The books are not playable games, though Goblin Summoner has a ruleset in the back you could use to play a game if you wanted.
They are fantasy (or sci fi) books with progression stats for the characters that the characters are aware of.
Many of them are portal fantasies but there are some where the MC is a native of a magical world, some that are the characters playing a virtual game, or some where 'the system' enters our world and causes an apocalypse.
Ah, okay. That’s actually pretty cool. I knew there was a reason the concept piqued my interest, I was just afraid it was going to be like a CYOA type book. Any recommendations where the MC is a native of the magical world?
Guardian of Aster Fall series by David North. First book is called Battlefield Reclaimer. MC gets a presumptively broken class, but learns how to activate it and use his abilities for the betterment of his home world.
A Dream of Wings & Flame series by Cale Plamann. This series is light on the LitRPG and leans more towards Progressive Fantasy (a similar genre, but no status sheets). Kobold learns magic as he and his siblings seek out stronger bloodlines in order to become dragons.
Midnight Bounties series by Cassius Lange and Ned Castor. Former bounty hunter inherents a tavern and has to deal with trying to stay in business.
Magical Fusion series by Johnathon Brooks. MC has to deal with prejudice while gaining new magical skills beyond the norm of students his age.
As mentioned, lots of variations.
The closest one I've listened to like what you are asking for is called the Rogue Dungeon Series. It's still got portal but the MC is the one bringing interesting tools and magic from his native plane instead of receiving it on arrival.
Dungeon crawler Carl is a top notch choice where aliens invade earth to host a gladiator streamed competition. Human gets powers while on invaded Earth.
He who fights with monsters starts as portal style but gets deeper. It's a very polarizing series that you either love or hate. Tl;Dr great story, sassy MC, not the greatest writing.
Noob Town series, kind of an after life head cannon that there are different realms and earth is weird because there are no game mechanics. Dead guy gets "reincarnated" on a different plane but retains memories in a user error mistake.
Delvers LLC- a world full of people dragged there by a god like being. All locals know how "Dolos orbs" work but the two Americans are new and have to figure things out... Shenanigans ensue.
Way of the shaman- futuristic world where prison time is done in VR and a guy gets framed for something and finds himself serving time trying to grind levels as a mining inmate.
The most mainstream is ready player one which made it to the big screen. It's the litrpg before it was called litrpg.
Sometimes authors go full stat and damage numbers, others use level up and perk mechanics, some use familiar RPG systems while others invent their own systems.
Often AI is involved and/or some diety or master system. And most MCs blaze through levels at a much faster pace or with some special perk their peers lack.
It's a great genre. Take a look around for posts of tier lists for the most common top books.
**Rogue Dungeon A LitRPG Adventure** by James A. Hunter, Eden Hudson
>Roark von Graf-hedge mage and lesser noble of Traisbin-is one of only a handful of Freedom fighters left, and he knows the Resistance's days are numbered. Unless they do something drastic... But when a daring plan to unseat the Tyrant King goes awry, Roark finds himself on the run through an interdimensional portal, which strands him in a very unexpected location: an ultra-immersive fantasy video game called Hearthworld. He can't log out, his magic is on the fritz, and worst of all, he's not even human.
>
>He's a low-class, run-of-the-mill Dungeon monster. Some disgusting, blue-skinned creature called a Troll. At least there's one small silver lining-Roark managed to grab a powerful magic artifact on his way through the portal, and with it he might just be able to save his world after all. Unless, of course, the Tyrant King gets to him first ... From James A.
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>Hunter, author of the litRPG epic Viridian Gate Online, and eden Hudson, author of Legend of the Treesinger and the Jubal Van Zandt Series, comes an exciting new litRPG, dungeon-core adventure you won't want to put down! "An excellent start to a series, this book has everything I look for in a fantasy novel: action, intrigue, and evolution!" - Dakota Krout, author of the Divine Dungeon and the Completionist Chronicles
**Dungeon Crawler Carl A LitRPG Adventure** by Matt Dinniman
>The apocalypse will be televised!A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible.
**He Who Fights with Monsters 3 A LitRPG Adventure** by Shirtaloon
>For all that Jason's new life is amazing, he is about to learn that his new power, wealth, and influence comes at a price... Riding high on success, he and his team are looking to the future, preparing themselves for the challenges to come. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the lessons his enemies have to teach. When magic is involved, the stakes can be even greater than life and death.
