When defining your ideal playtesters, select the genre and sub-genre that best reflect your game’s core experience. This helps us understand the type of game you’re submitting and ensures you’re matched with playtesters who are familiar with—or actively enjoy—similar games.
You’ll see a list of genres and sub-genres to choose from. Each category includes core games, which are well-known titles that exemplify that specific genre or sub-genre. These examples are provided purely as reference points to help you determine where your game fits.
If your game spans multiple genres, choose the one that best represents your primary gameplay loop. Selecting the most accurate genre leads to more relevant feedback and higher-quality playtesting insights.
| Genre | Sub-Genre | Description | Core Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | - | Real-time games centred on continuous player input, where success depends primarily on reflexes, timing, and direct control rather than turn-based or strategic planning. | Call of Duty, Temple Run, Contra |
| Action | FPS | Action games presented from a first-person viewpoint, built around firearm-based combat where aiming accuracy, reaction speed, and spatial awareness are the primary mechanics. | Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Apex Legends, Battlefield |
| Action | Third person shooter | Shooters played from an over-the-shoulder or distant camera view. | Fortnite, Gears of War, Splatoon, Warframe |
| Action | Platformer | Games focused on jumping, timing, and navigating obstacles. | Super Mario Odyssey, Ori and the Blind Forest, Celeste, Rayman Legends |
| Action | Hack & Slash | Fast-action melee combat with combos and hordes of enemies. | Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, God of War, Hades |
| Action | Fighting | 1v1 or small-arena combat focused on combos and mastery. | Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Super Smash Bros |
| Action | Brawler | Beat ’em up style games featuring crowd combat. | Streets of Rage, Castle Crashers, Scott Pilgrim, Double Dragon |
| Action | Battle Royale | Large-scale last-player-standing multiplayer. | PUBG, Fortnite, Free Fire, Apex Legends |
| Action | Arcade | Fast-paced action games with simple controls and quick, skill-based gameplay focused on reflexes and moment-to-moment excitement. | Metal Slug, Contra, Cuphead, Geometry Wars, Temple Run |
| Action-Adventure | - | Games combining combat with exploration, storytelling, and puzzle-solving. | The Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, God of War |
| Action-Adventure | Metroidvania | Exploration-heavy action-adventure with ability-based progression. | Hollow Knight, Metroid Dread, Ori & the Blind Forest, Bloodstained |
| Action-Adventure | Survival | Resource management, crafting, and staying alive in hostile environments. | Rust, The Forest, Tomb Raider Don't Starve, ARK: Survival Evolved |
| Action-Adventure | Stealth | Avoiding detection and using silent takedowns and strategy. | Hitman, Metal Gear Solid, Dishonored, Splinter Cell |
| Action-Adventure | Immersive Sim | Systems-driven gameplay where player choices shape outcomes. | Dishonored, Deus Ex, Prey, System Shock |
| Action-Adventure | Horror | Games that blend exploration and combat with tense, fear-driven scenarios designed to create suspense and survival pressure | Resident Evil, Dead Space, Outlast, Silent Hill |
| Action-Adventure | Arcade | Accessible, fast-moving action-adventure experiences that emphasize quick combat, light exploration, and easy-to-learn mechanics. | Gauntlet, Castle Crashers, God of War, Okami, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures |
| Adventure | - | Story-driven games emphasizing exploration, narrative, and player choices. | Life is Strange, Monkey Island, Firewatch |
| Adventure | Point & Click | Narrative puzzle adventure with mouse-based interactions. | Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, The Wolf Among Us, TellTale Walking Dead |
| Adventure | Walking Simulator | Story-driven experiences with light or no puzzles. | Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture |
| Adventure | Interactive Story | Branching narrative games driven by player choices. | Life is Strange, Detroit Become Human, Until Dawn, The Quarry |
| Adventure | Visual Novel | Story-driven games focused on dialogue and branching narratives. | Doki Doki Literature Club, Steins;Gate, Phoenix Wright |
| Puzzle | - | Games centered on logical thinking, pattern recognition, and problem-solving. | Candy Crush, Tetris, Monument Valley |
| Puzzle | Logic | Puzzle-solving via deduction and reasoning. | Sudoku.com, The Witness, Portal, Human Resource Machine, Tetris, Monument Valley |
| Puzzle | Physics | Puzzles relying on realistic movement and physics. | Angry Birds, World of Goo, Poly Bridge, Cut the Rope |
| Puzzle | Match-3 | Tile-matching puzzle mechanics. | Candy Crush Saga, Bejeweled, Homescapes, Toon Blast |
| Puzzle | Hidden Object | Finding items in illustrated scenes. | Hidden City, June’s Journey, Mystery Case Files, Pearl’s Peril |
| Puzzle | Bubble shooter | Games where players shoot colored bubbles to match and clear clusters, emphasizing aim, timing, and chain reactions. | Bubble Witch Saga, Puzzle Bobble, Bubble Shooter Classic, Angry Birds POP |
| Puzzle | Pure Connect/Linker | Minimalist puzzle games focused on connecting pairs or linking paths in the simplest number of moves. | Flow Free, Two Dots, Pipe Mania, Connect the Pops |
| RPG | - | Role-playing games where players develop characters through quests, progression systems, and choices. | Final Fantasy, Pokémon, Genshin Impact |
| RPG | Action RPG | Real-time combat combined with RPG progression. | Diablo III, Genshin Impact, Dark Souls, Path of Exile |
| RPG | JRPG | Story-driven RPG genre originating from Japan. | Final Fantasy, Persona 5, Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem |
