Explore / Franchises
Worlds you come back to.
Some games end. Their worlds stay with you. Explore the names, characters and places that became part of your story.
395 franchises in the directory
A name. A thousand memories.
The worlds that made us
Revisit an old favourite. Meet the one you somehow missed.
01 / World fileHistory has a hidden bladeAssassin's Creed
02 / World fileSurvival horror, reborn oftenResident Evil
03 / World fileMake your own life in TamrielThe Elder Scrolls
04 / World fileRaid the tombs, rewrite the rulesTomb Raider
05 / World fileRage, then restraintGod of War
06 / World fileCrime pays, in chaosGrand Theft AutoFranchise in focus / Resident Evil
Fixed cameras to first person.
Resident Evil 4 swapped lumbering dread for over-the-shoulder action and set a new template in 2005. Later games went back and forth between horror and spectacle, then found a groove in tighter, closer fear.
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- .hackCyberConnect2 and Bandai's action RPG saga began on PS2 in 2002. It plays as a single-player story set inside The World, a fictional online game with something badly wrong beneath it.
- Ace AttorneyAce Attorney is Capcom's courtroom adventure series, created by Shu Takumi and started in 2001. You investigate crime scenes, then break witness testimony in court.
- Ace CombatAce Combat is Namco's arcade-style air combat franchise, launched in the 1990s. Players fly fictional jets in a war with big set pieces and dramatic missions, with a story told through the pilot's eyes.
- Adventure TimeGames based on Pendleton Ward's Cartoon Network series, which premiered in 2010. Dungeon crawlers and adventures, plus a Bloons tower defence crossover.
- Agatha ChristieAdventure games adapting Agatha Christie's detective novels, from And Then There Were None in 2005 to Blazing Griffin's Hercule Poirot cases.
- Akiba's TripAcquire's action series set in a recreated Akihabara, starting in 2011 with Akiba's Trip and continuing with Akiba's Beat.
- Alex KiddSega's early mascot platformer series starring a big-eared boy with a punch to match. It began with Alex Kidd in Miracle World on the Master System in 1986 and returned in a 2021 remake.
- AlienGames based on Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens, from the 1980s to now. They include the stealth horror of Alien: Isolation and squad shooters like Fireteam Elite.
- Alien vs. PredatorGames built on the Alien and Predator crossover, from Rebellion's 1994 Atari Jaguar game to Monolith's sequel and the 2010 reboot.
- Alone in the DarkAlone in the Dark is a survival horror franchise that began in 1992 with Infogrames. It helped define the genre, with fixed camera angles and a spooky mansion.
- Angry BirdsRovio's slingshot puzzler launched on iOS in 2009, pitting furious birds against scheming pigs. It grew into a long line of sequels, tie-ins and spin-offs across mobile and beyond.
- Animal CrossingNintendo's real-time life sim began in 2001 as Doubutsu no Mori on Nintendo 64. You move into a village of talking animals, pay off a loan and make the place your own.
- Ape EscapeSony platform series about catching mischievous monkeys with gadgets. It began on PlayStation in 1999 and spun off into party games.
- Ar tonelicoAr tonelico is a Japanese role-playing franchise from Gust, launched on PlayStation 2 in 2006. Songs and singing heroines drive its battles, and Ar nosurge continues it on later consoles.
- Assassin's CreedUbisoft's flagship action-adventure franchise spanning historical settings from the Third Crusade to the Viking Age. Players take on the role of Assassins throughout history, uncovering a centuries-old conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order.
- AsterixGames based on the French comic by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, first published in 1959. Titles range from 1980s computer games to modern brawlers like Slap Them All.
- AtelierGust's alchemy RPGs began in 1997 with Atelier Marie. Crafting comes first here: gather ingredients, synthesise the gear, and let the small adventures build from there.
- Attack on TitanGames based on Hajime Isayama's manga and anime, including Omega Force's 2016 action game and Spike Chunsoft's Humanity in Chains.
- AvatarGames set in the world of James Cameron's Avatar films, led by a large open-world first-person adventure on the moon of Pandora.
