List of video game genres

This is a list of video game genres. These genres span game mechanics, themes, perspectives, and play styles. There is also a video game genre category.

Name	Description	Examples
3D fighting	Uses the fighting base, but places the combatants in a 3D arena.	Virtua Fighter, Soul Caliber
3D maze	The player must solve a 3D maze, possibly while avoiding enemies or seeking out treasures.	Maze, Maze War
3D platformer	Has the player jumping around platforms in 3D space.	Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie
4X	Strategy or tactical games which focus on exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination.	Civilization, Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
Action	A blanket term for games which require fast reflexes. Typically applied to games which don't neatly fit into other genres.	Combat, Vanguard
Action role-playing game	Games which mix RPG elements and fast-paced action elements.	Secret of Mana, Borderlands
Active puzzle	Puzzle games which require the player to make decisions quickly and respond to unexpected changes in the puzzle's structure.	Tetris, Lemmings
Adventure	Games where exploration of interesting environments plays a heavy role.	Adventure, King's Quest
Artillery	Players control tank-like entities and take turns lobbing shells at each other.	Scorched Earth, Worms
Atmospheric	A game where simply taking in the atmosphere is a large part of the enjoyment.	Journey, Firewatch
Auto battler	You have a chance to place units, but, once the match begins, they're out of your control.	Dota Underlords, Super Auto Pets
Ball and paddle	The players control paddles which are used to bounce balls around.	Pong, Breakout
Beat 'em up	Player uses martial arts to beat up many foes.	Kung Fu, Karateka
Belt scroller	A platform scroller where the screen scrolls horizontally, and the player can move their character within a limited vertical region, causing the movement to feel like a conveyor belt. A common perspective for beat 'em ups.	Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Block breaker	Break blocks, typically by rebounding a ball.	Breakout, Arkanoid
Block pusher	Games which involve pushing blocks around.	Sokobon, Adventures of Lolo
Board game	Video game interpretations of board games.	Video Checkers, Mario Party
Bullet hell	A shooter which has an obscene number of bullets on the screen at the same time.	Batsugun, Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom
Card game	Video game interpretations of card games.	Solitaire, Magic: The Gathering.
Casual	A game that can be easily and repeatedly started and stopped and doesn't require intense interaction.	Bejeweled, Little Inferno
Catcher	A game where the player controls a character that is trying to catch moving (usually falling) objects.	Ball, Fire
Children's	Games designed specifically for younger children, and often with an educational aspect.	Super Solvers: Treasure Mountain, Reader Rabbit
Cinematic platformer	A platformer which uses cinematic processes like rotoscoping and cutscenes. They usually use checkpoints instead of lives.	Prince of Persia, Out of This World
Clicker	Games where most of the game play consists of the player performing menial tasks, like repeatedly clicking a button.	A Dark Room, AdVenture Capitalist
Comedy	Games with jokes and gags meant to make the player laugh.	The Secret of Monkey Island, Portal
Cute 'em up	A sub-genre of shooter which uses cute imagery.	Fantasy Zone, Parodius
Dance	A type of rhythm game where the player is expected to dance.	Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance
Dating simulator	Simulates going on dates and having relationships with people.	HuniePop, Katawa Shoujo
Door game	Games based around bulletin board system doors.	Legend of the Red Dragon, Usurper
Driving	Games where driving (not racing) civilian vehicles is a major element.	SkyRoads, Euro Truck Simulator 2
Dungeon crawler	You work your way through a monster-infested dungeon.	Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, Dungeon Master
Educational	The primary goal is to educate the player.	The Oregon Trail, Reader Rabbit
Electro-mechanical video game	Video games which incorporate electro-mechanical aspects.	Baby Pac-Man, SkyDiver
Elimination platformer	A platformer, usually single-screen, where you progress stages by defeating all of the enemies in a stage.	Mario Bros., Bubble Bobble
Exploration	A game which expects the player to discover interesting aspects about the game world.	The Stanley Parable, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
Falling block	Games which involve the manipulation of falling blocks.	Tetris, Dr. Mario
