List of video games by genre

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This article gives a list of computer games and video games by category, i.e. arranged alphabetically by genre. Some categories/genres are briefly defined at the beginning of their respective sections. For an alphabetical list of games sorted by title, see Lists of video games.

Contents

[edit] Action-adventure

Action-adventure games are those where action is the predominant aspect of gameplay, but puzzle-solving and the exploration of, and interaction with, the environment are also key to gameplay; as opposed to "pure" adventure games, where action sequences are the exception rather than the rule. With technological limitations on gameplay becoming less of an issue to game designers, more action games are overlapping into this category.

[edit] Survival horror

Survival horror games focus on fear and attempt to scare the player via traditional horror elements such as atmospherics, death, the undead, blood and gore. Most of these games include third- or first-person shooter elements.

[edit] Adventure

(see also puzzle games)

[edit] Graphical-adventure

Main article: List of graphic adventure games

[edit] Text-adventure

[edit] Arcade games

[edit] Beat 'em ups

[edit] Platformers

Main article: List of platform games

Platformers are characterized by the player jumping to and from suspended platforms, and include running, jumping and some fighting.

[edit] Art games

Used to describe games in which the gameplay itself, in combination with the audio, graphics, story and other aspects of presentation, is considered to of intellectual value and a form of 'high art' in itself. Apart from simple Flash games such as GameLab's Fluid, ICO is perhaps the only 'true' art game, inasmuch that it cannot be sufficiently pigeonholed into any other description. Other titles which crossover into this genre include The Prisoner (computer game) and the Myst franchise in adventure, and the Pikmin series and Darwinia in real-time strategy. The more recent installments of the The Legend of Zelda series, the Final Fantasy series and numerous other RPGs styled after it often aspire to be of intellectual or artistic value, but due to their grounding in traditional genre genres such substance can only exist momentarily in the gameplay itself, and is usually confined to the story and dialogue.

[edit] Communication

'Communication' is used to describe a form of non-violent gameplay in which the aim of the player is integrate into, and help to improve a community by making friends and solving problems. The Animal Crossing series is the most famous example of a 'pure' communication game, but elements of the genre can also be found in most of the Harvest Moon series and in some of the most recent instalments of the The Legend of Zelda series (with Majora's Mask being of particular importance). Both of these titles tend to contain one main 'town' area in which the player can participate in optional communication-based side-quests in order to experience a break from the main genre of the game, and in doing so they can obtain items which, although not essential to the main quest, will greatly aid in the completion of it. Most massively multiplayer online games inevitably involve aspects of the communication genre, but it becomes harder to define when the interaction is with human players rather than NPCs.

[edit] Educational

[edit] Fighting

Main article: List of computer and video fighting games

[edit] First-person shooters

A "complete" list of the genre is available at http://firstpersonshooters.org/

[edit] Game-controlled environment

This category includes games where the player's point of view does not change, and those where the player's movements are (usually) entirely predetermined by the game design ("rail shooters")

[edit] Player-controlled environment

[edit] Vehicle-based

[edit] Mech

These titles may be FPS depending on your definition:

[edit] Third-person shooters/Third-person action

Third-person shooters (TPS) employ a specific perspective for the player. This is normally just behind and above the game character, but it is sometimes an isometric perspective.

[edit] Stealth action

[edit] Online games

Games played over the Internet with other human players in a shared environment. The gameplay is coordinated by a game server. While many games can be played on a computer network, online games are characterized by the game environment being persistent and shared among a significant number of players. The genre's expansion accelerated in 1995 when the internet became popular. Not all game types lend themselves easily to online gaming. (Note that many, if not most, games today are capable of online play, but still are not "online games").

[edit] Online role-playing games

[edit] Online shooters

[edit] Online Third-person shooters/Third-person action

Like Third-person shooters (TPS)and Third-person action games, these multiplayer only versions also employ a specific perspective for all participating in the servers. Generally just behind and above all players but also sometimes in an isometric perspective. These are generally Multiplayer Only additions to an existing series or are Online Multiplayer Only games. But these are not Massively Multiplayer Online (MMOS) games. Nor are they MMORPG or MMOFPS and are subscription free. Some have combine more than one style of gameplay mode such as Real Time Strategy (RTS) with First Person/Third-person (FPS/TPS) while others are strictly Third-person.

[edit] Online browser-based

[edit] Puzzle

Main article: List of puzzle-based computer and video games

[edit] Maze games

See also: List of computer and video maze games and List of maze chase games.

[edit] Rhythm games

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(See also List of dance video games, List of drumming games)

[edit] Role-playing games

[edit] Western RPGs

[edit] Eastern RPGs

[edit] Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO's)

Main article: List of MMORPGs
See also: List of text-based MMORPGs

[edit] Roguelikes

See also: List of popular roguelikes (and other descendents of rogue).

[edit] Tactical role-playing

See Turn-based tactics.

A tactical role-playing game is a type of computer or console role-playing game which incorporates elements of traditional turn-based strategy games.

[edit] Action role-playing

An action role-playing game or Action RPG is a type of computer and console role-playing game which requires quick action or reflexes from the player.

[edit] Simulation games

Simulation, or simulator, games attempt recreating the experience of controlling a some kind vehicle, like a ship, airplane or car, often as realistically as practically possible, taking into account physics and other real-world limitations.

