by SymphonieDue to technology pushing more boundaries than ever and the emergence of new exciting genres, this century has been a golden age for gaming. With the offer more diverse and engaging than ever, we are here to single out the most popular genres of games today.
MMORPG
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games are still one of the biggest cornerstones of gaming in the world. Since the early 2000s, World of Warcraft has been the gold standard and the reference for many who have tried to take the throne. Strong contenders like Final Fantasy XIV have shown that a different approach with a great narrative can also bring a breath of fresh air and engage millions of players in immersive, vast worlds.
Gacha & Live Service
The meteoric rise of mobile gaming has quickly put gacha and live service games to global leadership in the number of players. Huge titles like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Fate/Grand Order blend traditional gameplay with the thrill of random character collection. This makes them also a very lucrative branch of gaming. Like the generous cashback bonus offers in the best online casinos that keep players coming back for more spins, these games also reward players with guaranteed five-star draws and keep them engaged. Some thematic spin-offs also enjoy great popularity, such as Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, which combines the iconic story with weapon draws instead of extra characters.
Battle Royale
After the initial boom of PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds), the battle royale genre literally exploded. Fortnite and Apex Legends now lead the pack with fast-paced action that is equally about survival and fighting skills. The games are accessible and constantly evolving, with a strong potential for esports integration, which is why they remain one of the most cemented pillars of competitive gaming. Variations to the basic template are many, and they keep coming. Every now and then, a fantastic new concept will emerge and pull the audience for a while, but titans of the genre remain vigilant throughout the years.
Action RPG
Merging rich stories with intense combat, ARPGs have been captivating players for a long time. On one hand, Dark Souls and its offshoots have popularized the “soulslike” subgenre, known for excruciatingly challenging combat and environmental storytelling. On the other side, narrative-heavy games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 have shown that incredible stories can come hand-in-hand with a dynamic combat system and leave a legacy many newer titles will try to reach.
Open-World Sandbox
There are not many newer genres that took the world by storm as much as open-world sandboxes. Minecraft was and remains a milestone and a cultural phenomenon in more ways than one. These games allow for almost limitless creativity never seen before in gaming while merging it with an incredible sense of discovery through world exploration. But it’s not all blocks and pickaxes; other global hits like Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 are also great examples of how this recipe can be successfully utilized to make immersive worlds with infinite possibilities for emergent storytelling while also presenting a compelling hand-crafted story.
Honorable Mentions
Beyond these, there are several other genres that left their mark:
- First-Person Shooters (FPS): A long-standing staple of the gaming world with behemoths like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor.
- MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena): The dominant esports category with global competitions and massive audiences.
- Survival Horror: Having somewhat of a revival right now, with titles revisiting the eerie atmosphere and challenge of classic horror games.
- Retro Platformers & Metroidvanias: These styles remain popular due to their nostalgic appeal and tight gameplay mechanics.
- Sports Games: While a niche genre, sports simulations like FIFA and NBA 2K remain consistently strong through the years.
