Glossary

The terms we use on game pages and guides, each with a one-line definition and real examples from the games we track. Hover a linked term anywhere on the site to see its definition.

Action RPG: An action RPG is a role-playing game where you fight in real time, so your own timing and aim matter alongside your character's stats and gear.
Battle pass: A battle pass is a track of rewards you unlock by playing during a season. A free track is open to everyone; the paid track costs a fixed price.
Battle royale: A battle royale is a last-player-standing match: many players drop onto one map, gear up and fight while the play area shrinks.
Co-op: Co-op (cooperative play) means playing with other people on the same side, against the game, rather than against each other.
Collectible card game: A collectible card game is one where you build a deck from cards you collect, often from random booster packs, and play it against others.
Concurrent players: Concurrent players is the number of people playing a game at the same moment. A peak is the highest such figure over a set period.
Cosmetic item: A cosmetic item changes how a character, weapon or vehicle looks, without making it stronger. Skins, outfits, emotes and sprays are all cosmetics.
DLC: DLC (downloadable content) is extra content for a game you already own, such as new maps, characters, story or an expansion, sold or given out after launch.
Drop rate: A drop rate is the published chance, as a percentage, that one pull, box or opening gives a particular item or rarity.
Early access: Early access is a way of selling a game before it's finished. Players buy it, play the unfinished version and give feedback while development goes on.
ESRB rating: An ESRB rating is the North American age label on a game: E, E10+, T, M or AO, plus content descriptors and interactive elements.
Expansion: An expansion is a large add-on for a game you own, with new story, areas, classes or units. It is the biggest kind of DLC.
Expected value: Expected value is the long-run average result of a random purchase: what a rare drop costs on average, given its rate and price.
First-person shooter: A first-person shooter is a game where you see through your character's eyes and fight mainly with guns.
Free-to-play: A free-to-play game costs nothing to download and play. It makes its money from optional in-game purchases, such as currency, cosmetics or a battle pass.
Gacha game: A gacha game sells new characters and weapons through random pulls, usually paid for with premium currency and backed by a pity guarantee.
Hero shooter: A hero shooter is a team shooter where each player picks a hero: a named character with their own abilities, role and look.
In-game purchases: In-game purchases are things you buy inside a game with real money, such as currency, skins or passes. They are also called microtransactions.
Loot box: A loot box is a paid item that gives a random reward when you open it. You know the price up front, but not what you'll get.
Looter shooter: A looter shooter is a shooter built around collecting better weapons and gear, with random stats and rarities, from enemies and activities.
MMORPG: An MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) puts thousands of players in one shared, persistent world. MMO is the short form.
MOBA: A MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) is a team strategy game: two teams of champions push lanes toward each other's base.
Open world: An open-world game lets you roam a large map freely and choose where to go, instead of moving through fixed levels in order.
PEGI rating: A PEGI rating is the European age label on a game: 3, 7, 12, 16 or 18, plus content descriptors such as violence or in-game purchases.
Pity: Pity is a guarantee that you get a rare item after a set number of pulls or openings, if luck hasn't given you one already.
Premium currency: Premium currency is in-game money you buy with real money, such as V-Bucks or Platinum, and spend in the game's store.
Real-time strategy: A real-time strategy (RTS) game has you gather resources, build a base and command armies while the clock runs, with no turns.
Remaster: A remaster is an older game re-released with updated graphics, sound and support for modern hardware, but the same design underneath.
Role-playing game: A role-playing game (RPG) is one where you play a character who grows stronger through levels, skills and gear while following a story.
Season: A season is a fixed period in a live game, often a few months, with its own content, events and battle pass.
Season pass: A season pass is a one-off purchase of a game's upcoming DLC, usually at a discount. It is not the same as a battle pass.
Subscription: A subscription is a fee you pay every month, or for a set number of days, to keep playing a game or to unlock all of it.
Survival horror: Survival horror is a horror game where you are weak, supplies are scarce, and escaping or hiding often beats fighting.
Tactical shooter: A tactical shooter rewards planning and teamwork over speed: you die quickly, often don't respawn mid-round, and win by position and coordination.
USK rating: A USK rating is Germany's age label on a game: 0, 6, 12, 16 or 18. Germany uses the USK instead of PEGI.