Fighting	Player uses martial arts to beat up specific foes.	Karate Champ, Street Fighter
First-person shooter	3D first-person perspective, player shoots at enemies.	Wolfenstein 3D, Doom
Fitness	A game designed to help people work out.	Dance Aerobics, Wii Fitness
Fixed shooter	A shooter where the player's character is fixed to a small section of the screen.	Space Invaders, Galaxian
Flight simulator	Simulates flying civilian airplanes or similar flying crafts.	Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Simulator, Microsoft Flight Simulator
Full motion video game	Games which incorporate pre-filmed video sequences.	Night Trap, The 7th Guest
Gambling	Those which simulate traditional gambling games or create their own.	Hoyle Casino, Wii Vegas Party
Game-based	A games which can be described entirely by comparing them to an existing popular game (i.e., clones).	Chomp, Blasteroids
Game show	A video game interpretation of a television game show.	Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune: Featuring Vanna White
Graphic adventure	Adventure games which put heavy emphasis on their graphics rather than descriptions.	King's Quest, Shadowgate
Grid capture	The player is expected to surround and "capture" areas of a maze with enemies or an opponent in pursuit.	Amidar, Triple Punch
Hero shooter	Shooters which focus on character personalities.	Team Fortress 2, Overwatch
Hidden object	Games where you try to find hidden objects in a scene.	Where's Waldo, The Enigmatis Collection
Hunting	Simulate hunting and fishing.	Ultimate Fishing Simulator, Big Game Hunter
Idle	Games which, to some extent, play themselves and require little involvement from the player.	Progress Quest, Idle Heroes
Incremental video game	Games which progress in thousands of small discrete increments.	Progress Quest, AdVenture Capitalist
Interactive book	A game which functions like an interactive book by allowing the player to direct narrative, having minigames along the way, and so forth.	Project Aon, Choice of the Deathless
Isometric platformer	A platformer viewed from an angle to give it a pseudo 3D effect.	Congo Bongo, Crystal Castles
JRPG	RPGs that follow design styles of early Eastern games, especially from Japan.	Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy
Karaoke	Games which require the player to sing into a microphone.	Karaoke Revolution, Rock Band
Licensed	Video games that are based on a licensed brand.	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure
Light gun game	Games which require the use of a light gun.	Duck Hunt, Area 51
Management simulator	Simulates a management duty.	SimCity, Theme Park
Massively multiplayer online game	Online game that can handle a very large number of simultaneous players.	Ultima: Online, EverQuest
Match-finding	The player must find objects which match.	Concentration, Shanghai
Match-making	The player must manipulate objects in order to form matches.	Bejeweled, Tetris Attack
Maze	The player moves about inside a maze.	Amazing Maze, Maze Craze
Maze pursuit	The player's character is pursued by enemies and the player must avoid them.	Gotcha, Heiankyo Alien
Maze traversal	The player is expected to traverse every part of a maze.	Head-On, Pac-Man
Metroidvania	A combat-based adventure where exploration uncovers items to unlock more of the world.	Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Military	Primarily based on military elements.	North & South, Call of Duty,
Mini-game	A game consisting of a lot of mini-games.	California Games, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
Mystery	Games which require the player to solve a mystery.	Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Multi-genre video game	The game which incorporates several entirely different game mechanics.	Tron, ActRaiser
Multi-user dungeon	Multiple players connect to take place in a persistent online world. Smaller than an MMO.	The Shadow of Yserbius, DragonRealms
Parody game	Games meant to mock or spoof existing video games or genres.	Pyst, Saints Row
Party game	Games that are designed to be easily picked up for several competing competing players and broken into smaller segments.	Mario Party, Drawful
Passive puzzle	Puzzle games where the player is given ample time to devise a solution.	Freecell, Shanghai
Pinball	Simulates a pinball table in video game form.	Video Pinball, Gee Bee
Platform shooter	Platformers where shooting enemies is a major part of game play.	Mega Man, Contra
Platformer	Side view 2D environment with gravity where the player moves up and down over multiple platforms.	Pitfall!, Super Mario Bros.
