LitRPG, short for literary role-playing game, is a fiction genre that combines parts of computer RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy. The term was introduced in 2013. In LitRPG, game-like elements are a major part of the story, and RPG statistics (such as strength, intelligence, damage) are a big part of the reading experience. This is the difference between LitRPG novels and games that in with a game, like those set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons; books that are actual games, such as the choose-your-own-adventure Fighting Fantasy type of book; or games that are described through words; such as interactive fiction. Typically, the main character in a LitRPG novel is interacting and knows about the game-like elements.
LitRPG grew from earlier game based fantasy novels and was first created as a word by the the Russian publisher EKSMO in 2013. Although many LitRPG books start as self-published works, some found success with a wider audience. Aleron Kong’s The Land: Monsters made the Wall Street Journal bestseller list in 2020, Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series was picked up by a major publisher and reached #2 on The New York Times Audio Fiction bestseller list in 2025.
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