TrueTrophies Genre Definitions

Action

Action is a diverse genre that encapsulates games where the primary appeal and challenge is to test the player’s physical skills, such as timing, precision, or reaction speed.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Action games, check out the Best PlayStation Action Games page.

Action Horror

Action Horror games see the player placed into a horror-themed environment usually with graphic violence and/or a frightening atmosphere. Enemies can be confronted in combat and defeated en masse throughout the game, with an abundance of supplies, weapons, ammunition, and health available for the player to utilize and collect in order to defeat these enemies.

For a complete list of PlayStation Action Horror games, check out the Full list of Action Horror Games on PlayStation page.

Action-Adventure

Action-Adventure games combine elements of Action and Adventure. A game in this genre might incorporate a strong storyline, exploration of the game environment, interaction with non-player characters, and puzzle solving, amongst other things. This genre will not be applied alongside genres that already imply action and adventure (e.g. Shooter, Platformer), meaning the tag is reserved for games that don't contain enough elements to meet the criteria for any other genre.

For a complete list of PlayStation Action-Adventure games, check out the Full list of Action-Adventure Games on PlayStation page.

Action-RPG

Action RPGs give the player direct control of a character for use in combat. They typically feature real-time battles, which may or may not take place in static sub-instances of the game world.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Action-RPG games, check out the Best PlayStation Action-RPG Games page.

Adventure

The Adventure genre includes games where the player takes part in an interactive story. The gameplay typically involves gathering information and items to solve puzzles and advance a story driven plot.

For a complete list of PlayStation Adventure games, check out the Full list of Adventure Games on PlayStation page.

Aerial

Aerial is used to describe games in the Racing and Vehicular Combat genres which heavily feature the player controlling air-based vehicles including airplanes, spaceships, and jets.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Aerial games, check out the Best PlayStation Aerial Games page.

Arcade Racing

Arcade Racing games usually feature extra gameplay elements besides driving, often in the form of weapons, stunts, or spectacular crashes. Handling is usually simplified and physics tuned towards being fun rather than realistic.

For a complete list of PlayStation Arcade Racing games, check out the Full list of Arcade Racing Games on PlayStation page.

Automobile

Automobile is used to describe games in the Racing and Vehicular Combat genres which heavily feature the player controlling land-based motorized vehicles including tanks, cars, and motorcycles.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Automobile games, check out the Best PlayStation Automobile Games page.

Battle Royale

Battle Royale games consist of a large number of players engaging in combat within the same arena. Typically, the play area gradually shrinks for the duration of the game, thus forcing combatants into smaller circles to find other players. Respawning eliminated players may be possible but is not required for the genre. Another common element of Battle Royale games is the option to loot items such as weapons, armor, ammo, etc from the playing field to give themselves an advantage over other players.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Battle Royale games, check out the Best PlayStation Battle Royale Games page.

Beat 'em up

Beat 'em Up games involve close-quarters combat against generally small to medium sized groups of relatively weak enemies which usually must be defeated before you can progress. Generally weapon choice is limited or non-existent and character/skill upgrade progression is minimal.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Beat 'em up games, check out the Best PlayStation Beat 'em up Games page.

Card & Board

Card & Board games simulate the experience of playing on a tabletop by modelling game pieces, boards, dice, and rules. These are usually adapted from physical counterparts, although can be entirely original concepts too.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Card & Board games, check out the Best PlayStation Card & Board Games page.

Casino

Casino games simulate gambling via games typically played at Casinos. Chance is usually a pivotal factor, although a knowledge of odds may provide a competitive advantage. Often the aim of these games is to accrue a virtual currency.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Casino games, check out the Best PlayStation Casino Games page.

Collectable Card Game

Collectable Card Games involve proprietary cards which players collect and use to build personal decks. The different cards usually represent creatures with varying attributes and abilities, and can be used to battle other players.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Collectable Card Game games, check out the Best PlayStation Collectable Card Game Games page.

Collection

Collection groups games which contain not one, but a group of titles or activities. These can range from sports titles to arcade collections.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Collection games, check out the Best PlayStation Collection Games page.