- Avatar: The Last AirbenderGames based on Nickelodeon's bending fantasy cartoon, which began in 2005, and its sequel series The Legend of Korra. Action brawlers, a film tie-in and Quest for Balance.
- Azure Striker GunvoltInti Creates' action-platformer franchise starring the electric hero Gunvolt, starting on 3DS in 2014 with several spin-offs.
- Back to the FutureGames based on Robert Zemeckis's time-travel film trilogy, from licensed platformers around 1989 to Telltale's 2010 episodic adventure.
- Banjo-KazooieRare's platforming double act arrived on Nintendo 64 in 1998. Banjo the bear and Kazooie the breegull pair sharp British humour with collectathon worlds, Grant Kirkhope's music and a rhyming witch.
- BatmanBatman has been in games since Ocean's 1986 isometric adventure, moving through film tie-ins and cartoon spin-offs before Rocksteady's Arkham games gave him a lasting home on console.
- BattlefieldBattlefield is the DICE shooter series built on huge multiplayer battles. It began with Battlefield 1942 in 2002 and has since moved from the world wars to near-future conflict.
- BattleTechSci-fi universe of giant piloted mechs, begun as a FASA tabletop game in 1984. Video games range from Crescent Hawk's Inception to MechWarrior, MechAssault and MechCommander.
- BayonettaBayonetta is an action franchise by PlatinumGames, with Hideki Kamiya as its original director, starting in 2009. A witch with guns on her heels fights angels in fast, stylish combat.
- Ben 10Games based on Cartoon Network's Ben 10, created by Man of Action in 2005. Ben uses the Omnitrix to turn into aliens, usually in action-adventure format.
- BendyBendy is a horror series from Joey Drew Studios, which began in 2017 with Bendy and the Ink Machine. It follows a ruined cartoon studio and the living ink creatures within.
- BioShockKen Levine's 2007 shooter dropped players into Rapture, a ruined undersea city. The line that followed pairs first-person combat with pointed stories about power, ideology and control.
- BladeGames based on Marvel's vampire hunter and the Wesley Snipes films: the 2000 original from Hammerhead and the Blade II tie-in.
- BlazBlueArc System Works' 2D fighting series, which began in 2008 with Calamity Trigger. The wider story reaches into the XBlaze visual novels.
- BleachTite Kubo's Soul Reaper manga has fed games since 2005, with most of them built around sword fights between its huge cast of captains and Hollows.
- Blood BowlBlood Bowl is Games Workshop's fantasy football board game, in which orcs, elves and humans fight for the ball. Cyanide Studio turned it into video games from 2009.
- BloodstainedBloodstained is a gothic action franchise led by Koji Igarashi after his Castlevania years, launched through crowdfunding. It mixes an exploration-heavy main game with retro 8-bit spin-offs.
- Bloons TDBloons TD is Ninja Kiwi's tower defence franchise, in which monkeys pop waves of balloons. It started as a browser game in the late 2000s and later became a staple on phones and PC.
- BoktaiKonami's vampire-hunting action RPG series, led by Hideo Kojima's team. It began on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, with a cartridge sensor that reads real sunlight.
- BorderlandsGearbox's co-op looter shooter began in 2009 on the junkyard planet Pandora. Vault Hunters chase treasure, piles of random guns and a steady stream of dark jokes.
- Brothers in ArmsGearbox's World War 2 shooters follow paratroopers from D-Day onwards. You command fire teams, pin the enemy down, then flank them.
- BullyRockstar's open-world action-adventure franchise set in the fictional Bullworth Academy. A unique take on the open-world formula through the lens of school life.
- Call of DutyActivision's first-person shooter line began with Infinity Ward's 2003 World War II game and grew into a studio relay spanning Black Ops, Modern Warfare and the free-to-play Warzone.
- Captain AmericaGames starring Marvel's Steve Rogers, from 1980s adventure titles to Next Level Games' Super Soldier, the 2011 tie-in to the film The First Avenger.
