PC game genres: popular computer video games – examples and descriptions

We, the KISS Software team, together with our leader and expert Yevhen Kasyanenko, have prepared a lively guide to the most popular genres without academic tables and dry definitions – only clear explanations, real examples, and the latest trends.

“The genre of online and computer games is a set of emotions and mechanics. Understanding genres helps both players and developers, because if you miss the audience’s expectations, you lose the market and potential customers,”emphasizes our specialist.

The main genres of computer games on PC

The PC market is held up by several heavyweights — genres without which it would be difficult to imagine the Steam storefront or the top of Twitch. Below, we will briefly analyze each of them in essence — just the gist, gameplay, and a couple of examples to make it clear why players love them.

Action – adrenaline and dynamics

Action is when your fingers are faster than your thoughts, and the outcome of the battle is decided in a fraction of a second. This includes such popular subgenres as:

• Shooters (FPS and TPS) – shoot, hide, shoot again. The main thing is accuracy and speed. Classics of the genre include Call of Duty, DOOM, and Apex Legends.
• Fighting games – one-on-one (or team) close combat, where the winner is the one who knows the right combo at the right moment. Think Mortal Kombat and Tekken.
• Slasher games – combat with cold weapons with an emphasis on style, rhythm, and effectiveness. Here, it’s not just the victory that matters, but how you achieved it. Examples: Devil May Cry, Bayonetta.
• Stealth action games – action, but with brains. Don’t rush in headlong, but bypass, hide, and think ahead. Favorite examples: Hitman, Metal Gear Solid.

Action is for those who love the thrill, the challenge, and don’t mind breaking a sweat behind the keyboard or gamepad. If you get a kick out of intense gameplay and quick decisions, this genre is definitely for you.

“Action games hook you with instant rewards. A precise shot – a subtle rush of dopamine. But the best action games always leave you with a choice: bypass, lure out, or attack head-on,” emphasizes Yevhen Kasyanenko.

Role-playing games (RPG) – character development and epic worlds

If action is about speed, then RPG is about depth. Here, story, leveling up, and freedom of choice reign supreme. Subgenres worth knowing:

• Classic RPGs are the quintessence of the genre: a deep role-playing system, complex dialogues, a well-thought-out world, and a bunch of options for completing the game. If you like to read, think, and get into character, this is the place for you. Examples: Baldur’s Gate, Divinity: Original Sin.
• Action RPGs – these aren’t just menus with skills, but active battles: you swing your sword, dodge, cast spells, and all in real time. At the same time, the plot and leveling up are still there. Favorite examples: The Witcher 3, Elden Ring.
• MMORPG – huge online worlds where you are not alone, but surrounded by hundreds (if not thousands) of other players. Leveling up, raids, guilds, economics – a whole virtual life. Classics of the genre: World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV.
• Roguelike/Roguelite – RPGs taken to the max. The levels are new every time, there’s plenty of difficulty, and if you die, you start over. But that’s what makes it so addictive. Notable examples: Hades, Dead Cells.

For RPG players, it’s not just about “beating the game,” but about living the story. Here you have freedom of choice, a real atmosphere, and the feeling that you really influence what is happening. This is a genre for those who love depth, story, and the feeling that something depends on you.

Strategy – think several steps ahead

Strategy is a genre for those who like to think. It’s not just “jump and hit,” but the essence is important: “think and win.” You command armies, build cities, count resources, plan ahead, and get a thrill from how your brilliant move worked out.

What are the variations:

• RTS – real-time strategy. Everything happens here and now: you simultaneously develop your base, gather an army, and fight off the enemy. There’s minimal time to think, but plenty of adrenaline. Examples: StarCraft, Age of Empires.
• Turn-based strategy games. Here you can take a breath and calmly think through your next move. One move – one decision. They are played like chess, only instead of pieces, you have entire civilizations or special forces units. Examples: Civilization, XCOM.
• City-building strategy games. No wars, you are the mayor, architect, and economist all rolled into one. You build roads, take care of the residents, and try not to go into the red. Examples: SimCity, Cities: Skylines.
• Tactical RPGs. A mixture of strategy and role-playing games. You level up your heroes, assemble a squad, and participate in turn-based battles. Both planning and leveling up are important here. Examples: Fire Emblem, Disciples.

