Are Examples of Simulation Games?
Possibly the quintessential simulation game series, The Sims has to be our first mention. In these games, you create a human character and simulate their life – everything from their job to their relationships and hobbies.
Sandbox games have garnered incredible popularity in the 21st century, most notably taking off with Minecraft (one of the highest-selling games of all time). The infinite possibilities inside the game, especially with modding capabilities for PC players, mean that this game might remain a favorite for as long as video games are played.
Conclusion
With today’s guide to game styles and genres, you’re ready to choose the right games for your personal preferences.
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Sources:
The Complete Guide to Video Game Genres | Game Designing
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) | Techopedia
