# Game styles: the main types and genres of video games

> Game styles usually means genres: action, shooter, adventure, RPG, strategy, simulation, sports and puzzle. It can also mean play style or art style.

When people talk about game styles or game types, they usually mean genres: action, adventure, role-playing (RPG), strategy, simulation, sports and racing, puzzle and shooter. Most modern games mix several of them, which is why you see labels like "action RPG" or "survival horror." "Game style" can also mean your personal play style or a game's art style, covered below.

## Main genres

- **Action:** fast reactions and combat. Includes platformers, beat 'em ups, fighting games and hack-and-slash.
- **Shooter:** combat with ranged weapons, in first person (FPS) or third person. Battle royale games like Fortnite and Apex Legends are a popular subgenre.
- **Adventure:** exploration, story and puzzles, from classic point-and-click games to narrative adventures.
- **Role-playing (RPG):** you develop a character through levels, skills and gear. Subgenres include action RPGs, JRPGs, CRPGs and MMORPGs.
- **Strategy:** planning and resource management. Real-time strategy (RTS), turn-based strategy, grand strategy and 4X games.
- **Simulation:** imitates real activities, from flight and racing sims to life and farming sims and city builders.
- **Sports and racing:** realistic or arcade versions of sports and driving.
- **Puzzle:** logic, patterns and spatial thinking, from Tetris to Portal.
- **Horror:** built to scare, often combined with action or adventure (survival horror).
- **Sandbox and survival:** open-ended building and survival, as in Minecraft.

## Popular hybrid labels

- **Action-adventure:** The Legend of Zelda, Uncharted.
- **Soulslike:** demanding combat inspired by Dark Souls.
- **Metroidvania:** a large interconnected map unlocked with new abilities, such as Hollow Knight.
- **Roguelike/roguelite:** procedurally generated runs where death restarts the run, such as Hades.
- **MOBA:** team battles with heroes in lanes, such as League of Legends and Dota 2.

## Genre, play style and art style

"Style" can also mean two other things in gaming:

- **Play style:** how you personally play, such as aggressive, defensive, stealthy or casual.
- **Visual style:** the art direction, such as realistic, cartoon or cel-shaded (as in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker), pixel art or low-poly.

## FAQ

**What is casual gaming?**
Games that are easy to pick up and play in short sessions, such as many mobile and puzzle games.

**What is the cartoon style in games called?**
Often "stylized" or "cel-shaded," where 3D graphics are made to look like a drawing or animation.

**What is a gameplay style?**
Either the core way a game is played (its genre and mechanics) or your preferred way of playing: for example, rushing enemies, sniping from a distance or avoiding fights entirely.

**What is game design?**
The craft of creating a game's rules, goals, mechanics and challenges.

**What are the most popular game genres?**
Shooters, action-adventure, RPGs, sports and sandbox games consistently top sales and player counts.

**How many video game genres are there?**
There is no official number. Most lists use 10–15 main genres and dozens of subgenres.

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https://gamevoyages.com/what-game-styles-are-there/ · Game Voyage · Checked 2026-10-31