Six Video Game Genres To Try Out

Online gaming is a lot of fun, once started, the hours will quickly wiz by and before you know it, you’ll have spent half the day gaming, picking up the online bug – and once you’ve got it, it’s hard to stop it. There are just so many different types of games you can play online with many being free to try and enjoy. You can play shooter games, arcade games such as pool or darts, strategic sporting games or survival games – the possibilities are endless.

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Part of the enjoyment of video gaming is that you can play with your friends, whether that’s online or taking turns on the same laptop or games console – a lot of games are made available online now, which is often preferred. So once you’ve got the gaming bug, you can pass it on to your family members or friends so that they can join in with you. You may find yourself enjoying it so much that you have to invest in a new games console – the PlayStation 5 or Xbox One got launched back in 2020 and are extremely well spec’d.

From fighting games to survival games, sports games to arcade games, below we have put together our list of the most popular video game genres out today.

Why play video games?

• They can provide a form of escapism and help improve your mental health
• They can help you to meet other people with similar interests to yours
• They provide you with entertainment that can help pass the time
• They enable you to work on skills such as your concentration, logic and problem-solving
• They have been shown to improve your brain connectivity and memory
• They are an easy way to tap into your hobbies without having to leave the house

Sports Games

Sports games will always be one of the most popular genres out there to play when enjoying video games. Most sports will have a game that will represent them, with some sports having multiple games representing them, for example, Fifa 24 and Efootball are both popular football games. Other popular games within the sporting genre include – Maddems (NFL), NBA 2K22 (Basketball), PGA Tour (golf), and Tennis World Tour (Tennis). You may also find plenty of online sports games that you can play for free.

Arcade Games

The arcade games genre typically includes traditional games that you can play at bars, pubs, restaurants – essentially most entertainment establishments. Games include popular activities such as pool, darts, table tennis, and table football. Arcade games can also be puzzle games such as sudoku, crosswords, solitaire and quizzes. There are often free arcade games to play online as well as paid ones, the paid ones are often more complex and involve additional levels.

Fighting Games

The fighting game genre is fairly self-explanatory – any online game that involves fighting will fall under this genre. You can enjoy MMA games online as well as boxing games. One of the most popular games that fall under the fighting games genre is WWE. Each year they release a new game, improving gameplay, graphics and updating the characters if any new wrestler has entered the roster. Most fighting games are two-player and enable online gameplay so that you can test your skills against other players.

RPG Games (Role Play Games)

RPG is short for role-playing games and what these games are is a game where you play the character within a fictional setting. Different storylines will be created which you will play out with your character, making decisions in a fictional world. The decisions you make during the game will often have different outcomes, enabling different experiences if you repeat the game again, but choose a different option. Popular role-playing games that are currently available on the market include The Witcher, Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, and Grand Theft Auto, amongst many others.

Strategy Games

Strategy Games are very popular and are always one of the top genres out there. Many strategy games are released each year, with new challenges arriving. They often focus on puzzles and making you think to overcome an obstacle. Having good decision-making skills is the key to success with strategy games – the more you play strategy games, the better your decision-making skills will be, which can help in life overall and most jobs require good decision-making.

Simulation Games

Simulation games are games that are designed to take place in a real life setting. These are designed to mimic activities that you see in the real world and might teach you certain skills or how to operate a business. Some examples can be Animal Crossing where you play a character and have to pick up collectables and build a village. The Sims is arguably one of the most famous and involves you creating and building a family, building houses and running your Sims lives. You could also play games such as Theme Park world or Theme Hospital where you run the establishment and have to complete challenges.

The gaming landscape is forever changing with new games being released each year and the popular genres changing depending on the success of said games. The above are  five popular genres for you to try out, however, there are many others which may interest you, so make sure you do your research. When finding games that you fancy trying, check if they have any demos for you to try as many do. This way you can try the game before you buy, helping you save money if it turns out you don’t like it once trying.

Remember technology is always changing and improving, so a game you may have played in the past that you didn’t like, may well have improved – so don’t be afraid to try it again (otherwise you could be missing out).

Do you have a favourite genre that you like to play? Which of the above five genres is your favourite one? Have we missed a genre that you think should be added to our list? Let us know in the comment box below, we would love to hear from you.