Dance

Dance games have the player emulate dancing moves with the character by pushing a button combination or by capturing directly using a peripheral such as the PlayStation Camera.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Dance games, check out the Best PlayStation Dance Games page.

Dungeon Crawler

Dungeon Crawlers focus on the chase for better and better loot gained from exploring the environment and defeating enemies. Levelling your character and gaining skills is a means to increase your combat abilities and advance ever deeper into the world.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Dungeon Crawler games, check out the Best PlayStation Dungeon Crawler Games page.

Educational & Trivia

Educational titles have an explicit underlying educational purpose. Their intention is to facilitate the learning of subjects and concepts.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Educational & Trivia games, check out the Best PlayStation Educational & Trivia Games page.

Fighting

Fighting games feature combat, usually one-on-one, between equally matched characters. Each character has individual strengths and weaknesses and a unique set of moves for players to master.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Fighting games, check out the Best PlayStation Fighting Games page.

First Person Shooter

First Person Shooters test the player’s marksmanship abilities and use a perspective where the player is looking out from the protagonists eyes.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation First Person Shooter games, check out the Best PlayStation First Person Shooter Games page.

Fishing

Fishing games feature players fishing for sea creatures in rivers, lakes, and open oceans.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Fishing games, check out the Best PlayStation Fishing Games page.

Hack & Slash

Hack & Slash games usually feature a single or small group of characters facing off against medium to large groups of enemies (sometimes hundreds at a time) and gameplay is usually quite fast paced. Upgrading of either weapons or characters is generally a strong point of gameplay.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Hack & Slash games, check out the Best PlayStation Hack & Slash Games page.

Hunting

Hunting games are comprised of a hunter in the wilderness tracking and killing animals for sport. Players may make use of a variety of realistic hunting weapons such as rifles and shotguns as well as gear commonly found in hunting such as scent masks, blinds, and stands.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Hunting games, check out the Best PlayStation Hunting Games page.

Management

Management games give the player high level control of an entity, such as a sports team or a business. The player must decide game strategy and deal with issues like resource limitations and periodic setbacks.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Management games, check out the Best PlayStation Management Games page.

Mech

Mech games give the player direct control over one or more mecha, walking combat suits. Usually these games feature customisation options to modify the weapon loadout and configuration of the mech.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Mech games, check out the Best PlayStation Mech Games page.

Metroidvania

Metroidvania is a sub-genre of Action-Adventure that focuses on exploration of a single interconnected world. The player will gain new skills / abilities that allow them to explore once inaccessible areas as well as growing in power via an advancement system. These games feature prominent platforming elements, such as precision jumping, but need not be platformers. Instead, the player is mainly antagonized by enemies which can be defeated through combat.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Metroidvania games, check out the Best PlayStation Metroidvania Games page.

MMO

Massively Multiplayer Online games, or MMOs, are those that support large numbers of players in online worlds simultaneously. Depending on the game, players can compete against each other or band together in raids or parties to explore the game world and defeat enemies cooperatively.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation MMO games, check out the Best PlayStation MMO Games page.

MOBA

MOBAs consist of games where player-controlled teams attempt to defeat each other by eliminating each team's primary objective. Computer-controlled units (often spawning and proceeding along set paths) assist the player, while their characters often have improving abilities.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation MOBA games, check out the Best PlayStation MOBA Games page.

Music & Rhythm

Music & Rhythm games have the player emulate the playing or conducting of a piece of music, or otherwise engaging in music backed rhythm-based action, typically matching on-screen prompts to a beat.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Music & Rhythm games, check out the Best PlayStation Music & Rhythm Games page.

Naval

Naval is used to describe games in the Racing and Vehicular Combat genres which heavily feature the player controlling sea-based vehicles including boats, battleships, and jet skis.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Naval games, check out the Best PlayStation Naval Games page.

On Rails

On Rails games give the player limited control of their avatar, usually around the immediate screen. The player does not control the path their avatar takes, as though they are tied to a rail.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation On Rails games, check out the Best PlayStation On Rails Games page.