- Cardfight!! VanguardBushiroad's trading card game and anime line, which started in 2011. FuRyu has adapted it into portable and console card-battle games.
- CarsGames based on Pixar's Cars films, which began in 2006. The line includes racing and adventure games based in Radiator Springs.
- Cartoon NetworkCrossover games that gather Cartoon Network's cast for racing, brawling and party play, from Cartoon Network Racing to the FusionFall MMO and Punch Time Explosion.
- CastlevaniaKonami's gothic action franchise began in 1986 with a whip-wielding Belmont storming Dracula's castle. It went on to shape the metroidvania, then reinvent itself in 3D with Lords of Shadow.
- ChronoChrono is a Square role-playing franchise about time travel, begun with Chrono Trigger on the Super Famicom in 1995. Chrono Cross followed in 1999 with a new cast and a different tone.
- Colin McRaeColin McRae is the Codemasters racing franchise that began with Colin McRae Rally in July 1998 and became Dirt in 2007. The driver's name left the title with Dirt 3 in 2011.
- Command & ConquerWestwood Studios launched Command & Conquer in 1995 and helped define 1990s real-time strategy with base building, resource harvesting and live-action briefings. EA later took it on.
- ConanGames based on Robert E. Howard's barbarian hero, from 1980s computer titles to Funcom's survival games such as Age of Conan and Conan Exiles.
- ConfrontationA fantasy tactics franchise from Cyanide Studio, set in Rackham's Aarklash universe. The tactical game Confrontation was followed by the free-to-play arena game Dogs of War Online.
- ContraContra is Konami's run-and-gun franchise, which began as an arcade game in 1987. Two commandos shoot through waves of alien enemies, often in co-op, in a series known for its difficulty.
- Corpse PartyCorpse Party is a horror adventure series created by Makoto Kedouin, first released in 1996 by Team GrisGris. A group of students are trapped in a cursed school, and choices can lead to grim endings.
- Crash BandicootNaughty Dog's orange marsupial arrived on PlayStation in 1996 and never sat still, spinning through tough platformers, kart racers, party games and a full-scale modern revival.
- Crazy TaxiSega's arcade driving series, which began in 1999 and is built around picking up passengers against the clock. Crazy Taxi 2 and 3 followed on consoles.
- CrysisCrytek's sci-fi first-person shooter series, starring suit-powered soldiers in open jungle and city sandboxes. It began in 2007.
- Cycling ManagerCycling Manager is the cycling management line from Cyanide Studio, later called Pro Cycling Manager. It also includes the official Tour de France games, in which players run a team.
- DanganronpaDanganronpa is a mystery adventure franchise from Spike Chunsoft, beginning on the PSP in 2010. Students are trapped in a deadly game and must solve murders in fast-paced courtroom sequences.
- Danny PhantomGames based on Butch Hartman's Nickelodeon cartoon about a half-ghost teen, which began in 2004. The Ultimate Enemy and Urban Jungle are both handheld games.
- Dark DeceptionA horror series by Glowstick Entertainment that began in 2018. You flee from monsters through mazes while collecting soul shards. It has a multiplayer spin-off in Monsters & Mortals.
- Dark SoulsDark Souls is FromSoftware's dark fantasy action RPG trilogy, created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and started in 2011. It is known for punishing combat and a world that explains little.
- DarksidersAction-adventure series about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which began with Vigil Games' Darksiders on THQ in 2010.
- DarkstalkersCapcom's monster fighting series, which began in the arcades in 1994 with Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. Vampire Savior and Resurrection continue the line.
- DC ComicsDC's heroes have been in games since Atari's Superman in 1979, from licensed platformers to NetherRealm's Injustice fighters and the long-running MMO DC Universe Online.
- Dead by DaylightBehaviour Interactive's asymmetric horror game from 2016, where one killer hunts a group of survivors. It has spun off a dating sim, a pinball table and a narrative horror game.
- Dead or AliveTecmo's 3D fighting series from Team Ninja, which began in arcades in 1996 and spawned the Xtreme beach volleyball spin-offs.
