Question Your Favorite Games in Each Genre

McStabStab

Community Contributor
Below is my "master list" of every gaming genre that I felt deserved a category. Please copy the list below and fill in your responses with your favorite for each category. If you feel like I've missed any feel free to add your own genres.
  • First Person Shooter:
  • Third Person Shooter:
  • Competitive Online Shooter:
  • Immersive Sim / FPSRPG / Stealth:
  • MMO:
  • MOBA:
  • Battle Royale:
  • Platformer / Metroidvania:
  • Survival / Exploration:
  • Walking Sim:
  • Job / Life / Animal Simulation:
  • Horror / Thriller:
  • City Building / Management:
  • Turn-Based Tactics:
  • Turn-Based Strategy / 4X:
  • Real Time Strategy:
  • Grand Strategy:
  • Tower Defense:
  • CRPG:
  • JRPG:
  • ARPG:
  • Roguelike:
  • Beat Em Up:
  • Bullet Hell / Twin Stick Shooter / 2D Shooter:
  • Fighting:
  • Sports / Competitive:
  • Racing:
  • Puzzle:
  • Deck Building / Cards:
  • Party / Couch Co-Op:
  • Sandbox:
  • Idle:
  • Browser:
 
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So there's a few genres I don't play and many I don't have any favorites in due to not playing them much, so I just went with what I can list.
  • First Person Shooter: Escape from Tarkov (questionable with recent updates, otherwise FEAR)
  • MMO: Star Wars Galaxies (Pre-NGE)
  • Battle Royale: Apex Legends
  • Survival / Exploration: DayZ mod
  • City Building / Management: Does Factorio fit here? I'm not sure where it fits but it should be somewhere
  • Turn-Based Strategy / 4X: Stellaris
  • CRPG: Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • ARPG: Diablo
 

McStabStab

Community Contributor
So there's a few genres I don't play and many I don't have any favorites in due to not playing them much, so I just went with what I can list.
  • First Person Shooter: Escape from Tarkov (questionable with recent updates, otherwise FEAR)
  • MMO: Star Wars Galaxies (Pre-NGE)
  • Battle Royale: Apex Legends
  • Survival / Exploration: DayZ mod
  • City Building / Management: Does Factorio fit here? I'm not sure where it fits but it should be somewhere
  • Turn-Based Strategy / 4X: Stellaris
  • CRPG: Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • ARPG: Diablo

I haven't played tarkov since the wipe, what's new that's not good?
I think factorio definitely fits there!
 
I haven't played tarkov since the wipe, what's new that's not good?
I think factorio definitely fits there!
It's a really rough time with their efforts to curb RMT and cheating. A lot of design decisions are being implemented to stop it, and some of them are creating pretty negative experiences. I'll probably hop back in it next wipe, hopefully by then things will have balanced out a bit. It's an impossible problem to overcome, so I cut them some slack on it, I just don't have the patience to deal with it while they're working it out lol.
 

