Game genres are named with jargon and abbreviations that mean nothing from outside. Here is what the main ones actually describe.
The main categories
First-person shooter: you see through the character’s eyes and shoot things. Fast, reflex-based, usually competitive online.
Role-playing game: you control a character who grows more capable over time, usually with a substantial story. Often long.
Strategy: you direct resources and units rather than one character. Either real-time, where everything happens at once, or turn-based, where you take turns.
Platformer: navigating environments by jumping. Precision and timing rather than combat.
Simulation: modelling something real – farming, driving, city management, running a business.
Puzzle: solving problems, usually spatial or logical.
Survival: managing hunger, resources and threats in a hostile environment.
The confusing modern terms
Roguelike: you lose everything on death and start over, with the layout randomised each time. Short runs, gradual improvement in your own skill.
Soulslike: difficult combat requiring learning enemy patterns, with heavy penalties for failure. Named after the series that defined it.
Metroidvania: exploring a connected world where new abilities open previously blocked areas.
Battle royale: many players, shrinking map, last one standing.
Live service: a game updated continuously and intended to be played indefinitely rather than finished.
Where to start
Puzzle and simulation games generally require no prior familiarity with game conventions. Action genres assume a great deal of learned vocabulary and are harder to enter cold.