Summary
Creativity never ceases in a medium as widely enjoyed as gaming. Year after year, new games come out that push the boundary of what was previously thought possible, irrespective of whether that innovation is from atechnical standpoint, a new gameplay mechanic, or something so revolutionary that it gives birth to a whole new genre.
Games need something new to try out every now and then, and there will always be people who take risks in their games and introduce new stuff. So it’s safe to say that the genres most popular today won’t stay popular forever, as something new is bound to knock them off their podium.
6Battle Royale
Hundred Players, One Winner
Thevery first instance of a battle royale genrewas seen in a mod on aMinecraftserver plugin which was called “Survival Games”.
But the first true battle royale game to release wasH1Z1 Battle Royalein 2015. It was followed a couple of years later byPlayerUnknown’s Battleground, released not very long ago in 2017.Fortnitecame out soon after that, making these two the dominatinggames in this genre.
A few years down the road, many other developers, after seeing the sheer success of these games, created a battle royale game from existing IPs, likeCall of Duty Warzone,or an entirely new game, like Respawn Entertainment’sApex Legends.
The genre skyrocketed in sales and engagement, and many new games were evenreleased on mobile platformsallowing easy access to people who don’t own a dedicated gaming machine.
5Roguelites
Upgrade, Death, Repeat
Not to be confused with “Roguelikes”, Roguelite is a relatively newer genre inspired by, as the name clearly suggests,Roguefrom way back in 1980. This game made the dungeon-crawling RPG with procedurally generated levels and permadeath popular in the gaming industry and games with similar gameplay fall under the category of Roguelikes.
Roguelites, however, bypass the absurdly difficult permadeath aspect of the genres and allow some sort of a save point or a way to preserve some of the progress in a previous run by retaining experience, money, or anything else that can be used to make the next run easier. This gives the game a more natural and easier progression. Additionally, roguelites tend to incorporate an additional genre such as turn-based strategy, action, or platforming.
The very first true roguelite probably has to beSpelunky, released in late 2008. The genre gained popularity after some newer, evenmore impactful rogueliteswere released, likeThe Binding of Isaacin 2011 and later,in 2017.
With the release ofHadesin 2020, the genre received much more widespread recognition with players falling in love with the game’s combat and the addicting gameplay loop.
4Looter Shooters
So Many Guns
As the name of the genre suggests, a looter shooter is a shooting game with a bolder emphasis on the looting aspect. Every enemy that gets killed drops a bunch of loot, and that’s the most addicting aspect of this genre.
In 2007,Hellgate: Londonwas released which put a higher emphasis on the looting aspect and weapon randomization, but the true pioneer of the looter shooter genre has to be the first Borderland, released in 2009. At release, the game boasted more than 17 million guns that could be looted in the game, and its successors only improved on this staggering number.
Players later saw the release ofmore games in this genre, such as the free-to-playWareframe,Bungie’sDestiny 2,and the recently released but not very well-receivedSuicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
3Deckbuilding Roguelikes
Slow But Addicting
Among the Roguelike genre, something as unique and as popular as its merger with the deckbuilding genre deserves its own whole category. There was a point when deck builders were popular on their own, with amazing games likeMetal Gear Acidfrom 2004 andKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, also from 2004 taking the charge.
After the addition of roguelike elements to this genre, the deckbuilding genre really took off. People who weren’t fans of the slower, tactical gameplay of deckbuilders finally caught on to it thanks to an additional layer of addictiveness provided by the roguelike elements. Hence,deckbuilding roguelikeis now truly its own genre.
Some of the prominent games in this relatively new genre that received critical acclaim includeInscyrption, Slay the Spirewhich also falls in the roguelite genre,Balatro,andBackpack Hero.But the very first game that can truly be considered a roguelike deckbuilder wasDominionreleased in 2008.
2Gacha Games
Ka-Ching
Inspired by the Japanese gachapon, which are vending machines that give players random rewards for spending real money,gacha gamesemploy a similar mechanic. For real currency, gamers can purchase loot boxes or spins that can give them any random in-game item, outfit, skin, or currency.
Starting back in 2010 with Konami’sDragon Collection, the addicting mechanics of gacha games that on closer inspection resemble gambling, didn’t gain a lot of worldwide attention until the release ofGensin Impactin 2020. Unlocking new characters and weapons in this open-world action JRPG was hidden behind a gacha mechanic that would reward players with randomized wins.
Still, there did exist gacha games beforeGenshin ImpactlikeRaid: Shadow Legends,Honkai Impact 3rd,and even today players from all over the world enjoy them. One of the major reasons why these games gained popularity was due to them getting released on smartphones as well as PC and consoles.
1Soulslike
Death Is Imminent
Arguably the most prominent new genre in the recent history of gaming, Soulslike is a name given to any game that uses gameplay mechanics similar toDemon’s Soulsfrom 2009, which gave rise to this genre. The aspects specific to this genre are extremely high difficulty, action-RPG gameplay, deep lore, and environmental storytelling.
Initially, FromSoftware, the developer behindDemon’s Souls, were the pioneers of this industry, and for a good few years, the only developers creating games of this genre, with the very firstDark Soulsin 2011 bringing the genre to the mainstream, thanks to its multiplatform release.
The popularity of this genre got many new developers onboard, and players eventually sawcritically acclaimed soulslikessuch asStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Hollow Knight, Nioh,and the recently releasedLies of P.