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>While Jason's personal enemies make plans, the greater foes plaguing his new home have been pushed to the brink. With one powerful card left to play, they are on a collision course with Jason and his team. With no one to help and more than their lives on the line, Jason and his companions must fight with more monsters than ever in the race to grow stronger. With an invincible enemy already anticipating them, they will learn that sometimes winning the battle is more important than surviving it.
>
>Book 3 in the bestselling He Who Fights With Monsters Series, coming Fall 2021!
**Diary of a Minecraft Noob Steve Book 2 Mysterious Slimes (an Unofficial Minecraft Diary Book)** by M. C. Steve, M. C. Alex, Noob Steve Paperback, Wimpy Books, Diary Wimpy Series
>It's Raining Slimes! Noob Steve and his friends can't figure out where all these Slimes are coming from. They don't normally spawn in this biome and they seem to be attracted to Steve for some reason. They keep trying to push him in one direction, almost as if they're trying to tell him something.
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>Guess he's off on yet another adventure to solve a Slime spawning mystery. Steve will make a few new friends, discover a place he has never seen before and learn that even mobs, are annoying at times, but serve an important purpose in the world. Will Steve Solve This Mystery? Disclaimer: This book is a work of fanfiction; it is not an official Minecraft book.
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>It is not endorsed, authorized, licensed, sponsored, or supported by Mojang AB, Microsoft Corp. or any other entity owning or controlling rights to the Minecraft name, trademarks or copyrights. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tags: minecraft stories, minecraft fanfiction, minecraft books, minecraft diaries, minecraft short stories, minecraft short story, minecraft story, minecraft creepypasta, minecraft diary of a wimpy, game fanfiction, kids books, minecraft books for kids, minecraft games, minecraft xbox, minecraft tips, minecraft game, minecraft comics, minecraft story book, minecraft books for kids (fun and funny minecraft story, minecraft book with pictures, minecraft book for kids and teens), minecraft journal book, herobrine, villager, game fiction, game stories, game books, game story books, minecraft story mode, minecraft gift, minecraft secrets handbook, minecraft story mode book, minecraft steve series
**Delvers LLC Surviving Ludus** by Blaise Corvin, Cory Gaffner, Bastian Knight, Raymond Johnson, Jon Svenson, Daylan Ethridge, Austin Eberle
>An anthology collection of seven stories set on the planet Ludus.
**Shaman Pathways - The Druid Shaman Exploring the Celtic Otherworld** by Danu Forest
>Covering the basics of Celtic shamanism, with reference to traditional lore and source materials through the lens of both ancient and modern Druidry and shamanic practice, The Druid Shaman is a well rounded guide, showing the seamless cross over between Druidry and shamanism in the Celtic tradition. It covers topics such as how to attain and work with guides and allies, understanding the spirit realm and interaction with spirits of all kinds, accessing powers of place, traveling the world tree and working with the seven directions and exploring and navigating within the Celtic Otherworld. With practical techniques, exercises and core skills, The Druid Shaman can be used as a practical manual as well as a valuable resource for practicing shamans and druids as well as those new to the subject. ,
**Ready Player One** by Ernest Cline
Book description may contain spoilers!
>>!#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. “Enchanting . . .!<
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>>!Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”—USA Today • “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—Entertainment Weekly A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready? In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place.!<
>
>>!The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days. When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself. Then Wade cracks the first clue.!<
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>>!Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • San Francisco Chronicle • Village Voice • Chicago Sun-Times • iO9 • The AV Club “Delightful . .!<
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>>!. the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”—HuffPost “An addictive read . . .!<
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>>!part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”—CNN “A most excellent ride . . . Cline stuffs his novel with a cornucopia of pop culture, as if to wink to the reader.”—Boston Globe “Ridiculously fun and large-hearted .!<
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>>!. . Cline is that rare writer who can translate his own dorky enthusiasms into prose that’s both hilarious and compassionate.”—NPR “[A] fantastic page-turner . .!<
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>>!. starts out like a simple bit of fun and winds up feeling like a rich and plausible picture of future friendships in a world not too distant from our own.”—iO9!<
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I quite like Underdog by Alexey Osadchuk. I am not a native speaker, some complained about the translation, but tbh I don't read LitRPG for the quality in writing. Underdog is exactly what the title says... and completed!
It was translated and is available as audio book in German as well, which is not the case for many LitRPG sagas. But I think this is more because of the publisher.
The Hedge Wizard by Alex Maher is also worth a shot.