- Dead SpaceEA's sci-fi survival horror series began in 2008, sending engineer Isaac Clarke through ships and stations overrun by Necromorphs, where cutting off limbs beats aiming for the head.
- Death StrandingHideo Kojima's traversal-focused series from Kojima Productions. Death Stranding arrived in 2019, with the sequel On the Beach following in 2025.
- Delta ForceA military shooter series that began with NovaLogic's Delta Force in 1998, built around large outdoor maps. The brand was revived by TiMi Studio Group in 2024.
- DestinyBungie's sci-fi shared-world shooter franchise, which began with Destiny in 2014 and continued with Destiny 2 in 2017.
- Devil May CryCapcom's demon-hunting action series began in 2001 as a Resident Evil 4 prototype that went its own way. Hideki Kamiya's game put Dante, combos and style ranks at its heart.
- DiabloBlizzard's dark fantasy action RPG franchise, born at Blizzard North in 1996. Descend, kill, loot, repeat, as Sanctuary's heroes fight the Prime Evils.
- DigimonDigimon grew out of Bandai's 1997 virtual pets, reaching video games on the Saturn in 1998 and Digimon World in 1999, with raising, battling and partner bonds at its core.
- DisgaeaNippon Ichi Software's tactical RPG series began in 2003 with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Expect demon overlords, exploding Prinnies and numbers that climb into the absurd.
- DisneyGames based on Disney films, characters and parks, starting with a Mickey Mouse handheld in 1981. Not one series, but decades of tie-ins, party games and crossovers from many studios.
- Disney's AladdinGames based on Disney's 1992 film Aladdin, from Capcom's 1993 platformer on the NES and SNES to later sequels and handheld and PC tie-ins.
- Disney's Alice in WonderlandGames based on Disney's Alice in Wonderland, from a 1990s Super Famicom paint-and-play adventure to later tie-ins for the 2010 film and a 2014 mobile title.
- Disney's HerculesLicensed games based on Disney's 1997 animated Hercules. A side-scrolling action game from Eurocom was followed by a lighter Hades-themed challenge title.
- Disney's Peter PanGames linked to Disney's Peter Pan films, including tie-ins for Return to Never Land and The Legend of Never Land, plus handheld and PC spin-offs.
- Disney's The Little MermaidLicensed games based on Disney's The Little Mermaid, from Capcom's 1991 NES platformer through sequels, pinball, and children's titles on handhelds and PC.
- DivinityLarian Studios' fantasy RPG series, from Divine Divinity in 2002 to Divinity: Original Sin in 2014, with deep party tactics and systems.
- Donkey KongNintendo's arcade villain turned platforming star, created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1981. Donkey Kong went from barrel-throwing rival to the hero of Rare's and Retro Studios' jungle adventures.
- Doomid Software's 1993 shooter set the template for the first-person genre. Decades on, Doom still means one marine, a very large arsenal and the whole of Hell on the wrong end of it.
- DoraemonGames based on Fujiko F. Fujio's manga about a robot cat from the future, which began in 1969. Mostly Japanese platformers, RPGs and karts across many consoles.
- Double DragonTechnos Japan's 1987 arcade brawler that popularised the two-player beat 'em up, followed by sequels, spin-offs and revivals.
- Dragon AgeBioWare's dark fantasy RPG series, which began in 2009 with Origins. Inquisition followed in 2014 and The Veilguard in 2024.
- Dragon BallAkira Toriyama's manga has been a video game since 1986. Most of the line is fighters, from 2D duels to arena brawls, with RPGs and card battlers filling the gaps.
- Dragon QuestYuji Horii's RPG saga has run since 1986, with Akira Toriyama's art and a spread of spin-offs from monster raising to block building.
- DrakengardCavia's 2003 PS2 dragon-riding action game marked Yoko Taro's debut, and its bleak world spawned sequels and the Nier spin-offs, which grew out of the last of its five endings.
- DriverA car-chase series inspired by 70s crime films. You play undercover cop Tanner, take getaway jobs and shake off the police on city streets.
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