If you like to calculate your moves and outsmart your enemies with your mind rather than your strength, then strategy games are definitely for you. It’s about logic, patience, and the satisfaction of a victory you planned in advance.

“Strategy games seem niche, but they develop resource management skills that are useful in real life,” notes Yevhen.

Adventure games – interactive stories

In these games, the story itself is in the foreground, and the gameplay only subtly emphasizes it. In adventure games, you are the main character. You decide what to say, where to go, and what to do. What matters here is the plot, the atmosphere, the puzzles, and that feeling when you think, “Just one more dialogue and then I can go to sleep.”

What’s inside:

• Quests. Remember those games where you click your mouse all over the screen looking for clues? That’s what these are. Here you have to think, compare facts, search for items, and solve puzzles. Examples: Monkey Island, The Walking Dead.
• Interactive cinema. Here, you are the director of your own story. No rush: just make choices, and they really change the plot. There is more than one ending, and it all depends on you. Examples: Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human.
• Metroidvania. These games already have action, but with an emphasis on exploring the world. At first, you wander around, bump into closed doors, and then you find an ability and suddenly realize: “So that’s where I had to go back!” Examples: Hollow Knight, Ori and the Blind Forest.

“Adventure games are loved because they are like a good book or TV series, only you decide everything yourself. It’s about emotions, atmosphere, and those moments when you really want to know: ‘What will happen next?’”, adds Yevhen Kasyanenko.

The survival genre – on the edge of what is possible

You find yourself alone in a wild environment where food is running out, night is approaching, and a predator looms on the horizon. All you have in your inventory are a few branches and the determination to live until dawn. Then it’s time to improvise: gather resources, craft tools, build a shelter, and prove every day that survival is possible after all, because everything is in your hands.

What are the options?

• Survival in an open world. Explore, gather, craft, build, all in a vast, often hostile world. No one will hold your hand. Examples: The Forest, Subnautica.
• Survival Horror. Want to not just survive, but do it with a chill down your spine? Mutants, zombies, and other “delights” await you here. Tense, scary, atmospheric. Examples: Resident Evil, The Last of Us.
• Sandboxes with survival elements. Complete freedom of action: build, explore, fight, or just grow carrots. No one is rushing you, but you shouldn’t relax either. Examples: Minecraft, Valheim.

“This genre is so captivating because it’s about trials, independence, and the feeling of ‘I did it’. And also about freedom: if you want, build a base. If you want, go into caves. If you want, fly into space. The main thing is to survive. And better yet, survive beautifully,” notes our expert.

Simulation games – life in a virtual world

Simulation games have one goal: to allow us to live someone else’s life without risking anything except a free evening. There are many different formats:

• City-building and business sims. Build a city, an amusement park, or an entire production facility while maintaining a balance between budget, morale, and the whims of the population. In the highly anticipated Frostpunk 2, you’ll have to make tough compromises to survive, while the classic SimCity and RollerCoaster Tycoon give you the same power, but with less drama.
• Life simulators. These are sandboxes about everyday life and relationships. In the new expansion, The Sims 4: Horse Ranch, caring for horses has been added to housekeeping—set up a stable, harvest hay, and learn horseback riding.
• Transport and technical sims. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 downloads current weather data from satellites into the cockpit, and Euro Truck Simulator 2 turns a trip across Europe into an almost meditative activity: delivery schedules, fuel economy, truck repairs—everything is realistic.

Simulators are appealing because they offer a safe experiment: you can build a metropolis, grow lavender on a ranch, or pilot a Boeing – all without leaving your chair at home.