Zloth

Community Contributor
Jeez, I should be charging to make such a list! I'll take this to be "the one I had the most fun with when I played it" as opposed to "the one I would recommend the most today."
  • First Person Shooter: No One Lives Forever series? It's been a hugely long time so nostalgia might be messing with me.
  • Third Person Shooter: Uhhh... Armed and Dangerous? I've played very few of these.
  • Competitive Online Shooter: Never played one.
  • Immersive Sim / FPSRPG / Stealth: Hey, no fair combining!
  • Immersive Sim: The original Deus Ex.
  • Stealth: Thief 1 and 2.
  • MMO: City of Heroes, by a lot.
  • MOBA: Never played
  • Battle Royale: Never played
  • Platformer / Metroidvania: Never really played unless you want to count Donkey Kong in the old arcades.
  • Survival / Exploration: Subnautica
  • Walking Sim: Never quite understood what this genre is supposed to be
  • Job / Life / Animal Simulation: Err, never played, I think?
  • Horror / Thriller: Don't remember playing any for long
  • City Building / Management: Tropico series... maybe Tropico 4? I need to give 6 some more time to judge properly.
  • Turn-Based Tactics: BattleTech
  • Turn-Based Strategy / 4X: I never was able to get into the grand strategy stuff all that well but I love 4X! Picking one is terribly hard, though, as each has strengths and weaknesses. Sword of the Stars has the best combat by far, Gal Civ 3 has much better planetary development, Endless Space 2 has more fun exploration.
  • Real Time Strategy: Sacrifice.
  • Grand Strategy: Wait, what's turn based strategy if not grand strategy?
  • Tower Defense: I'm thinking Dungeon Keeper 2 could go here.
  • CRPG: Uhh, CRPG, Computer RPG? That's the term we used to use for RPGs on computer as opposed to Pen & Paper? So I guess this is RPG not made in Japan that isn't very action'y? Dragon Age: Origins.
  • JRPG: Final Fantasy 7 (I haven't tried the Remake yet)
  • ARPG: Witcher 3. Also favorite RPG of all time.
  • Roguelike: NetHack... but I cheated and copied my saves so I wasn't "really" playing a rogue-like. I thought that was why they called it Hack - you've got to hack the game a bit to win!
  • Beat Em Up: I'm not too clear on what the genre is. A first person shooter using melee? Like Zeno Clash?
  • Bullet Hell / Twin Stick Shooter / 2D Shooter: Llamatron. Yeah, it's been a very long time since I played this genre.
  • Fighting: Dead or Alive 5 - because boobs > gore
  • Sports / Competitive: Haven't played any
  • Racing: Well, I guess Night Driver for the Atari 2600 was fun for a few hours.
  • Puzzle: Talos Principle
  • Deck Building / Cards: Haven't played
  • Party / Couch Co-Op: Haven't played
  • Sandbox: Kenshi was fun for a while but that's the only true sand box I've played.
  • Idle: Whazzat?
  • Browser: Haven't Played

Not listed: games like the X series, Elite, and Freelancer. You might even be able to squeeze Mount & Blade in there. Basically, games where you build up an empire but also do lots of action-based battles. Best so far for me was X3:Terran Conflict but I haven't gotten to X4 yet.
 

McStabStab

Community Contributor
@Zloth to answer your questions:

Grand Strategy doesn’t have to be turn based. I always think of Europa Universalis or Crusader Kings when I think Grand Strategy.

CRPGs are the more traditional RPG games that tend to lean toward D&D feeling freedoms.

Beat em up I think of games like Bayonetta or the Batman Arkham games.
 
  • First Person Shooter: Return to Castle Wolfenstein
  • Third Person Shooter: Resident Evil 4
  • Competitive Online Shooter: Warzone
  • Immersive Sim / FPSRPG / Stealth: Fallout New Vegas
  • MMO: SWTOR
  • MOBA: League of Legends
  • Battle Royale: Warzone
  • Platformer / Metroidvania: Bloodstained: Ritual of Night
  • Survival / Exploration: Dayz
  • Walking Sim: Dayz
  • Job / Life / Animal Simulation: Dayz
  • Horror / Thriller: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
  • City Building / Management: Cities: Skylines
  • Turn-Based Tactics: Xcom 2
  • Turn-Based Strategy / 4X: Civilization V
  • Real-Time Strategy: Command & Conquer: Red Alert
  • Grand Strategy: Civilization V
  • Tower Defense: -
  • CRPG: Planescape: Torment
  • JRPG: Chrono Trigger
  • ARPG: Vanilla Diablo 3
  • Roguelike: Tales of Maj'Eyal
  • Beat Em Up: Streets of Rage
  • Bullet Hell / Twin Stick Shooter / 2D Shooter: Cuphead
  • Fighting: Mortal Kombat
  • Sports / Competitive: Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition
  • Racing: Colin McRae Rally 2.0
  • Puzzle: The Talos Principle
  • Deck Building / Cards: Solitaire
  • Party / Couch Co-Op: You Don't Know Jack: Movies
  • Sandbox: GTA V
  • Idle: Team Fortress 2
  • Browser: Surviv.io
  • Adventure Game: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
  • Chess Game: Battle Chess
 

