10 Most Popular Video Game Genres in the World
Playing video games has emerged as a globally favored form of entertainment, capturing the attention of people worldwide. With the increasing number of gadgets, the popularity of video games has increased significantly, attracting both children and adults.
The continuous development of technology has led to significant advancements in the quality of video games, boosting the level of enjoyment they provide.
Additionally, the world of video game development involves an incredible variety of genres and sub-genres, offering players a wide range of options to explore. The variety allows individuals to select the game genre that resonates with their personal preferences. Thus, let's start a quick exploration of the numerous video game genres.
1. Action Game
Action games rank among the most popular genres in the world of video games. Within the realm of action games, players hold complete control, placing themselves at the heart of the action.
To engage in an action game, players have to overcome physical challenges. These games prioritize testing the player's reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time.
Action games cover a wide array of sub-genres, including platform games, shooting games, fighting games, survival games, and battle royale. The action games have been around for several decades, with notable titles like Donkey Kong (1981) and Galaga (1981). In the modern era, beloved action games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty are at their best.
2. Action-Adventure Game
True to their name, action-adventure games offer an exciting blend of action and exploration. This genre often collaborates quests and challenges, resulting in thrilling gameplay. In these games, players must utilize items and engage in various actions throughout their journey.
Action-adventure games are divided into two sub-genres. Firstly, we have survival horror, which aims to evoke fear and suspense through elements of horror fiction.
Secondly, there's the Metroidvania sub-genre, characterized by interconnected world maps that players can explore. Unlocking new areas within these maps requires successfully completing specific actions.
3. Adventure Game
Adventure games have a long-standing legacy as one of the earliest forms of interactive entertainment. Rather than being defined by specific narratives or themes, these games are distinguished by their distinctive gameplay approach.
Unlike the traditional video games that prioritize action-oriented elements, adventure games often stray from this path, resulting in a relatively lower level of popularity among mainstream gamers.
This type of game consists of a number of sub-genres, including visual novels, interactive movies, and real-time 3D adventures. It revolves around player interaction with the virtual environment and its inhabitants, as they engage in puzzle-solving and uncover clues to progress the story or gameplay.
4. Role-Playing Game
RPGs, or role-playing games, remain a highly popular video game genre, capturing the passion of numerous gamers today.
This genre falls into six distinct sub-genres. Action RPGs borrow elements from action games, infusing them with their own unique flavor. MMORPGs, on the other hand, facilitate interactions among hundreds of players in real time, fostering a dynamic gaming experience.
Typically, RPGs transport players to enchanting worlds characterized by medieval or fantasy settings. While turn-based RPGs dominated the early entries of this genre, modern RPGs have embraced real-time mechanics.
5. Simulation Game
Simulation games, by definiton, aim to imitate real or fictional realities, effectively simulating various situations or events. These games have gained considerable popularity among players.
Simulation games can be categorized into three sub-genres. One such sub-genre is construction and management simulation games. Examples of these include the SimCity series, which tasks players with simulating the construction and management of cities.
Additionally, there are life simulation games such as SimLife and The Sims, where players simulate the lives and activities of virtual characters. There is also another sub-genre of simulation games focusing on ecosystem simulation, aiming to simulate the dynamics of ecosystems.
Furthermore, vehicle simulations are also popular within this genre. Games like Bus Simulator and Truck Simulator provide players with the opportunity to simulate driving and operating various types of vehicles.
6. Strategy Game
Strategy games are centered around gameplay that demands thoughtful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory and accomplish missions.
Players engaged in these games must employ meticulously devised strategies and tactics. As a response to player input, strategy games have evolved from turn-based systems to real-time gameplay, allowing for more dynamic and immediate decision-making.
Within the realm of strategy games, there exist numerous sub-genres. Some of well-known sub-genres include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, real-time strategy (RTS) games, and war games.
7. Sports Game
Sports games strive to replicate real-world sporting activities, covering a wide range of sports such as basketball, soccer, cycling, and tennis. Typically, players have the ability to control their opponents, who can either be other human players or artificial intelligence-controlled entities.
Sports games can be further categorized into four sub-genres. One genre includes racing games such as Forza and Gran Turismo, which focus on high-speed competitions. Another sub-genre consists of group sports games like FIFA Football, emphasizing team dynamics and strategic gameplay.
Additionally, the sports game genre encompasses competitive games like Overwatch and Team Fortress, where players engage in intense battles to showcase their skills. Furthermore, even sports entertainment games like WWE are also considered part of this genre.
8. Idle Game
Idle genre games typically involve players engaging in simple actions, such as earning rewards in the form of in-game currency.
In these games, players can enjoy a more relaxed experience, often performing light tasks like repetitive clicking on icons. Some idle games even automate gameplay, eliminating the need for constant interaction.
Despite their simplicity, idle games effectively maintain player engagement by providing rewards for completing missions or achieving milestones.
A prime example of this genre is Cookie Clicker, where players start by clicking on a large cookie on the screen, generating one cookie per click. These cookies can then be spent on acquiring assets and items like "cursors" and "buildings," which automatically generate more cookies. Other examples within this genre include Hospital Tycoon and Hotel Tycoon.
Idle games are particularly well-suited for casual and laid-back play, allowing players to unwind and enjoy a more relaxed gaming experience.
9. Sandbox Game
According to HP, sandbox games are characterized by the concept of "freedom," giving players the ability to explore the game world or even the game itself without being confined by objectives or challenging missions.
In sandbox games, players have the freedom to define their own missions and often have the opportunity to express their creativity during gameplay.
Several well-known game titles fall into the sandbox genre, including GTA, The Sims, and Minecraft. Additionally, games like Genshin Impact also belong to the sandbox RPG genre, offering players a vast and open world to explore and interact with.
10. Puzzle Game
True to its name, puzzle games are designed to stimulate and sharpen the brain. These games typically present players with various puzzles that require solving. The difficulty level of the puzzles can vary, ranging from easy to challenging.
The puzzle genre consists of a wide range of games, including match 3 games like Candy Crush Saga, hidden object games, board games, and word games.
Even action and survival horror games combine puzzle-solving elements. For instance, both the classic and remake versions of Resident Evil 4 feature challenging puzzles that players must solve as they progress through the game. These puzzles add an extra layer of mental engagement and problem-solving to the gameplay experience.
Those are some of the most popular video game genres enjoyed by gamers worldwide. You might be familiar with and engage in numerous games falling under these categories. Which one is your favorite among the genres mentioned? Please share it in the comment section!