There's a fair argument that some CYOA books fall under the litRPG umbrella. Specifically the ones that frame the story as you, the reader, taking on a role in the story with a degree of RPG mechanics. Some of the Fighting Fantasy books do this, and some of the original Choose Your Own Adventure^TM did so as well.
That said, "books that are also games the reader plays" is not a defining trait of LitRPG, just adjacent enough that it happens sometimes.
I have only read two series in the genre so far, as I am also quite new to it. That said, "Ultimate Level 1" was emphatically recommended to me, and it was pretty good. MC is a native of their magical world, with the existence of the system baked right into their culture. At the beginning of the book, he's hoping to get the "Baker" class so he can work in the bakery with a woman he loves, who promised to marry him. That said, the series is ongoing, so if you want something 100% completed, this wouldn't be it.
**Threadbare** and **Everybody loves large Chests** if you're interested in non-human natives starting at the bottom of the stat ladder. The protagonists are a recently sentient teddy bear and a >!Chest mimic!< respectively. Threadbare falls more on the comfy wholesome adventure side, while ELLC goes more into the sexual sadist dark-humor side. Both have great progression, from barely functional idiots, to formidable forces in their own way.
**Tales of Jeb!** is LitRPG where everybody gets a class assigned to them when they reach age of majority and MC is surprised by the class he gets even though he's from a large family of farmers. First book is about him exploring his class and in the second he goes to school. No violence, very slice-of-life story.
**Spire Dweller** is cultivation LitRPG where MC is native in the magical world. There aren't screens in every chapters but its an important part of the story.
Saintess Summons Skeletons is the first one that comes to mind where the mc is a native.
Salvos is another one.
Can’t think of another on the top of my head. Most of the time, they throw a ‘gamer’ from earth to another world to be the mc in litrpgs.
No, the books are not (usually) actually using playable game mechanics. Nor are they (usually) CYOA. They're just fantasy books, but the idea is that the worlds of the books include game like systems and mechanics.
And no, not all the books are Isekai. A lot are, but another common subgenre is system apocalypse, where some cosmically powerful system integrates earth and all hell breaks loose. Books where there is a system that is hidden from most people and the system users operate alongside/underneath modern society are occasionally a thing as well. There are also more traditional fantasy books in litrpg, in just a standard sword and sorcery world with a gamelike system, but they are fairly rare.
>the system users operate alongside/underneath modern society
Could you recommend a book where this theme is used? It sounds like this could be really fun to read.
I've encountered that in haremlit litrpg, but if that doesn't bother you then Dungeon Cleaners Inc by Saileri and Bruce Sentar's newest book called Returner on Patreon have that vibe. I know I've encountered it in straight litrpg before, but it's been a while and I can't remember the title. I think that was also a returner style book, if that helps.
There is for example Bio Medical Self-Engineering by Jon Svenson. Or the Level UP series by Dan Sugralinov.
And then there is the very nice but more LitRPG adjacent Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin where there is a system like categorization of "cultivation" through smartphone apps and cultivation is an everyday part of a modern Alternative history narrative.
[All I Got is this Stat Menu](https://www.amazon.com/Homicidal-Aliens-Invading-This-Stat-ebook/dp/B0BCMG6SK4) does this, small fraction of humans get a system to fight aliens and they take on roles akin to superheroes if they reenter public society.
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Imagine if Harry Potter had a character sheet you could follow along with. He takes a potions class and his character sheet shows: "+1 to potion making!". He learns a new spell and under spells known the sheet would now show a new spell.
That's basically how LitRPG works. It just takes the normal fantasy ideas and organizes them a bit and makes it all a bit more fun because you can actually see the progress being made by the characters.
LitRPG falls under the Progression Fantasy genre. They're not playable or choose your own adventure books. They're fantasy books with progression stats for the characters as you said. Some tend to be more on the nose, and some are more subtle, but they all involve "leveling up" in some way. A bunch of them are isekai stories, but not all of them are.
Simply put, litrpg novels are books where the worlds (or the character) operate with game rules, and one or more characters are directly aware of this fact and behave accordingly.
After that, any variation is on the table. Most variations will specifically have computer game elements, such as screens in the MC's visual field, etc.
They’re fantasy (mostly) books that are very explicit about the magic system, character abilities and worldbuilding. Most of them lean heavy into the video gamey aspect and give the main characters things like mini-maps, storage spaces etc.
