Video Game Genres Made In The 2020’s

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Video game genres have changed a lot in recent years. While some classic types, like role-playing games and shooters, are still popular with just updated graphics and gameplay, many older genres have either disappeared or evolved beyond recognition. With more game developers experimenting, new and unexpected genres seem to emerge every year, quickly gaining popularity and reshaping the gaming landscape.

A great illustration of this trend is the “soulslike” genre, a term that didn’t exist before FromSoftware created challenging and difficult games. Now, it’s hard to discuss gaming without mentioning titles like Elden Ring, or the many other excellent games inspired by that initial risk-taking. But soulslikes aren’t the only example. Over the past few years, we’ve seen several new game classifications emerge to describe experiences fundamentally different from what came before. Some of these new genres are simply existing ones with a unique spin, while others cleverly blend elements from different types of games, creating surprisingly compelling combinations that nobody would have predicted.

Extraction Shooters

In And Out With Whatever Loot You Can Find

Details:

  • Pioneered by Tarkov, but seen briefly in The Division
  • Now a staple in the shooter space

Tactical shooter games have been around for a long time, with many popular titles seeing sequels and renewed interest over the years. These games often prioritize careful planning and strategic thinking over quick reflexes. The focus gradually shifted from fast-paced action to a more suspenseful, deliberate style of gameplay. As more developers explored this approach, a new genre began to emerge, and while The Division is well-known, it wasn’t the first game to introduce the core idea of an ‘extraction shooter’. In The Division’s Dark Zone, players could venture in solo or with friends to search for valuable loot, compete against other players also seeking rewards, and try to escape with their findings.

The concept of entering a game, completing objectives, and then safely exiting was relatively new when it first appeared, and it laid the foundation for the extraction shooter genre. A few years later, Tarkov became incredibly popular, combining realistic shooting with the stressful challenge of escaping with your loot, requiring both skill and strategic thinking. Since then, many other games have tried to replicate this addictive cycle of looting and escaping, but in different settings. Some, like Delta Force, focused on military scenarios, while others, like Hunt: Showdown, added a horror twist. The genre has grown significantly, and the recent success of ARC Raiders has brought in a wave of new players who might not have otherwise given extraction shooters a try.

Co-op Horror

Blending Scares And Laughs Into One

Details:

  • Fast loops and easy mechanics
  • Cooperative gameplay with very low barriers

Horror games have come a long way in the past 40 years, evolving from simple click-and-point adventures into immersive and frightening experiences. While innovation has always been present thanks to better graphics and creative game design, cooperative horror – playing scary games with others – is particularly interesting. Though co-op horror isn’t a new idea—players have been enjoying it with friends for decades—recent games are taking a different approach. Instead of purely focusing on scares, they’re blending horror with comedy and unpredictable, player-driven moments.

Games like R.E.P.O. and Lethal Company are redefining horror experiences. Instead of focusing on intense, solitary gameplay, they offer quick, fun sessions filled with both scares and laughter. A key ingredient to their success is proximity chat – there’s nothing quite like hearing a friend’s distant screams as they’re caught in a terrifying situation! This style of game started small, often limited to two players and a set story, but now it’s common to see groups of six or more players running around, panicking, and enjoying the chaos together.

Autobattlers

No Inputs Needed At All

Details:

  • Team compositions replace mechanical skill
  • IP spinoffs from popular titles

Games don’t always need to be about quick reflexes and precise movements; often, thinking and planning are more important than pure skill. Real-time strategy (RTS) games have been popular for years, letting players command large battles and develop strategies without needing fast hands – making them enjoyable for players who prefer a more relaxed pace. As the RTS genre grew, players started experimenting with new ideas. However, it was with the Warcraft 3 custom map, Legion TD, that the first seeds of the auto-battler genre were truly planted.

The core idea behind auto-battlers involves players using resources each round to place units for both defense and offense. After almost ten years, this concept finally became popular with the release of mainstream auto-battler games. The first major title was DOTA Auto Chess, a game created by the community and later officially released. This was quickly followed by TFT and Hearthstone Battlegrounds, which both utilized familiar characters and settings but in a completely new gameplay style. Since then, games like Super Auto Pets have joined the genre, and it continues to be a fun, strategic option for players who like certain franchises but want a more relaxed experience.

Roguelike Deck-builders

Finding More Insane Combos Every Time

Details:

  • Satisfying mechanics and combinations
  • Heavy emphasis on experimentation

Roguelikes and card games have both been around for a long time – they’re some of the oldest genres in gaming. Roguelikes emphasize replayability with addictive gameplay loops, while card games focus on giving players strategic choices through card combinations. Though both are popular on their own, it wasn’t until the game Slay the Spire that the two genres combined to become a huge mainstream success, and a dominant force in gaming today.

A new style of game has emerged that combines quick, replayable action with strategic thinking. This creates a uniquely satisfying experience, encouraging players to play again and again. While seemingly simple, these games offer a surprising amount of variety, all built around card-based gameplay. For instance, Inscryption often feels like solving an escape room, cleverly blending puzzles with its core loop. Meanwhile, Balatro transforms poker into a highly addictive, complex system of modifiers and multipliers. This genre has quickly become incredibly popular and continues to grow in popularity.

Bullet Heaven/Survivor-Like

Fighting Off Wave After Wave

Details:

  • Altered version of bullet-hell
  • Gradual progression through weapon/item upgrades

Bullet-hell games are one of the oldest genres in video games, appearing even in the early days of simple, single-color graphics. The basic idea – dodging endless attacks coming from all directions – was instantly popular, and while the genre has evolved into 3D, the core gameplay has stayed largely the same. However, in 2019, a game called Magic Survival took a different approach, replacing the traditional bullet patterns with waves of enemies that players had to fight through. Though Magic Survival didn’t become a huge hit, it heavily inspired Vampire Survivors, which sparked a surge of new games built around this innovative style of action.

Games like 20 Minutes Till Dawn, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and Brotato are all building on the same fun ideas that made the original game so popular. It’s interesting to see this genre evolve, and games like Megabonk are proving that the core concept works well even in 3D. While it’s not a totally new direction for gaming, it perfectly shows how a great idea can quickly become a hit and keep players engaged for a long time.

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2026-01-15 23:07