[edit] Flight simulators

[edit] Space simulation

Space simulations tend to be much like flight simulations but generally have to take many liberties to adapt the "true" physics of spaceflight to be more player-friendly.

[edit] Racing games

See also: List of offroad racing computer and video games

[edit] Arcade styled

[edit] Programming games

[edit] Sports games

[edit] Baseball

[edit] Basketball

[edit] Bowling

  • 10 Pin Bowling (Game Boy Color)
  • 10 Pin Deluxe (Arcade)
  • 10-Pin Bowling (Commodore 64)
  • 300 Bowl (Palm, PocketPC)
  • 3-D Bowling (Arcade)
  • 4-Player Bowling Alley (Arcade)
  • 5-Pin Bowling (Commodore 64)
  • AMF Bowling 2004 (Xbox)
  • AMF Xtreme Bowling (PlayStation 2)
  • Arcade Bowling (PC)
  • Big Strike Bowling (PlayStation)
  • Black Market Bowling (PlayStation 2)
  • Bowling (Atari 2600)
  • Bowling Alley (Arcade)
  • Bowling Blast (PC)
  • Bowling Master (PocketPC)
  • Bowl-O-Rama (Arcade)
  • Brunswick Circuit Pro Bowling series (Nintendo 64, PC, PlayStation)
  • Championship Bowling (Arcade, Genesis, Nintendo)
  • Elf Bowling series (Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PC)
  • Fast Lanes Bowling (PC)
  • Flintstones Bedrock Bowling (PlayStation)
  • Friday Night (PC)
  • Gutterball (Mac, PC)
  • Hyperbowl (Arcade)
  • King of Bowling 2 (PlayStation)
  • MegaBowling (Palm)
  • Milo's Astro Lanes (Nintendo 64)
  • Nester's Funky Bowling (Virtual Boy)
  • PBA Bowling (PC)
  • Pin Action (PC)
  • RocketBowl (PC)
  • Saints and Sinners Bowling (PC)
  • Simpsons Bowling, The (Arcade)
  • Strike Force Bowling (GameCube, PlayStation 2)
  • Super Bowling (Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo)
  • Ten Pin Alley 2 (Game Boy Advance)
  • Ten Pin Championship Bowling Pro (PC)
  • Ultimate Bowling Fighter (Palm, PocketPC)
  • Waku Waku Bowling (PlayStation)
  • Wii Sports
  • WinBowl (PC)
  • World Bowling (Game Boy)

[edit] Boxing

[edit] Football

[edit] Golf

Main article: List of golf video games

[edit] Hockey

[edit] Hunting

  • Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 (Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

[edit] Lacrosse

[edit] Paintball

[edit] Rugby

[edit] Skateboarding

[edit] Skiing

[edit] Soccer

Main article: List of soccer video games

[edit] Tennis

[edit] Track & Field

[edit] Volleyball

[edit] Wrestling

  • Tag Team Wrestling (Atari 2600)
  • WWF Wrestlemania (Nintendo NES)
  • WWF Wrestlemania Challenge (Nintendo NES)
  • WCW/NWA Wrestling (Nintendo NES)
  • HammerLock Wrestling (Super Nintendo)
  • WWF WrestleMania 2000 (Nintendo 64)

[edit] Miscellaneous

[edit] Strategy

Main article: List of strategy video games

[edit] General strategy

[edit] City-building

  • 1503 A.D., a city builder game set in the New World (Americas)
  • Caesar, a city builder game set in ancient Rome
  • Zeus, a city builder game set in ancient Greece
  • Pharaoh, a city builder game set in ancient Egypt
  • Tropico
  • The Settlers series
  • SimCity series
  • Govill

[edit] Economic simulation games

Many economic simulator games are sub-classified as Tycoon games.

[edit] "God" games

Some do not consider some games of this genre to be games at all, but rather "digital toys" or "software toys". Indeed, this is how Will Wright, the designer of one of the most popular video games of all time, The Sims, describes his games.

[edit] Tamagotchi games

[edit] Real-time

[edit] Real-time strategy

See also: List of real-time strategy games

[edit] Real-time tactics

See also: List of real-time tactics games

[edit] Turn-based

[edit] Turn-based strategy

[edit] Turn-based tactics

See also: List of turn-based tactics games

[edit] Miscellany

[edit] Fictional or historical settings

See:

[edit] Open-Source games

[edit] Adventure, Role Playing

[edit] Arcade/Classics

[edit] Action

[edit] Board games

[edit] Card games

[edit] First Person Shooter

[edit] Platform

[edit] Racing

[edit] Puzzle

  • Enigma
  • Fish Fillets
  • Gem Drop X
  • Krystal Drop

[edit] Real-Time Strategy

[edit] Shoot'm Up

[edit] Simulators

[edit] Sport

  • FooBillard
  • Hot Potato Online
  • Slam Soccer 2006
  • TuxPuck

[edit] Strategy

[edit] Tetris Clones

[edit] Quiz

  • jQuizShow

[edit] Word games

[edit] Collectible card game

[edit] Notable People

See list of computer and video game industry people.

[edit] Traditional

Most popular board games, card games, and the like have been computerized to some degree or another. Computer game programs can be worthy opponents and can help you improve your skill at traditional games.

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