| RPG | Turn-Based | Sequential turn-driven decision combat. | Divinity Original Sin 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Pokémon, XCOM |
| RPG | Tactical | Grid-based strategic RPG combat. | Fire Emblem, XCOM 2, Triangle Strategy, Tactics Ogre |
| RPG | Dungeon Crawler | Exploration of dungeons with loot and progression. | Diablo, Darkest Dungeon, Torchlight, Moonlighter |
| RPG | Roguelike | Permadeath, procedural maps, and run-based progression. | Hades, Dead Cells, Slay the Spire, Rogue Legacy |
| RPG | MMORPG | Massively multiplayer persistent-world RPG. | World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, Black Desert Online, Runescape |
| Strategy | - | Games focused on planning, tactics, and decision-making to achieve objectives. | Clash of Clans, Civilization, Age of Empires |
| Strategy | RTS | Real-time strategic control of units and bases. | StarCraft II, Age of Empires, Warcraft III, Company of Heroes |
| Strategy | TBS | Turn-based strategic gameplay. | Civilization VI, XCOM 2, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars |
| Strategy | 4X | Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate strategy. | Civilization, Stellaris, Endless Legend, Master of Orion, Warcraft, Starcraft, SIM city- build it |
| Strategy | Tower Defense | Build defenses to stop enemy waves. | Clash of Clans, Bloons TD, Plants vs Zombies, Kingdom Rush, Arknights |
| Strategy | MOBA | Team-based hero battlers on fixed maps. | League of Legends, Dota 2, Mobile Legends, Smite |
| Simulation | - | Games that replicate real-world activities, systems, or life experiences. | The Sims, SimCity, Flight Simulator |
| Simulation | Life | Simulating life activities and relationships. | The Sims, BitLife, Virtual Families, Second Life |
| Simulation | Farming | Growing crops, raising animals, and management. | Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Farming Simulator, Story of Seasons |
| Simulation | Vehicle | Driving, piloting, or operating vehicles. | Flight Simulator, Euro Truck Simulator, Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport |
| Simulation | City-Builder | Constructing and managing cities. | SimCity, Cities Skylines, Tropico, Anno 1800 |
| Simulation | Management | Optimizing systems, staff, and resources. | Football Manager, RimWorld, Planet Coaster, Two Point Hospital |
| Simulation | Business | Managing business progression and economics. | Game Dev Tycoon, RollerCoaster Tycoon, Capitalism II, Transport Tycoon |
| Simulation | Pinball | Physics-based simulation games where players control mechanical flippers to score points on pinball tables. | Pinball FX, The Pinball Arcade, Zaccaria Pinball, Stern Pinball Arcade |
| Sandbox | - | Open-ended games that give players freedom to create, explore, and experiment. | Minecraft, Roblox, Terraria |
| Sandbox | Open World | Large open maps with free exploration. | Minecraft, GTA V, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption 2, Metal gear solid V phantom pain |
| Sandbox | Creative Sandbox | Building, shaping worlds and systems. | Minecraft Creative, Roblox, Terraria, Dreams |
| Sandbox | Social Deduction | Players deceive and discover roles. | Among Us, Town of Salem, Goose Goose Duck, Project Winter |
| Racing | - | Games centered on vehicle-based speed, competition, and track mastery. | Need for Speed, Asphalt, Mario Kart |
| Racing | Arcade | Fast and accessible racing. | Need for Speed, Asphalt 9, Burnout Paradise, Forza Horizon |
| Racing | Sim | Realistic racing simulation. | Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, iRacing, Assetto Corsa |
| Racing | Kart | Casual skill+item-based racing. | Mario Kart, Crash Team Racing, Garfield Kart, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing |
| Sports | - | Games simulating real-world sports with competitive and skill-based gameplay. | FIFA, NBA 2K, Cricket 22 |
| Sports | Team | Team-based competitive sports. | FIFA, NBA 2K, Madden, Rocket League, Cricket 22 |
| Sports | Individual | Solo competitive sports. | EA Sports UFC, Top Spin, WWE 2K, Golf Clash |
| Sports | Extreme | Action-packed extreme sports. | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Riders Republic, Descenders, Steep |
| Sports | Arcade | Casual, high-energy sports games that simplify real-world rules for fast, fun, and exaggerated gameplay. | Mario Tennis Aces, NBA Jam, Rocket League, Mario Strikers |
| Casual | - | Easy-to-learn games designed for short, accessible play sessions. | Subway Surfers, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds |
| Casual | Idle | Automated progression with light interaction. | AFK Arena, Idle Heroes, Adventure Capitalist, Realm Grinder |
| Casual | Hyper-Casual | Ultra-simple, quick-session games. | Subway Surfers, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Helix Jump, Flappy Bird, Stack, Crowd City |
| Casual | Trivia | Knowledge-based Q&A gameplay. | Trivia Crack, QuizUp, Jeopardy! World Tour, Kahoot |
| Casual | Board/Card | Digital card and board game experiences. | UNO, Solitaire, Monopoly, Hearthstone |
| Casual | Cooking games | Culinary-themed, time-based or resource-management games where players cook dishes, run virtual kitchens, and serve customers | Cooking Madness, Good Pizza, Great Pizza, Cooking Fever |
| Music & Rhythm | - | Rhythm-based games involving timing, tapping, and sometimes dancing or singing. | Beatstar, Magic Tiles, osu!, Just Dance, Geometry Dash, Tiles Hop, Guitar Hero |
| Cozy | - | Low-stress, relaxing games centered around slow living, farming, and community. | Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, Disney Dreamlight Valley |
| Party | - | Short, fast, and social multiplayer games designed for group play, emphasizing fun, chaos, and simple mechanics. | Mario Party, Fall Guys, Overcooked, Jackbox Party Pack, Among Us |
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