FPS vs RTS vs MOBA vs RPG: A Detailed Comparison

   
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Game playing is no longer simple as it used to be. It has evolved and come forward a long way. Different mechanisms and gameplay have been invented to add something fresh to the table in today’s games, which have gotten considerably more sophisticated.

The gaming business is continually growing different categories of gaming, with new genres and subgenres to pick from. Hence, today our article will give you a complete guide on FPS vs RTS vs MOBA vs RPG, the four most common genres of games.

Many types of games that are played in Esports are constant, and this guide aims to offer non-gamers an understanding of the industry’s most regularly used abbreviations: FPS, RTS, MOBA, and RPG.

What is FPS?

First Person shooter is commonly known as FPS. FPS games are the most popular sub-genre of action games, which are now the most popular genre of games.

FPS games include three-dimensional settings and are focused on weapon-based combat in first-person view, allowing the user to experience the surroundings through the eyes of the character.

First-person shooter games are often played from the character’s first-person viewpoint, and players must target and fire at rivals in order to win the game. In a first-person shooter, the character’s arms are normally seen at the bottom of the screen, carrying whatever weapon is available.

The gamer is required to use the game controller to move his avatar through the game by moving it forward, backward, sideways, and so on. The avatar moves ahead through the surroundings when the controller is moved forward, generally with a slight left-right rocking motion to replicate the human stride accurately.

Many games feature the sounds of breathing and footsteps in addition to the standard sound effects to boost the sense of authenticity.

FPS games are popular because of their simplicity, but there is also a thriving professional scene. More than any other genre, first-person shooters have 15,000 active professional players. TPS games, sometimes known as third-person shooters, are similar to first-person shooters in that the player sees the character they’re directing from behind.

You can play FPS games in either mission or quest mode and also in multiplayer mode. The mission mode is generally the default option for a single-player game.

It generally entails the user battling their way through increasingly difficult game stages in order to reach a final objective. Multiple players participate in multiplayer mode through a network and play in a shared competitive arena.

Racing games and boxing games are two examples of genres that employ the first-person perspective on occasion. But, shooters are games in which players utilize a variety of weapons, primarily firearms, to kill their opponents.

call of duty is a fps game

Examples of First Person Shooter Games

With so many shooter games on the market today, there are sure to be some discrepancies. Battle royale games like Fortnite and team-based shooter games like Overwatch are examples of FPS subcategories.

CS:GO is regarded as one of the best FPS games ever. Yet there are various casual modes; conquering the CS:GO ranks is the true competitive struggle. This timeless classic has something for everyone, from regular 5v5 to CS:GO’s royale mode, Danger Zone. A fantastic example of an FPS game is CS:GO.

Other popular examples include

  • Apex Legends
  • Call of Duty
  • Overwatch
  • PUBG

What is MOBA?

MOBA is short for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. The user controls a single character in a team that competes against other teams in an environment in MOBA games.

In most MOBA games, two teams of players compete against each other. Players must choose characters before a match can begin. Because all characters have various spells, builds, and goals, teams must devise techniques for forming successful teams.

Following the selection of characters by teams, everyone loads onto the map and moves to their assigned lanes. Players will do their hardest to collect gold by defeating minions, while their opponents will do the same.

Each participant will be assigned a certain function in the game that will assist them in winning a match. Depending on the sort of game you’re playing, winning might mean removing all of the opponent team’s players or destroying their base.

MOBA games combine elements of action, role-playing, and real-time strategy games. MOBAs are sometimes referred to as ‘A-RTS,’ or real-time action strategies. However, the term strategy,’ in this context, refers to how a team collaborates and plays the game to win.

Player characters usually have a variety of powers and advantages that increase over time and contribute to the overall tactics of a team. It’s a cross between an RTS and an RPG in that you’re currently plotting with your squad in real-time while simultaneously accumulating skills and ranks to enhance your character and improve weapons and gear.

MOBA games often have a variety of “heroes” to control, each with their own set of talents and roles that complement one other. In groups of five, players strive to demolish the opposing team’s base. Non-player characters (NPCs) spawn on a timer for each team and run immediately toward the enemy base to provide support, in addition to heroes.

Because teamwork is the most important factor in winning games in the MOBA genre, it is one of the most popular gaming genres to be televised as an esports event. Unsurprisingly, this genre attracts the most twitch streamers and tournament prize money of any.

league of legends

Examples of MOBA

The MOBA genre gained popularity in the early 2000s because of a Warcraft mod game known as DOTA, which allowed players to demonstrate their abilities and talent in these games through the characters they played.

DOTA 2 is one of the most popular MOBA games out there. Players control their ‘hero,’ or player character, and compete against other players, generally in two teams of five, as is typical of MOBAs.

Your aim is to defeat the other players during the match while gathering loot, like in other similar games. In this extensively developed setting, tournaments and leagues from all around the world fight against one another.

Other Popular Examples Include

  • Strife
  • League of Legends
  • Heroes of the Storm
  • Smite

What is RTS?

