Tags

A tag is used to describe a major element of a game from its gameplay type (strategy, action, arcade) to any specific subset of that gameplay type (scrolling shooter, lane-based strategy). You can have more than one tag per game, in fact, that's kind of the point. If there is a tag that you would like to have on this page, let someone with a color name know on Discord. We don't want tags that will only apply to one or two games; it should be a relatively well-used tag, to prevent the list from getting too long.

Tag	Description	Example Game
Action	A game with reaction-based gameplay and a high pace; can refer to a lot of different types of games, including other tags like Platformer or Shooter.	Alien Hominid
Adult	Games meant entirely for titillation, with no proper gameplay to speak of. Usually only has things like customizing certain elements of the animation, like a dress-up game.	Super Deepthroat
Adventure	A game where the main feature is exploring and puzzle-solving, usually with a mouse or movement of an on-screen character (Also known as Point and Click.)	The Last Door
Arcade	Used to describe simple games with easily graspable gameplay and a focus on getting a high score.	Helicopter Game
Artillery	A game where the focus is using a set power and angle to throw an object at a target of any kind of form.	Crush the Castle
Brawler	A game where you control a character who fights multiple other characters at the same time using simple combos and special moves.	Dad 'n' Me
Card	A game played using a set of rules based around a deck of cards, whether it be the standard deck of 52 or more custom arrangements.	Solitaire
Choose Your Own Adventure	A game where you're presented with some kind of story, in which you make one of a set of choices to progress said story.	The Sagittarian
Clicker	A game where you click to increase score, and usually spend said clicks to increase your score further. Also known as "idle game".	AdVenture Capitalist
Dating Sim	A game where the main focus is to date a hero or heroine, usually presented in a Visual Novel / Choose Your Own Adventure format, but is sometimes more complicated with things like stats, day/night cycles, etc.	SIMGirls
Dress-Up	A game where you choose clothes for an included character to dress them up.	Dead Baby Dressup
Educational	A game generally meant to teach, more than anything else.	Annual Precipitation in California
Escape the Room	A subset of the Adventure genre where you're in a single room / low amount of rooms, a general lack of story, and simple puzzles to solve in order to get out of it.	Cube Escape: The Cave
Fighting	A type of game that places two characters head to head with a series of included moves, combos and rounds.	Pencak Silat
Find	A game where you need to find something; whether it be objects, usually hidden in a room or among a bunch of other objects, or differences in two pictures.	5 Differences
Flying	A type of game where you're flying a vehicle, but not actively fighting or racing with it.	Fly Like A Bird
Gambling	A game that either recreates a form of real world gambling such as slots or poker, or is completely focused on some fictional kind of betting, winning and losing.	Blackjack Elf
Horror	A game that intends to provide an unsettling, creepy, spooky, scary skele-cough atmosphere. Isn't exclusive to any other tag.	Exmortis
Microsite	Not so much a game as an interactive website backed up from the internet.	J.K. Rowling Official Site
Motocross	A game that usually involves some form of vehicle in a side on view affected by physics that you have to use to surmount a challenging set of physical terrain.	Trials 2 Flash Preview
Pinball	A game based on either a recreation or fresh conception of the real world diversion.	Pinbill
Platformer	A game where you control a character affected by gravity and have to surmount obstacles and enemies by maneuvering and jumping over them.	Super Mario 63
Puzzle	There are many types of puzzle games, but they usually involve some kind of logical task/brainteaser that needs to be solved.	Bloxorz
Match-3	A puzzle game where you match objects on a grid to make a line of three, which then disappear and refill the grid.	Galactic Gems
Quiz	A game that asks you questions about any particular subject matter.	50 States
Racing	A game that has you in a competition of speed; in particular, to reach a finish line first. Not entirely reliant on things like vehicles, but usually includes vehicles.	Cyclomaniacs
Parking	A game where you use a car to attempt to park in a parking spot, usually with nearby obstacles.	Parking Lot
Rhythm	A game that has you pressing buttons in time to the rhythm of a song; the more accurate your presses, the more points you earn.	Super Crazy Guitar Maniac Deluxe 3
Rock-Paper-Scissors	A game based off the classic three-way head-to-head mind game.	The Gatekeeper
RPG	Can take many different forms but usually involves a world to explore, an indepth story, stats, equipment that raises said stats, leveling up and battles.	Sonny
Runner	A game that usually involves you moving down a path automatically, avoiding obstacles in order to either get a high score (endless) or finish a level.	Canabalt
Shooter	Can be used to describe any game where your main form of engagement is blasting enemies with any kind of ranged weapon.	Space Invaders
First-Person Shooter	The game is played from the point of view of the character firing the weapon.	Sierra 7
Side-Scrolling Shooter	The game is a shooter that's played with a playfield that scrolls from the left to the right. Sometimes ships, sometimes on foot.	Heli Attack 3
Rail Shooter	The game is played with a viewpoint that moves automatically, with no input available to the player.	Xiao Xiao no. 4
Vertically-Scrolling Shooter	The game is played with a playfield that scrolls from bottom to top (usually in a ship).	Enigmata 2
Simulation	A catch-all term for games that involve managing some kind of business.	Papa's Pizzeria
Sports	A recreation of any set of real world sports (anything from baseball to football).	Stick Cricket
Strategy	Comes in many forms, but usually involves controlling units in an efficient way to defeat some kind of enemy.	Age of War
Turn-Based Strategy	Has the player and the enemy taking turns to move, attack, or whatever with their units.	World Domination
Real-Time Strategy	The player and the enemy can give orders at the same time, and the action continues on even if neither are involved.	Creeper World: Evermore
Node-Based Strategy	The player and the enemy each control 'nodes', which they can send units to and from.	Tentacle Wars
Lane-Based Strategy	The player and the enemy have multiple 'lanes' that they can send troops down as attacks.	Plants vs Zombies (Web Version)
Single-Lane Strategy	The player and the enemy share one 'lane' in which they send all their units down to fight.	Age of War
Tabletop	A recreation of a board game from the real world, or a game formatted to play like a game from said real world.	Snakes and Ladders
Tower Defense	A type of game where the player places towers on the field to defend from enemies coming for a certain point on the map (usually, but not always, the end of a preset path).	Bloons TD 5
Toy	A game that has no set objective, and just lets you play with a sandbox of toys or a set of preset options.	One Man Band
Tutorial	A game that is more akin to a tutorial, showing you how to do something in an interactive fashion.	Newgrounds Levels
Typing	A game where the main goal is to type as efficiently and mistake-free as possible.	Icarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing!
Variety	A game where the gameplay changes frequently, such as in minigame collections.	Four Second Frenzy
Visual Novel	A game where a story is told through text and pictures, and sometimes allows the player to make choices to change the story. Usually more verbose, character and story focused than a Choose Your Own Adventure title.	Aurica Cosmosphere Part 1
Walking Simulator	A game that involves the player exploring a world by walking around it while the story unfolds around them. (Generally, if a game involves combat, platforming, or anything more than just walking around, it usually isn't a walking simulator.)	Dear Esther

Blocks

Physics

Differences

Wave-Based

Survival

On rails

Roguelike

Experimental

Board

Educational

Math