Open World

Open World games feature an expansive open world for the player to explore. While there is usually an overarching story, a hallmark of this genre is the ability to put this on hold in favour of exploration and free play. While portions of the world may be closed off, upfront there should be relatively large swaths accessible to the player. In most cases, players can choose between multiple or many optional objectives.

For a complete list of PlayStation Open World games, check out the Full list of Open World Games on PlayStation page.

Party

Party games are usually played in local multiplayer with friends and seldom played alone. The objective of party games is usually to gather a certain score or outdo your opponents in minigames or trivia contests. Players can also work together cooperatively to achieve an objective.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Party games, check out the Best PlayStation Party Games page.

Pinball

Pinball games attempt to mimic the experience, gameplay mechanics, and physics of real pinball machines to some degree. Gameplay tends to be oriented toward attempting to score points or complete objectives with a limited number of pinballs.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Pinball games, check out the Best PlayStation Pinball Games page.

Platformer

Platformers feature obstacle course like levels in which the player must navigate from the start to the end, with physics-enabled traversal between platforms or over obstacles. Platformers require the environment itself to be a primary antagonist. Accuracy-based jumping challenges and endless runners are two common examples of Platformer. In all cases, correct timing is necessary (either to avoid death or serious set-back) to advance.

For a complete list of PlayStation Platformer games, check out the Full list of Platformer Games on PlayStation page.

Point & Click

Point & Click are games are played scene by scene, with the player exploring each to gather items or discover objects of interest. These items and objects are often vital to advancing the story.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Point & Click games, check out the Best PlayStation Point & Click Games page.

Puzzle

Puzzle games come in a variety forms. Be it a jigsaw puzzle, a combinatorial problem, a vocabulary or an arithmetic challenge, or even a physics based puzzle. These games conceptually challenge the player to use logic to approach and solve situations.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Puzzle games, check out the Best PlayStation Puzzle Games page.

Real Time

Real Time is a tag usually reserved for Strategy and Role Playing games to detail the pace of gameplay which creates a significantly different experience to Turn Based games. Real Time Strategy involves mechanics where all participants move and build simultaneously rather than taking turns while Real Time Role Playing sees you control a party of characters at once with the ability to switch between them, while one character is under your control the others run on auto-pilot to continue to attack and/or heal.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Real Time games, check out the Best PlayStation Real Time Games page.

Roguelite

Roguelite games are defined by permanent character death, randomized levels and/or maps with varying items, item locations, enemies, and/or bosses each playthrough. The extensiveness of the randomization can vary, but the goal is that every playthrough will be completely different. The persistence of unlocked weapons, characters, upgrades, or items between playthroughs is allowed but not required. Permanent death is classified as the game saving no environmental progress, no checkpoints, and no system consisting of multiple lives.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Roguelite games, check out the Best PlayStation Roguelite Games page.

Role Playing

Role Playing games (RPGs) see the player take control of one or more characters as they interact with the world around them. RPGs tend to come in two forms with most being a combination of the two. One sees the game being heavily focused on the story and narrative of the game while others focus more on character/s becoming more powerful over time giving the player a moderate to high level of control in regards to how they develop including stats/attributes, equipment and more.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Role Playing games, check out the Best PlayStation Role Playing Games page.

Run & Gun

Run & Gun games incorporate a platforming element into the game and the player has to use this, together with often upgradable arsenal to defeat enemies while progressing through mostly linear levels.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Run & Gun games, check out the Best PlayStation Run & Gun Games page.

Sandbox

Sandbox games allow the player to create, modify, or construct upon the physical aspects of a game world, either using tools or freeform, with no specific objective.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Sandbox games, check out the Best PlayStation Sandbox Games page.

Shoot 'em up

Shoot ‘em ups put the player in control of an avatar to be guided through an environment, while battling large numbers of weak enemies and dodging their fire. These games focus on reaction time and tend to feature scrolling levels.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Shoot 'em up games, check out the Best PlayStation Shoot 'em up Games page.