Puzzles and casual games

This is a case where it takes seconds to get in and out, but your brain still gets a pleasant workout. The formula is simple: see the task, find the solution, get a little dopamine. There may be the following options:

• Classic logic. From the retro Tetris Effect to the endless Sudoku, the rules can be learned in a minute, and you can spend hours trying to break records.
• Quest puzzles. Portal and The Witness make you look at the world from an unusual angle: change gravity, catch rays of light, open doors where there were none before.
• Casual hits. Candy Crush or Dorfromantik relax you with their gentle pace: move pieces, collect combos, build a cozy little world—all between calls and meetings.

“We often recommend casual games to product managers. Five minutes of break time, and your head is ready for new tasks,” adds Yevhen Kasyanenko.

Hybrid genres and fresh trends

A new idea appears in the game, and a year or two later, it is already crossed with a dozen existing formats. According to Yevhen Kasyanenko, today’s players are not looking for a genre, but a feeling of novelty. That’s why developers are boldly mixing what seemed incompatible yesterday. Below, we discuss four trends that are currently setting the tone in the PC market.

MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) – a team game

League of Legends and Dota 2 have long become a separate universe: leagues, stadium broadcasts, millions in prize money. The formula is simple on paper—five heroes against five, one map, and the goal of destroying the enemy base. But behind this simplicity lies the depth of chess: character selection, resource control, and team coordination matter more than click accuracy.

Why MOBA is still at its peak:

• The game doesn’t stand still. Developers are constantly changing something: balance, heroes, items, maps. All this keeps the game alive, because you have to adapt and learn new things, even if you’ve been playing for 5 years straight.
• Depth and team dynamics. It’s not just skill that matters here, but also the ability to work as a team. One good move can turn the whole game around, and every match is a new story, no routine.
• Esports and spectacle. MOBA games have become the basis for esports: millions of viewers, huge prize pools, and players who are known by sight. These are no longer just games, they are shows.

Our expert adds:

“A MOBA match teaches business thinking no worse than an MBA. You assign roles, calculate timings, and decide when to take risks and when to retreat.“ It’s no surprise that the genre is increasingly incorporating elements of RPG and strategy, and mobile versions are expanding the audience with short games on the way home.”

Battle Royale – who will be the last one standing?

The essence of the genre is simple: many players, one map, and only one winner (or team). You are thrown into the combat zone with almost nothing but your bare hands, and then the struggle for survival begins. Loot, shooting, panic, a shrinking zone, and the eternal question: “How did he even kill me?!”

What makes the genre special:

• Survive however you want. At the beginning, you are nobody. All you need to do is find gear, stay alive, and move towards victory. Some loot quietly, others go in guns blazing. The style is up to you.
• The zone shrinks, and so do your nerves. The game map is not infinite: over time, it shrinks, forcing players to come closer together. The closer the end, the more intense every second becomes.
• Huge variability. You can play like Rambo or like a ninja — there is no one “right” way to play Battle Royale. Each game is like a new strategy.

How the genre has influenced the market:

• Fortnite added a building feature, so now you can build fortifications on the fly and change the landscape of battle.
• Apex Legends breathed role-playing spirit into the genre: each character has unique abilities, and team synergy has become really important.
• Even Call of Duty and Battlefield didn’t stay on the sidelines: now everyone has their own Battle Royale, and it’s in the spotlight.

The genre has not only become fashionable, it has reformatted the entire shooter industry. It has given players a new type of gameplay: where every action can be your last or your victory.

Soulslike – hardcore that draws you in

If you’ve ever died from a single blow and still clicked “try again,” congratulations, you’ve already been to the world of Soulslike. This genre originated with the legendary Dark Souls and has since become synonymous with hardcore, mysterious lore, and real challenges.

Why do people do this to themselves?

• It’s difficult, but fair. Did the enemy kill you? Then you made a mistake. But how exhilarating it is when, for the hundredth time, you finally defeat a boss that seemed impossible. It’s pure gamer satisfaction.
• The world speaks for itself. There are no long cutscenes or full-screen explanations. You have to piece the story together bit by bit: through the environment, dialogues, and objects. For many, it’s like solving a big game puzzle.
• Every move counts. You can’t just swing your sword mindlessly. Timing, parrying, and endurance are important here. Battle is almost like a dance, except if you miss a step, you’ll get your face smashed in.

