The gaming industry’s rise in prominence has seen numerous new genres grow into relevancy over the last few decades. Right now, Steam has over 500 different genres that players can tag and search by, including recently formed genres such asSouls-LikeandBattle Royale. Although the consistent expansion of genres is a good thing for the gaming industry, some genres fall through the cracks.
RELATED:Forgotten Horror Games You Need To Play
At some point or another, the genres on this list were all in the gaming industry limelight. Still, either due to difficulty adapting to modern times or people simply losing interest in what they had to offer, they’ve all been brushed aside for current prominent genres likethird-person action adventuresandopen-world RPGs. These genres all still have tons to offer, which is why we’re hoping that they’ll have a resurgence one day.
Updated on July 03, 2025, by Jack Pursey:Unfortunately, there is no shortage of video game genres that have fallen out of relevancy. Although many modern AAA and indie development teams have proven how creative they can be at revitalizing a past genre or franchise, there are still some that haven’t been touched for many years, most likely due to fears that they won’t sell. Although it may be wishful thinking, we’ve updated this list to include some morevideo game genres that we’d love to see make a comeback.
13Rhythm
It may sound surprising today, but just 15 years ago,rhythm gameswere among the most popular in the entire gaming industry.
PlayStation 1 gamePaRappa the Rapperwas initially released in 1996 and is credited as being the first true rhythm game, whileDance Dance Revolutionwas released in the late-90s and offered what is now considered to be the quintessential rhythm game experience, predominantly due to the dance pad controller. Althoughdance gameswere a hit at arcades, it wasn’t until theGuitar Heroseries began in 2005 that rhythm games became a mainstream success on home consoles, with the iconic guitar-shaped controller providing endless hours of fun.
There is some hope that theGuitar Heroseries could make a comeback in the near future, asMicrosoft’s Phil Spencer directly named the IPas part of his Activision Blizzard acquisition announcement.
12Vehicular Combat
Vehicular combat games, as the name suggests, put players behind the wheel, but instead of tasking them with winning a race, task them with blowing up their opponents. Combat in racing games is still common, most notably in theMario Kartseries, but it’s rare today that a high-qualityTwisted Metal-style vehicular combat game is released.
The genre’s lack of modern releases is surprising, as one would think thatthe vast improvements in gaming visualsand technical performance would make a modern take on the popular late-90s and early-2000s genre a hit.
11Tower Defense
Tower defense games task players with defending something from incoming enemies, such as a tower, a valuable resource, or innocent people. Many classic arcade games had elements of tower defense, most notablySpace InvadersandMissle Command, though it wasn’t until the 1990 gameRampartthat the genre really started to take shape.
RELATED:Forgotten Adventure Games You Need To Play
The originalPlants vs. Zombiesrelease in 2009 saw the genre have a spike in popularity, though it also sealed the genre’s fate as in mobile gaming. This association with mobile gaming would make it tricky to convince players to spend money on a tower defense console game today, though with enough innovation and modernization, the simplistic fun of tower defense games could make it a hit, especially with well-integrated online play.
10Text Adventure
The fall of the text adventure genre isn’t too surprising, as it isn’t difficult to understand why someone would rather playThe Witcher 3as it is now rather than have the game presented in a text format.
Although text-only games are unlikely to return, there is a possibility that games with text-adventure elements could reemerge. No Code’sStories Untoldis an excellent example of how text-adventure games can work today, while Galactic Cafe’sThe Stanley Parablerecaptured the essence of text adventures in the form of an interactive story.
9Point and Click
Point and click gameswere at the forefront of the gaming industry in the 90s, with titles likeGrim Fandango,Day of the Tentacle,andThe Secret of Monkey Islandconfusing players worldwide with their brutally difficult puzzles.
Much like text adventures, point and click games struggled to adapt to modern times. Moreover, many people were growing frustrated with the genre in the late 90s, as when it started to fall in relevancy, the games' difficulty began to increase to frustrating levels as the publishers hoped to sell their tie-in guides and help-line services to make up for the fall in revenue. However, games likeKentucky Route Zerohave proven that the point and click genre still has a place in modern gaming and can be successful withoutexcessively challenging puzzles.
8Movie Tie-In
Like the point and click genre, the movie tie-in genre fell out of favor with gamers but is sorely missed now that it’s gone. The genre’s issues were apparent to see; the developers had to work tight schedules to ensure their game would release in line with its corresponding film, resulting in rushed products.
RELATED:Forgotten First Person Shooters You Need To Play
Although numerous games fell under the unfinished category, a few gems are enough to suggest that the genre could still thrive today.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,andKing Kongwere fantastic games that encapsulated the films they were based upon while still being great fun to play.
7Beat ‘em Up
The beat ‘em up genre of gaming was prevalent in the 80s, particularly in the five years that followed 1987’sDouble Dragon,which became known as the genre’s “Golden Age.”
A few notable beat ‘em up games have been released in recent years, such as the rebootedBattletoadsand Dotemu’sStreets of Rage 4, which received a whopping87 Metascore on Nintendo Switch. 2020’sStreets of Rage 4has understandably given tremendous hope to beat ‘em up fans that some of gaming’s most prevalent publishers may try to capitalize on the game’s success.
6Run And Gun
Another genre that dominated arcades and early iterations of home consoles but hasn’t had much success since; Run and Gun games appealed to players who just wanted non-stop action in their games.DOOM(1993) and the first-person shooters that followed took the genre’s place, but the success of Studio MDHR’sCupheadproved that it may still have a place in the modern day.
There was a lot of hope from run and gun fans thatCupheadwould reignite the genre once more, but sadly the game’s success hasn’t been enough to spur other publishers to sign off on such games.
5Tycoon
Tycoon games likeRollerCoaster Tycoon,Zoo Tycoon,and even licensed titles likeLegolandwere enormous successes in the early 2000s. The games found a perfect balance of having detailed, layered gameplay but still being massively appealing to casual gamers.
There are still Tycoon titles releasing today, but games likeCities: SkylinesandPlanet Coasterhave struggled to appeal to broad audiences. Although the games are of good quality, they’ve struggled to find the mix of both complex and enjoyable gameplay that made the early 2000s Tycoon titles special.
43D Mascot Platformers
3D mascot platformers are the most successful genre on this list today, but that’s mostly thanks toMarioalmost single-handily carrying it on his back. It’s easy to forget just how big the genre was; throughout the 90s, havinga marketable mascotand putting them in a colorful platforming world was not only key to selling games, but consoles too.
There are signs that the genre could thrive outside of Mario, as the recentCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timewas warmly received and even hinted at a return forSpyro The Dragon.However, the 3D platforming genre still has a long way to go if it wants to return to the forefront of gaming.