Simulation

Simulation games attempt to accurately replicate some current, or potential future, aspect of real life. Often the player is tasked with managing or caring for a system, although other tasks, such as driving or flying, may be encapsulated.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Simulation games, check out the Best PlayStation Simulation Games page.

Simulation Racing

Simulation Racing games feature realistic handling and physics in an attempt to accurately portray racing. They often include drifting and tuning, but tend to not feature weapons or other unrealistic elements.

For a complete list of PlayStation Simulation Racing games, check out the Full list of Simulation Racing Games on PlayStation page.

Sports

Sports games model an existing sport, complete with a set of rules and organized competition. They do not necessarily have to be simulations and may feature actions which are over-the-top, physically impossible, or not allowed within the real life activity.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Sports games, check out the Best PlayStation Sports Games page.

Stealth

Stealth games task the player with attempting to manoeuvre through an environment unseen and unheard by enemies. Detection will usually come at a cost, resulting in either combat, firefights, or other unfavourable circumstances. As such, the player will generally be rewarded for sticking to a more stealthy style of play and utilising any hiding and escape mechanics the game provides. Two primary systems employed by Stealth games are an enemy awareness system (of the player's presence) and/or gameplay mechanics explicitly to help players avoid or escape detection.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Stealth games, check out the Best PlayStation Stealth Games page.

Strategy

Covers both strategy and tactical games. Strategy games give the player command of resources which must be used strategically to defeat enemies. Common gameplay elements include building and defending a base, directing offensive units against opponents, and upgrading technology. Tactical games rely on the terrain influencing combat and movement regulation via grid use. Battles are often story driven. The concluding event need not be the destruction of the opposing unit(s).

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Strategy games, check out the Best PlayStation Strategy Games page.

Survival

Survival games give players limited resources to survive. While enemies may be present, the focus is generally on the player's own survival against a hostile environment. Statistics such as hunger and thirst are governed by meters and need to be replenished in order to prevent death. Crafting elements are generally present, as well as the ability to construct weapons, buildings, or upgrades to aid in long-term survival.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Survival games, check out the Best PlayStation Survival Games page.

Survival Horror

Survival Horror games see the player placed into a horror-themed environment usually with graphic violence and/or a frightening atmosphere. While enemies can usually be confronted with combat the player is given limited assets such as ammunition, health or the ability to heal, speed and vision. Progress is usually stalled through the use of locked paths and/or puzzles that need to be solved or have specific items collected before being allowed to continue.

For a complete list of PlayStation Survival Horror games, check out the Full list of Survival Horror Games on PlayStation page.

Third Person Shooter

Third Person Shooters test the player’s marksmanship abilities and position the camera behind the player such that the protagonist can be seen.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Third Person Shooter games, check out the Best PlayStation Third Person Shooter Games page.

Tower Defence

Tower Defence games require the player to defend an area or object against waves of enemies. Attacking enemies, placing turrets, and building walls to delay the assault are common ways of achieving this goal.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Tower Defence games, check out the Best PlayStation Tower Defence Games page.

Turn Based

Turn Based is a tag usually reserved for Strategy and Role Playing games to detail the pace of gameplay which creates a significantly different experience to Real Time games. Turn Based games see you and your opponents act one after the other or in the case of some RPGs when an action bar is filled. Turn Based Strategy games generally have a certain set or amount of actions they can execute before the turn passes to the next unit or player.

For a complete list of PlayStation Turn Based games, check out the Full list of Turn Based Games on PlayStation page.

Vehicular Combat

Vehicular Combat games give the player control of a vehicle on land, sea, air, or space, with a focus on battles against other vehicles or targets. Combat scenarios vary from simple arena battles to large scale military operations.

For a complete list of PlayStation Vehicular Combat games, check out the Full list of Vehicular Combat Games on PlayStation page.

Visual Novel

Visual Novels generally consist of static images accompanied by text or spoken dialogue, and generally lack gameplay challenges in favour of pure storytelling. The player is usually confronted with choices which determine the branch of the storyline shown.

If you are looking for some great PlayStation Visual Novel games, check out the Best PlayStation Visual Novel Games page.

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