Franchises

Supergiant Games roguelike dungeon crawler rooted in Greek myth. As Zagreus you fight to escape the Underworld in Hades; as Melinoë you battle the Titan of Time in Hades II—narrative-driven runs, godlike boons, and endlessly replayable combat.

Valve first-person shooter series beginning with Half-Life in 1998. Gordon Freeman’s Black Mesa disaster and later Combine resistance stories defined scripted FPS storytelling, with expansions by Gearbox, the Source-era Half-Life 2 episodes, and the VR prequel Half-Life: Alyx.

Military science fiction series originally developed by Bungie and now managed by Halo Studios at Xbox Game Studios. It launched in 2001 with the first-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved.

Wizarding World video game franchise spanning Electronic Arts film adaptations, LEGO Harry Potter, and Portkey Games titles including Hogwarts Legacy. Players cast spells, explore Hogwarts, and play Quidditch across decades of console and PC releases.

Dark fantasy shooter franchise from Raven Software and id Software, beginning with Heretic in 1994. Players fight Serpent Rider cults with inventory magic and occult weapons across the medieval world of Parthoris, later continued in Hexen and the third-person sequel Heretic II.

Dark fantasy first-person shooter franchise developed by Raven Software using id Software technology, beginning with Hexen: Beyond Heretic in 1995. Players fight the Serpent Riders across medieval worlds with character classes, hub levels, and occult weaponry.

IO Interactive stealth series. Players control contract killer Agent 47, who travels the world to assassinate assigned targets.

Team Cherry Metroidvania series beginning with Hollow Knight in 2017. Players explore fallen insect kingdoms—Hallownest as the Knight, then Pharloom as Hornet in the 2025 sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong—through combat, exploration, and cryptic lore.

2011 Kaos Studios first-person shooter published by THQ. A near-future resistance fights a Korean occupation of the Western United States.

Science fiction action role-playing series set in a 31st-century post-apocalyptic United States. The main games follow Nora huntress Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.