PICO-8 Game Genres

Video Game Genres are a very difficult thing to nail down because they are a part of language that attempts to neatly organize art into boxes. It will always fail at doing that because the art, in this case Video Games, will always adapt and evolve by mixing and matching pieces from multiple boxes or even jumping between boxes.

So we like to think of these Genres less of a categorization and more of general descriptors where more than one can be applied to a single game. This way, you will know what type of gameplay you can expect from the game that is listed and searchable by genre on this site at least.

Our Internal Definitions:

✽ action

Skill based games that reward fast reflexes, short reaction times, and quick hand-eye coordination.

🐱 adventure

Story-focused games that let you explore and uncover the narrative through playing and interacting with the game world.

★ arcade

Short and simple skill-based games with simple and abstract sprites, usually just shapes.

♥ casual

Slow-paced, stress-free, easy-going games where you take your time to collect, build, create, wander, etc. without time or score pressure. Easy to pick up and play.

◆ fighting

Melee action combat with combination of buttons for different fighting actions such as attacking, blocking, combos, and special moves.

⬆️ highscore

Any game that tracks some type of score and presents it to you at the end of your run that can be used to judge your effectiveness at the game and compare your skill with others.

😐 horror

Games that attempt to be scary, creepy, spooky, eerie, etc. that are usually dark and likely involve some type of hidden monster(s).

▥ cards

Any game that simulates physical cards that give a feel of playing on a table-top with playing-cards, collectable card games, or board game cards.

▤ platformer

2D side-scrolling games where you control a character to run, jump, climb, and avoid hazards to move through the levels.

▒ puzzle

Logic and problem solving focused games that make you consider each move you make.

♪ rhythm

A skill-based game that ties player interaction to the timing of the music.

웃 role-playing

Story-driven game that focuses on character choices, customization, skills, upgrades, and resources.

… shooter

Ranged combat games that focus on aiming, shooting projectiles, and maneuvering to not be hit by incoming projectiles.

⧗ speedrunner

Any game that tracks your time and presents it to you at the end of your run that can be used to judge your effectiveness at the game and compare your skill with others.

● sports

Any game based on real human sport, with varying degrees of reality, such as football, tennis, golf, racing, skiing, pool, etc.

☉ stealth

A blend of Action and Strategy game that focuses on evasion, hiding, and navigating spaces while not being detected by enemies.

ˇ strategy

Logic based games that reward analytical thinking, planning, management, and time to think about short-term actions towards long-term goals.

⌂ survival

Life simulation games that require managing basic survival needs such as hunger, thirst, health, heat, etc.