McStabStab

Community Contributor
  • First Person Shooter: Doom 2016
  • Third Person Shooter: Max Payne 3
  • Competitive Online Shooter: CS:GO will always have a place in my heart
  • Immersive Sim / FPSRPG / Stealth: System Shock 2
  • MMO: N/A
  • MOBA: N/A
  • Battle Royale: COD: Warzone is the best... for now
  • Platformer / Metroidvania: Super Meat Boy
  • Survival / Exploration: No Man's Sky
  • Walking Sim: Dear Esther (only one I've ever played)
  • Job / Life / Animal Simulation: N/A
  • Horror / Thriller: Resident Evil 2 2019, Alien: Isolation, Resident Evil 7 in a three way tie
  • City Building / Management: Cities: Skylines
  • Turn-Based Tactics: X-Com: UFO Defense 1994
  • Turn-Based Strategy / 4X: Endless Space
  • Real Time Strategy: C&C Red Alert 2
  • Grand Strategy: N/A
  • Tower Defense: Dungeon of the Endless
  • CRPG: Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • JRPG: Pokemon Red/Blue (I know it's not PC sorry)
  • ARPG: The Witcher 3
  • Roguelike: DUSKERS
  • Beat Em Up: Mad Max (I know this is a stretch for beat-em-up but I feel it still fits the bill)
  • Bullet Hell / Twin Stick Shooter / 2D Shooter: Hotline Miami
  • Fighting: Rival Schools: United by Fate (also not a PC game sorry)
  • Sports / Competitive: Rocket League
  • Racing: Codemasters F1 Series
  • Puzzle: Hidden Folks
  • Deck Building / Cards: Slay the Spire
  • Party / Couch Co-Op: Overcooked / Overcooked 2
  • Sandbox: Garry's Mod or Rimworld if it counts
  • Idle: N/A
  • Browser: N/A
 
I added Point and Click and separated a few of the genres (how is stealth not its own genre?)
  • First Person Shooter: Battlefield 2
  • Third Person Shooter: Just Cause 4
  • Competitive Online Shooter: Battlefield 2
  • Immersive Sim: Dwarf Fortress
  • FPSRPG: Fallout: 3/New Vegas
  • Stealth: Dishonered
  • MMO: Tibia
  • MOBA: DotA 2 (only played a few times)
  • Battle Royale: Never played any
  • Platformer / Metroidvania: Portal 2
  • Survival / Exploration: Minecraft
  • Walking Sim: The Stanley Parable
  • Job / Life / Animal Simulation: Surgeon Simulator
  • Horror / Thriller: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
  • City Building / Management: Anno 1602
  • Turn-Based Tactics: XCOM: Enemy Within
  • Turn-Based Strategy: Heroes of Might and Magic III
  • 4X: Civilization IV/V
  • Real Time Strategy: Age of Empires II
  • Grand Strategy: Crusader Kings II
  • Tower Defense: Creeper World
  • CRPG: Dragon's Age: Origins
  • JRPG: Paper Mario
  • Hack & Slash: Sacred Gold
  • ARPG: Fable
  • Action Adventure: Assassin's Creed series
  • Roguelike: Angband
  • Beat Em Up: Fighting Force
  • Bullet Hell / Twin Stick Shooter / 2D Shooter: R.I.P. 3
  • Fighting: Soul Calibur III
  • Sports / Competitive: FIFA 98
  • Racing: Rollcage
  • Puzzle: The Incredible Machine
  • Deck Building / Cards: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Duel Academy
  • Party / Couch Co-Op: Mario Party
  • Sandbox: Minecraft
  • Idle: A Dark Room
  • Browser: Adventure Quest
  • Point and Click: Monkey Island series
EDIT: added Hack & Slash and Action Adventure as separate genres.
 
