The gaming industry has significantly impacted the online world over the past few decades, becoming a multi-million dollar industry and a favorite amusement for millennials and adults alike. Leading gaming companies invest heavily in developing new games across various old and new genres. The gaming industry generates substantial revenue, bringing gamers worldwide together through tournaments, leagues, and competitions.
As a result, with so many different genres to choose from, it has become overwhelming for many gamers to find the perfect game for their tastes, as their hundreds of genres in video games, including infotainment, education, and more.
So, this blog covers a list of the top 10 video game genres, highlighting what makes each genre unique and providing some of the best examples of games within each category. Stay tuned; whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just starting out, this blog has something for every reader.
Top 10 Video Game Genres: Example & Sub Genres
We have created a list of the top 10 video game genres based on their success in the industry, with an example for each.
Main Genre | Sub Genres |
Action | ● Fighting games ● Stealth games ● Platformers ● Beat ’em up ● First-person shooters (FPS)
|
Adventure | ● Point-and-click adventure ● Narrative-driven adventure ● Survival adventure ● Open-world adventure
|
Action- Adventure | ● Survival-horror ● Platformers |
Role Playing Games | ● Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) ● Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) |
Strategy | ● Real-Time Strategy ● Turn-Based Strategy ● Tower Defense ● City Building ● Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) |
Sports | ● Racing ● Fighting sports games |
Simulation | ● Life simulation ● Flight Simulation ● Racing simulation |
Racing | ● Simulation Racing Games ● Arcade Racing Games ● Open-World Racing Games ● Combat Racing Games
|
Fighting | ● Traditional 2D Fighting Games ● 3D Fighting Games ● Platform Fighting Games ● Weapon-Based Fighting Games
|
Puzzle | ● Match-3 ● Hidden object ● Platform puzzle ● Logic puzzles
|
Action
Video games are popular in many genres, but the Action genre has a unique fan base in the video industry, making top video game genre of all time. Action games are usually designed with intense combat and focus on physical challenges that require hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes. First-person shooters and survival games are sub-genres of action games.
Action Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Fighting games: Mortal Kombat
- Stealth games: Metal Gear Solid
- Platformers: Super Mario Bros
- Beat ’em up: Streets of Rage
- First-person shooters (FPS): Doom
Adventure
Adventure games have lesser actions and mainly focus on exploration and narratives. Players are often required to solve puzzles, interact with non-player characters, and complete quests to progress through the game. Adventure is the main genre of these subgenres of games.
Adventure Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Point-and-click adventure: The Secret of Monkey Island
- Narrative-driven adventure: Life is Strange series
- Survival adventure: The Last of Us series
- Open-world adventure: Assassin’s Creed series
Action & Adventure
The action-Adventure genre in video games is widely recognized for its incorporation of intense physical activity and intricate narrative puzzles and challenges typically found in adventure games. This genre demands a combination of combat prowess and puzzle-solving abilities from players to overcome obstacles and progress through the game. The Legend of Zelda is a classic example of the action-adventure genre, released in 1986 by Nintendo Games.
Action-Adventure Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Survival-horror: Resident Evil franchise
- Platformers: Metroid
Role Playing Games
Role-playing: RPGs or RPGs are a popular video game genre; these games allow players to create and customize characters and develop them over time through quests and battles. RPGs often have a deep story, complex characters, and multiple branching paths that affect the game's outcome. RPGs can be either single-player or multiplayer and can be set in various worlds, from medieval fantasy to sci-fi.
RPG Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs): Final Fantasy
- Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs): World of Warcraft
Sports
Sports games come in different gameplay styles, including simulation-based and arcade-style, offering players various options to suit their preferences. Sports game simulators enable players to compete with either real-life opponents or computer-controlled players. This feature adds a layer of challenge to the game and gives players a sense of realism as they aim to outscore their opponents.
Sports Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Racing: MotoGP 21
- Fighting sports games: WWE 2K22
Strategy
Sports games come in different gameplay styles, including simulation-based and arcade-style, offering players various options to suit their preferences. Sports game simulators enable players to compete with either real-life opponents or computer-controlled players. This feature adds a layer of challenge to the game and gives players a sense of realism as they aim to outscore their opponents.
Strategy Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Real-Time Strategy: Age of Empires
- Turn-Based Strategy: Civilization
- Tower Defense: Plants vs. Zombies
- City Building: SimCity
- Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA): League of Legends
Simulation
Simulation is a novice genre in video gaming; however, it has marked a special place for its games. Simulation games allow players to simulate real-world activities such as building cities, managing businesses, or piloting airplanes. Simulation games feature realistic graphics and physics and can be either single-player or multiplayer.
Simulation Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Life simulation: The Sims
- Flight simulation: Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Racing simulation: Gran Turismo
Puzzle
Puzzle genre games come in various forms like wordplay, shape recognition, logic-based, and quick matching. Puzzle games often require players to utilize their problem-solving skills to progress through the level.
Puzzle Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Match-3: Candy Crush Saga
- Hidden object: Mystery Case Files
- Platform puzzle: Braid
- Logic puzzles: Sudoku
Fighting
Fighting games allow players to fight against each other or computer opponents in one-on-one battles. Fighting games often feature unique characters, special moves, and combos that require practice to master in 2d and 3d graphics.
Fighting Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Traditional 2D Fighting Games: Street Fighter
- 3D Fighting Games: Tekken
- Platform Fighting Games: Brawlhalla
- Weapon-Based Fighting Games: Samurai Shodown
Racing
Racing games are all about competition in vehicles' speed, whether against other players or the clock. These games often have licensed cars, tracks, and events, allowing players to customize their vehicles and racing styles with boosters and other game elements.
Racing Sub Genre and Examples:-
- Simulation Racing Games:iRacing
- Arcade Racing Games: Mario Kart
- Open-World Racing Games: Test Drive Unlimited
- Combat Racing Games: Wipeout
Wrapping up:
This blog discusses the top 10 popular video game genres that are loved by gamers. The article also delves into the sub-genres of each category and provides examples for each. Additionally, the blog highlights the most popular genre of 2022, according to Statista.
In summary, readers can learn about the various genres of video games, including action, adventure, role-playing, sports, simulation, strategy, puzzle, fighting, racing, and platform games.