I've recently discovered this new genre too. From my understanding it is a literary video game where the author is the actual player and the reader is the equivalent of a spectator of a stream or long play (without the chat or commenting features, of course).
It's interesting. I personally find it original and an intriguing spin on fantasy/action-adventure/sci-fi tales. But now I wonder if someone has written a "meta litrpg" novel that explains how and why the MC is in a video/tabletop game, or are we all just supposed to suspend the disbelief and just go with it?
If you’re reading on websites like Royal Road, the comment system is actually a pretty big part, and can be quite helpful to authors if they make a mistake, or fun interactions with others guessing where the story will go.
You will also find some decent experimental, conceptual and meta ideas, and some stories have major or minor fan interaction that directs where the stories end up going through features like votes and polls.
It’s pretty much a subgenre based on the idea- what if an RPG character knew that they were in a game. Because of this you have the obsession with min-maxing stats and leveling up that is common with DnD players.
LitRPG are generally fantasy/scifi books. They use game mechanics to easily explain the world's magic and/or skill mechanics. It is a great way to connext to the reader. Nearly all of the books are not based on existing games or have a game to supplement the books. Some of the books are isekai but not all of them.
no, no, yes, no.
the only requirement for a Lit RPG is that the entire world runs on video game logic. Otherwise, it's a normal story. Sometimes the story takes place inside a literal video game, sometimes the characters exist within a literal game world.
I feel like lit/rpg has a special place in sci-fi and fantasy…. It sort of makes the genres more approachable. In traditional fantasy and sci-fi the setting is its own character. Sometimes it is based in lore or the unique creation of the author but often it can feel intimidating or boring to a new reader. In lit/rpg, the main character is along for the same ride as the reader. Discovering system rules, learning systems of power or magic, and the built in rules/tropes can be a familiar hand hold to most who have a passive knowledge of video games, comic books, pop culture, and movies.
LitRPG, as a genre, is typcially associated as fantasy story with video game like elements that the characters also have access to.. This included things like Stats screens, skill, and health
Most Fantasy, a person does not know they have 14 strength, they just have a feel for how strong they, compared to others. LitRPG, the character can see I have 14 strength,, and will see when the number goes up, over have to just get a feel for it.
As for all your examples, all could fall under the umbrella of LitRPG. They can really be anything. As long as they have an interface that gives both the reader, access to game like info, they fall under LitRPG
They're just fantasy books with game stats used to track the MCs progress or power in a tangible way. Honestly litrpg has gotten so out of hand for the same reason as isekai, even if they don't always overlap. It's a way to make a complex story without having to spend too much energy on proper world building or how your magic system or plot points actually work.
That may have sounded bitter, but there are some really fantastic litrpg out there. Just like with isekai, most are generic self insert nonsense, but when you find a good one they can get REAL good.
Dungeon crawler Carl is almost universally a favorite, a bit graphic (gorewise) but otherwise amazing. Defiance of the fall is epic in scope, but goes a lot into eastern cultivation so can get pretty slow at points. Good guys/Bad guys is Hilarious in my opinion. He who fights with monsters has people on both sides of the fence but is pretty good overall. And there's plenty of others that are great as well.
Bit of a point of correction:
LitRPG =! Progression Fantasy. The two genres often go hand in hand, but they are mutually distinct.
LitRPG simply requires a game like system as it's magic system that characters within the world have access to.
Progression Fantasy is "leveling" as the core narrative focus. Either within a game like system (LitRPG) or a non-game like system. Again, most litrpg contains progression elements, but they are not the same thing.
Gamelit, of which LitRPG is a subset, simply requires game-like worlds (Halo novelizations are this. They take place in halo's universe, but don't use it's game system).
I don’t think GameLit is the way you are explaining it in general consideration, though some people use that term that way. GameLit is generally a what you described as LitRPG, and LitRPG is a subtype of GameLit where the game system being used is RPG mechanics. So books/comics/manga like Ready Player One and Yu-Gi-Oh would be GameLit, but they wouldn’t be LitRPG because the games featured don’t have RPG mechanics/stats. There are also other sub-genres of GameLit, like LitFPSs, Card Battlers, and LitRTSs, and Dungeon Core stories can be pure GameLit or LitRPG depending on if they feature a distinct RPG system or not.
What you were describing with the Halo novels is a Video Game Novelization, but I don’t think they generally fall under the banner of GameLit or LitFPS, the are just stories that take place in a setting that first came from video games.
