Online gaming just continues to go from strength to strength as more and more people subscribe to gaming platforms, be they ones that cater for console gamers, PC keyboard bashers, or mobile touchscreen wizards.

This is partly why companies like Meta are making such bold announcements and predictions regarding the Metaverse, as they see a large enough portion of the world’s population being willing to spend hours in an alternate universe or gaming state.

Here we take a look at the gaming genres that got us to this point, as well as those that look like becoming the dominant forces online this year. Some of them may appear obvious; others might just surprise you.

Chess is just one of the classic online games all set to thrive in 2022 because not only is it devilishly difficult to master, it is also completely free to start playing

Classic Online Games Continue to Defy Expectations

Classic online games like chess, roulette, and arcade games have always had a special place in the hearts of most gamers, but in recent years that sentimentality has turned into something more serious as players grow tired of the poor playability and longevity of modern games, something which has them revisiting games they used to play back in the day. Some of the sites riding this classic game wave include Lichess.org, which prides itself on providing free access to chess training materials and tournaments, PokerStars Casino, which is a treasure trove of the sorts of games that are played in James Bond movies, and RetroGames.cc, that boasts everything from Streets of Rage to the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Until modern games designers realize that playability and complexity count above all else when it comes to any variety of game, classic games providers like these will continue to flourish. Indeed, there are now many modern open world games and RPGs that have classic games embedded within them. This can be seen most clearly in the card and dice games played in the Red Dead Redemption series as well as the fully functioning casino that exists in Grand Theft Auto 5.

Mobile Games Cannot be Beaten on Price and Accessibility

It has long been said that mobile gaming is the future of the industry, with ardent PC and console users still snickering at the idea of such a thing. However, all the signs point towards this prospect coming a step closer in 2022. Not only are more and more developers shifting their focus towards producing games to populate mobile app stores, but there are also now handheld devices, like the Valve Steam Deck, which promise top computing power in the palm of a gamer’s hand.

In fact, it is now virtually unheard of for there to be a major game release on PC or console that is not accompanied by an equally well thought through mobile version. The added benefit of all this mobile gaming content is that much of it comes at a fraction of the price of the stuff put out on PC and console.

Crypto Gaming Takes Flight

Cryptocurrencies and NFTs were already growing into the gaming sphere in 2021 but 2022 will see them truly break out as integral parts of the cyberspace ecology. Not only will games providers begin to widely accept the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum as forms of payment for their products, but many providers will also incentivize people to play by offering crypto assets like NFTs as rewards. Who knows, by the end of 2022 crypto gaming may well be a gaming genre in its own right.

Crypto and NFTs are seeping into every facet of the gaming world and that trend only looks set to continue in 2022

Battle Royales Labor On

One gaming genre that continues to labor on is that of the battle royale, which is propped up by ailing franchises like Call of Duty and PUBG. It remains to be seen how much longer such games can cling on to the public consciousness. The gaming community is crying out for a new genre or concept to come along, but until that time the battle royale will continue to top charts in places like Twitch.