Real-Time Strategy games are known as RTS. Westwood Studios coined the name for their video game Dune II. RTS games are among the most well-known.

These games show a map loaded with resources, troops, and bases from the perspective of a third-person bird’s eye view. The name RTS stemmed from the fact that players had to strategize in real-time and deal with the game’s ever-changing terrain while playing.

In real-time strategy games, players manage troops to beat their opponents’ assets and secure important locations on a map. Within the game, it is possible to establish more population units as well as civilian and military infrastructure in most areas.

This is an ongoing game in which you compete against one or more opponents on a set map/level. Typically, each player begins with equal assistance, and it is each player’s responsibility to plan how to grow their army best and defend their base while also plotting how to attack and take over their opponents’ base, with resource collection being a major key to achieving these goals.

As you do in turn-based strategy games with chess-like rules, you don’t have the luxury of waiting for your opponent’s turn to observe how they manage their base, resources, and soldiers.

Each player must think on the fly while they play to guarantee that their base can withstand attacks or that they have enough soldiers to attack another opponent.

The objectives that a player must complete to succeed in an RTS game frequently become more difficult as the game progresses.

You won’t see a single person in an RTS game as you would in an FPS; instead, you’ll witness a slew of other people and AI running around destroying, guarding, and creating stuff.

For decades, RTS games were the esports industry’s bread and butter. On the other hand, RTS games have seen a drop in popularity, owing to the fact that they contributed to the birth of a new, larger genre.

It’s difficult to overestimate the fun factor of RTS games. Few things are more rewarding than amassing a massive army and then just pouring over your enemies like a torrent over stones, obliterating their existence with the touch of a button.

rts mode age of empires

Examples of RTS

Starcraft and Age of Empires mostly define the genre, but independent games like Northgard and Driftland have proved that there are plenty of alternative voices to be heard.

Starcraft 2 is a legend in the RTS genre. One that is so massive that several young comers are hesitant even to start playing since they will almost certainly be ripped apart online before understanding the camera controls.

The indecisive among you will be daunted by the constant research and development choices, but you’ll have unlimited freedom of choice whether you’re playing as a Zerg or a Protoss. As a new player, you’ll constantly be debating whether to spend your money on long-term improvements, short-term enhancements to your most potent troops, or whole new units like huge robot dogs.

Starcraft 2 is an RTS game that accomplishes everything an RTS game should, but with a degree of refinement that is difficult to equal over a decade later.

Other Popular Examples Include

  • Age of Empires
  • Ark: Survival Evolved
  • Total Annihilation
  • Warcraft

What Is RPG?

RPG stands for a role-playing game, and it refers to a wide range of games. Whereas the RPG type is one of the most diversified gaming categories, the core of the game is about controlling a single character for an extended length of time.

In role-playing games, a player controls a character in a well-defined fantasy or science fiction realm. In many cases, players may perform actions that are impossible in real life. Typically, the goal is for the player to accomplish a series of missions in order to reach the end of a major plot.

Tabletop or pen-and-paper RPGs such as Rolemaster or Dungeons & Dragons, which is a type of RPG in which players actively define their characters’ actions and ideas, developed into RPG games.

Most role-playing games are situated in a fictional setting with traditional fantasy or science fiction elements woven into the game mechanics. In previous RPGs, creating a central storyline was needed, but in more contemporary games, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing games, it is no longer mandatory.

Players build and customize their characters, equip them with equipment, gain new talents, and go on a risky journey through a dangerous environment filled with creatures, quests, bosses, and riddles.

Character development takes place in these settings through narrative components and storytelling. The majority of RPGs incorporate extensive 3D experiences.

The RPG genre is vast, with a plethora of subcategories to pick from. It’s possible that your favorite game falls within this category. Some of the genre’s subgroups involve action-adventure RPGs, in which your protagonist must stay alive even while managing resources, solving riddles and shaping multiple weapons in the game, and sustenance tragedy.

cyberpunk 2077

Examples of RPG

RPG games come in many different categories, but the main goal remains the same throughout.

The Witcher 3 is one of the most popular RPG titles out there. The Witcher 3 incorporates all of the moral ambiguity, difficult issues like racism and intolerance, and, of course, monster hunting from the previous games and books into a vast setting.

Despite its mythical trappings, it’s still a serious war game with sensual sequences to rival the most abundant sex games. Consequently, you’ll have an incredible RPG that sets the bar for open-world experiences.

Other Popular Examples Include

  • Elden Ring
  • Neverwinter
  • Divinity: Original Sin 2
  • Cyberpunk 2077

Conclusion

Gaming encompasses a vast range of genres, each with its own unique and distinguishing trait that sets it apart from the others. These game genres will continue to expand as the video game business grows swiftly and worldwide.

So today, our discussion of FPS vs RTS vs MOBA vs RPG was among the four most popular gaming genres. More intricate game settings will become conceivable as processing power increases and virtual reality and augmented reality technology becomes more prevalent.

As a result, with so many genres to pick from, there will always be a game for each type of gamer.

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