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OsaX Nymloth

Community Contributor
Using @Pifanjr template

  • First Person Shooter: Doom 2016
  • Third Person Shooter: Max Payne (series)
  • Competitive Online Shooter: Bad Company 2 / F.E.A.R.
  • Immersive Sim: Deus Ex/Prey
  • FPSRPG: Legend of Grimrock 2
  • Stealth: GTFO (I know, I know)
  • MMO: none, not my genre. I guess the most fun I had in Guild Wars ages ago.
  • MOBA: DOTA 2
  • Battle Royale: Apex Legends, played a bit and wasn't bad. Not my genre
  • Platformer / Metroidvania: Limbo
  • Survival / Exploration: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (series)
  • Walking Sim: What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Job / Life / Animal Simulation: none
  • Horror / Thriller: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
  • City Building / Management: Tropico
  • Turn-Based Tactics: Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
  • Turn-Based Strategy: Disciples II
  • 4X: Civilization V
  • Real Time Strategy: StarCraft II
  • Grand Strategy: Europa Universalis IV
  • Tower Defense: none
  • CRPG: Baldur's Gate / Fallout
  • JRPG: none / Dark Souls :p
  • ARPG: Dark Souls
  • Roguelike: Darkest Dungeon / Hand of Fate 2
  • Beat Em Up: none
  • Bullet Hell / Twin Stick Shooter / 2D Shooter: none
  • Fighting: none
  • Sports / Competitive: Football Manager (series)
  • Racing: FlatOut
  • Puzzle: Puzzle Quest 2
  • Deck Building / Cards: Hand of Fate 2
  • Party / Couch Co-Op: none
  • Sandbox: Mount & Blade: Warband
  • Idle: ???
  • Browser: none
  • Point and Click: none
 

OsaX Nymloth

Community Contributor
I should have fit that into my list somehow. I've played Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat, but never Clear Sky. Did I miss out?
To be honest, not so much - Call of Pripyat is like the "ultimate" STALKER experience, that combines a lot of elements from both Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky. Clear Sky alone have the factions system that is nice but can get tiresome after a while and one new map if I remember correctly. To be honest, I consider it the weakest of Stalker games.
 
Not listed: games like the X series, Elite, and Freelancer. You might even be able to squeeze Mount & Blade in there. Basically, games where you build up an empire but also do lots of action-based battles. Best so far for me was X3:Terran Conflict but I haven't gotten to X4 yet.

Space Flight Simulators should be another genre on the list. I used to love starting these type of games, but always got bored of them pretty quickly. I only remember about Freelancer and Darkstar One, but I feel like I must have played more.
 
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McStabStab

Community Contributor
A DRPG is a game where you take a party of adventurers through a dungeon like in Legend of Grimrock. An ARPG is an Action RPG, meaning a RPG which includes combat that relies on player reflexes and skill, such as Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.

Gotcha. Cause my first thought when I think of ARPG is Diablo but I see what you mean. I do like Dungeon of the Endless but I put that in my Tower Defense category.
 
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Zloth

Community Contributor
I really wouldn't call the X games "space flight simulators." They've got some OK space flight mechanics but they definitely aren't one of the game series' selling points. Space battles, outfitting ships, building factories, exploring space, doing (mostly light-weight) quests... but it's definitely no Independence War.

I would call No Man's Sky a survival game myself, but I wouldn't be real happy with the designation. There's just nowhere else to put it.
 

McStabStab

Community Contributor
I feel like you could also break the supply chain management and city builder games into separate categories. Cities: Skylines, Sim City, etc. don't feel like they could be in the same category as Satisfactory. That being said, Anno 1800, Frostpunk, etc. I feel are more supply chain management. but still are city builders.
 

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