Programming	Adds goals and puzzles to instructional programming.	Core War, Human Resource Machine,
Puzzle	Requires logical thinking and reasoning rather than reflexes.	Minesweeper, Solitaire
Puzzle platformer	A hybrid genre which expects they player to solved puzzle in a platformer environment platformer.	The Lost Vikings, Limbo
Racing	Games where you race against opponents or the clock.	OutRun, Mario Kart
Rail shooter	Player's movement is on a fixed "rail," but they control where they can shoot.	Star Wars (original arcade game), Lethal Enforcers
Real-time strategy	Strategy games where the action happens in real-time as opposed to turn-based, and resource management plays a big role.	Dune II, WarCraft
Real-time tactics	Strategy games where the action happens in real-time as opposed to turn-based, but focus is on unit control rather than resources.	Myth: The Fallen Lords, Cannon Fodder
Rhythm game	Player must perform actions in rhythm with music.	Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero
Role-playing game	Player takes the role of a character and builds them up at they progress through a story.	Ultima, Final Fantasy
Rogue-like	Games similar to Rogue, top-down lo-fi dungeon crawlers with permadeath.	Rogue, Nethack
Rogue-lite	An easier version of a Rogue-like, usually eliminates permadeath, reduces unexpected dying, and adds permanent upgrades.	Undermine, Streets of Rogue
Runner	The player constantly moves forward through an often procedurally-generated and endless map avoiding obstacles.	Canabalt, Alto's Adventure
Sandbox	Player is given the freedom to be creative within the game environment and often modify key components.	Minecraft, SimCity
Sandbox role-playing game	A hybrid genre where an RPG takes place in a sandbox world.	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4
Scrolling shooter	A 2D shooter where the player moves through a larger environment.	1942, Defender
Shooter	2D environment, player shoots projectiles at enemies.	Space Invaders, Galaga
Shooting gallery	A sub-genre of shooter where the player views a scene from behind the character they control and shoots at targets in the scene. Light gun games often use a similar layout, but are differentiated because the player's character doesn't fire moving bullets and the player doesn't have to maneuver a targeting reticle.	'Cabal, Wild Guns
Simulation	Games which simulate a real life process.	SimCity, Microsoft Flight Simulator
Single-screen	Games which take place in a single screen.	Pac-Man, Yars' Revenege
Snake game	Player controls a snake-like character that must avoid hitting walls or itself.	Blockade, Snake
Social deduction	Involves cooperation between team members, but also lying and bluffing.	Among Us, Town of Salem
Sports	Games related to sports.	Tecmo Bowl, Ice Hockey
Stealth	Games where you try to hide from enemies more than attack them.	Escape from Castle Wolfenstein, Metal Gear
Strategy	Games where you must find a good strategy within a rule set.	Civilization, Command & Conquer
Survival	The player is expected to stay alive in an unforgiving environment. Usually involves farming and crafting.	Don't Starve, Ark: Survival Evolved
Survival horror	Horror video games where you're trying to stay alive.	Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil
Tactical RPG	A hybrid of turn-based strategy games and RPGs.	Shining Force, Final Fantasy Tactics
Tactical shooter	A hybrid of shooters and real-time tactics where strategy plays an important role.	SEAL Team, Rainbow Six
Text adventure	Adventure games which predominately use text to describe the game world.	Zork, A Mind Forever Voyaging
Tower defense	You setup and upgrade defenses to stop an onslaught.	Desktop Tower Defense, Rampart
Trivia	Games based around answering trivia questions.	You Don't Know Jack, Trivia Crack
Tube shooter	A shooter where the player controls a character that shoots projectiles at their opponents down a tube-like structure.	Tempest, Gyruss
Turn-based strategy	Strategy games which give you time to think in between moves.	Civilization, Heroes of Might & Magic
Turn-based tactics	Turn-based games where you have a set number of units to work with.	X-COM: UFO Defense, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate
Typing	A game which also teaches the player how to type.	Mario Teaches Typing, The Typing of the Dead
Vehicular combat	The player pilots a war machine (aircraft, tank, ship, etc.) in combat, typically first-person.	Battlefield V, Red Baron
Visual novel	Games that are primarily illustrated stories, but often have a small amount of interaction.	Doki Doki Literature Club!, The Portopia Serial Murder Case
Western RPG	RPGs that follow the design style of early Western RPGs.	Ultima, Wizardry
Word game	Games based around playing with words.	Super TextTwist, Wordtris

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