Now everyone in the industry wants to be a little bit like Souls:

• Elden Ring proved that hardcore can be mainstream, beautiful, and even… open.
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor took the combat from Souls and added lightsabers, and it turned out great.
• Lies of P and other newcomers to the genre are experimenting: some are making things darker, some are making them more dynamic, but the formula remains recognizable.

Soulslike games don’t hold your hand. They are not about easy victories, but about growth, overcoming obstacles, and the inner “yes, I can!” And it seems that this is exactly what many players were missing.

Game services and their impact on the industry

Whereas games used to be released on disc and fixed with patches, now many projects live in seasons. Destiny 2, Warframe, and Genshin Impact show a model where every few weeks, players are given a new activity, quest, or line of cosmetics. The financial engine is battle passes and optional skins. The gameplay engine is co-op, clans, and regular events that are worth taking the time for.

“Hybrid formulas will only gain momentum. Battle royale with crafting, Souls mechanics online, a symbiosis of MOBA and card battler—the market is open to bold combinations. For players, this is a chance to find a new comfortable genre home every year, and for developers, it’s an opportunity to reassemble familiar elements and surprise with fresh combinations,” emphasizes Yevhen Kasyanenko.

How to choose a game by genre – tips from KISS Software

The game catalog is huge, ranging from 8-bit puzzles to multiplayer battle royales. To avoid drowning in a sea of releases, it’s helpful to understand in advance what exactly brings you pleasure. Yevhen Kasyanenko and I consult with publishers on a daily basis and have found that if you take a few simple guidelines as a basis, you can find the perfect game in a couple of minutes.

Questions to ask yourself before choosing a game

Before buying or downloading, try to formulate answers to these questions—this will immediately eliminate half of the unsuitable options:

• How much drive do I need? If you want an adrenaline rush in the first few seconds, go for a fast-paced shooter or racing game. If you’re ready for thoughtful planning, go for a strategy or turn-based RPG.
• Which is more valuable: story or mechanics? Look for a strong storyline in story-driven RPGs, adventures, and interactive movies. If you’re into rules and honing your skills, dive into a fighting game, simulator, or MOBA.
• Alone against the world or shoulder to shoulder with others? Solo playthroughs offer story-driven genres, from horror to quests. Cooperative shooters, MMORPGs, or competitive arenas are suitable for team play.

Tried and tested, when a player clearly answers these questions for themselves, the likelihood of buying but not playing drops to almost zero.

A selection of games for different categories of gamers

“Approach choosing a game the same way you would choose a movie or book; look at the mood, not the loud genre hashtag,” advises Yevhen Kasyanenko.

To make your choice easier, we have compiled a selection of games for different types of players:

• Beginners and those who play on the go. Stardew Valley or Tetris Effect — you can master the controls in five minutes and save at any time.
• Thrill seekers. DOOM Eternal, Mortal Kombat 11 — reaction and accuracy are everything, the games are short, and the pulse is high.
• For fans of strong stories. Disco Elysium, The Witcher 3 — rich plots, choices have consequences, and the ending is discussed for years.
• For tactical minds. XCOM 2, Slay the Spire — every move is important, victory comes from risk analysis and thoughtful resource management.

There is no right genre—there is only the one that suits you here and now. Try different things, change the pace, combine different formats. And if you want to save time searching, the KISS Software team is always ready to suggest which project will give you the most enjoyment.

Want something completely unique and unusual?

If classic genres seem familiar, and you already have an idea for a game that no one has made yet, go for it! Creating something unique, original, and truly cool is entirely possible. The main thing is to have the right team by your side.

KISS Software, led by Yevhen Kasyanenko, is a team of professionals who know how to bring the most daring game ideas to life. Want a 2D platformer with unusual mechanics? Or a large-scale 3D action game with an innovative storyline? We are ready to take on any project and turn your idea into a game that will surprise players and bring success.