Why games use so many abbreviations
Games are fast. Players type in the middle of a match, developers squeeze long names into small menu boxes, and patch notes are written for people who already know the vocabulary. The result is a thick layer of short forms that can look like code to someone new.
Most of them are simple once you know where they come from. This guide groups them by where you are likely to meet them, then explains how to work out the meaning of one you have never seen. It does not try to list every abbreviation in existence, because new ones appear constantly and many belong to a single game or community.
Genre and game-type acronyms
These usually appear in store pages, reviews and conversations about what to play.
- FPS means first-person shooter, where you see through the character’s eyes. The same letters are also used for “frames per second”, which is a measure of smoothness. Context tells you which is meant.
- TPS is a third-person shooter, with the camera behind the character.
- RPG is a role-playing game, where you develop a character through stats, items and choices.
- MMO or MMORPG is a massively multiplayer online game, where many people share one persistent world.
- RTS is real-time strategy, where you command units without taking turns.
- MOBA stands for multiplayer online battle arena, a team-versus-team format built around controlling one character.
- JRPG is a Japanese-style role-playing game, a loose label for a set of conventions rather than a strict category.
- F2P means free-to-play, usually with optional purchases inside the game.
Broader questions about how genres differ are covered under game genres, and the history of the shooter type appears in discussions of first-person shooters.
In-game and design acronyms
These show up in menus, tooltips and descriptions of how a game works.
- NPC is a non-player character, any character the computer controls, such as a shopkeeper or quest giver.
- HP is hit points or health points, the amount of damage you can take. MP is often magic points or mana.
- XP is experience points, which feed into levelling up.
- HUD is the heads-up display, the information drawn over the action, such as health bars and maps. UI is the wider user interface, including menus.
- AoE means area of effect, an ability that hits everything in a zone rather than one target.
- DoT is damage over time, such as poison or burning.
- DPS is damage per second, a common way to compare how fast something deals damage. It can also describe a role in a team.
- PvP is player versus player, and PvE is player versus environment, meaning computer-controlled opponents.
- RNG is random number generator, used casually to mean luck. When a player says “bad RNG”, they mean an unlucky random outcome, a topic that connects directly to drop rates.
- QoL is quality of life, meaning small changes that make a game more comfortable without changing how it plays.
- FOV is field of view, how wide an area the camera shows.
Business and release acronyms
Publishers and storefronts use another set of short forms.
- DLC is downloadable content, extra material released after the main game. It can be free or paid.
- DRM is digital rights management, software that restricts how a purchased copy can be used or copied.
- IP here means intellectual property, the characters and worlds a company owns, not an internet address.
- AAA informally describes big-budget games from large publishers, and indie describes smaller, independent efforts. Neither term has an official definition.
- EA can mean early access, a release stage where a game is sold while still being built. It is also the name of a company, so read carefully.
- GOTY is game of the year, often used for an edition that bundles a game with its extras.
- NG+ is new game plus, a replay with some progress carried over.
How games are monetised is a larger subject, and the ideas behind game monetization sit behind many of these terms.
Hardware and performance acronyms
These matter when you read system requirements or troubleshoot a problem.
- CPU is the central processor and GPU is the graphics processor. RAM is short-term memory, and VRAM is memory on the graphics card, a topic explained under video memory.
- SSD and HDD are two kinds of storage drive.
- FPS returns here as frames per second, closely tied to frame rate and to the refresh rate of your display.
- DPI is dots per inch, used for mouse sensitivity.
- LAN is a local area network, as in LAN parties.
- NAT relates to how your router handles connections, which can affect online play.
Chat and social shorthand
This is where abbreviations change fastest.
- GG is “good game”, said at the end of a match. GL HF is “good luck, have fun”.
- AFK is away from keyboard, and BRB is be right back.
- LFG is looking for group, and LFM is looking for more.
- OP is overpowered, meaning too strong, though in forums it can also mean original poster.
- CC is crowd control, such as stuns and slows, although in video it can also mean closed captions.
- TTK is time to kill, how long it takes to defeat an opponent.
- KD or KDA refers to kills, deaths and sometimes assists.
Terms about how players discuss balance, such as buffs and nerfs, belong to a different list.
How to read an unfamiliar abbreviation
A few habits help more than memorising lists.
- Check the setting. FPS in a store listing is a genre, while FPS in a settings menu is a frame measure.
- Look for the full phrase nearby. Many guides spell a term out the first time it appears.
- Notice the game. Some abbreviations belong to one title or community, and the same letters can mean something else elsewhere.
- Ask or search with the game’s name. Adding the title usually narrows the answer quickly.
- Accept that meanings drift. Slang changes, and an older definition may not match how people use a term now.
Abbreviations are a convenience, not a test. If a team mate uses one you do not know, asking is normal and usually welcomed.