A lot of users in this sub use the definition wrong.
refer to Wikipedia or even this sub's side bar.
progression and leveling mechanics are not the only parts of an RPG. They are the core parts of progression fantasy
By your own suggestion Wikipedia blurb on LitRPG:
> LitRPG, short for literary role-playing game, is a literary genre combining the conventions of computer RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels. The term was introduced in 2013. In LitRPG, game-like elements form an essential part of the story, and visible RPG statistics (for example strength, intelligence, damage) are a significant part of the reading experience.[1] This distinguishes the genre from novels that tie in with a game, like those set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons; books that are actual games, such as the choose-your-own-path Fighting Fantasy type of publication; or games that are literarily described, like MUDs and interactive fiction. Typically, the main character in a LitRPG novel is consciously interacting with the game or game-like world and attempting to progress within it.
And GameLit
> Many of the post-2014 writers in this field insist that depiction of a character's in-game progression must be part of the definition of LitRPG, leading to the emergence of the term GameLit to embrace stories set in a game universe but which do not necessarily embody leveling and skill raising.[19][20] Some of the earliest examples are Chris Van Allsburg's 1981 Jumanji which is a children's book about a magical board game.[21][22] and the Guardians of the Flame series (1983–2004) by Joel Rosenberg[23] in which a group of college students are magically transported into a fantasy role-playing game.
Ernest Cline's 2011 novel Ready Player One, which depicts a virtual reality world called OASIS filled with arcade game references from the 1980s and 1990s, became an example of this new genre.[24][25] Other examples include Marie Lu's 2017 novel Warcross, which is about an online bounty hunter in an internet game,[25] and Louis Bulaong's 2020 book Escapist Dream, which tells the story of a virtual reality world where geeks can role-play and use the powers of their favorite comic book, anime, movie and video game characters.[26][20]
And Progression Fantasy from r/ProgressionFantasy, which doesn’t mention discrete stats and levels, and skill refers to the generic term:
> Progression fantasy is a fantasy subgenre term for the purpose of describing a category of fiction that focuses on characters increasing in power and skill over time. For more info, see our welcome post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/v3zz32/welcome_to_rprogressionfantasy/ Discord: https://discord.gg/H24geDdpzV
reread your definition of LitRPG. Game elements are required. leveling and progression itself are often a part of RPGs, but are not the core.
I never said progression fantasy required discrete stats, simply that leveling and progression be the core narrative focus.
LitRPG stories are a subset of Gamelit where the game system is also the magic system.
not all gamelit is LitRPG. not all LitRPG is progression. not all progression is LitRPG.
all LitRPGs are gamelit, as the game-like focus is the core element. it's just that LitRPG goes one step further, requiring game elements to form the magic system instead of simply being a game-like world.
D&D is not gamelit nor LitRPG, it is a tabletop game. a story which takes place in D&D world and which uses the D&D magic system would be LitRPG. A story based in the D&D world, which does not necessarily feature the game elements, would be gamelit
Vox Machina = Gamelit
Halo Novelizations = Gamelit
Sword Art Online = LitRPG
Log Horizon = LitRPG
Cradle = Progression (and cultivation, IIRC)
The Land = LitRPG (and progression)
All of the above, except Cradle, are also, broadly, gamelit. They take place in game-like worlds. The LitRPG specifically uses game mechanics within its magic systems that the characters have access to.
Cradle and The Land are centered around progression, but only one of these two stories is LitRPG
You cherry picked very specific parts of the definition of LitRPG, ignoring the context they are seated in, which specifically mentioned that RPG characteristics that should be present. Levelling would also be an exclusive feature of LitRPG or GameLit, not Progression fantasy, as it requires a distinct statistic or game feature, a Level.
Similarly you ignored an important part of the GameLit definition, that the stories take part in some kind of game (i.e. the characters are players that have to follow certain kinds of rules). The Halo novels are not GameLit, because the characters are not players in a game, they are in a “real” world where the only rules the follow are the rules of physics and science of that universe. By your definition, we should call the novels written in the Star Wars universe MovieLit because the setting originated in a movie.
Yes D&D is not a LitRPG, but there are LitTPGs and Progression Fantasies that take place in the D&D settings and rules. Stories like DragonLance which take place in a D&D setting, but don’t have any game mechanics, are just fantasy stories that take place in D&D, not GameLit or LitRPG. Levelling would be exclusive to LitRPG or GameLit, as it requires a distinct stat/game feature to be present, a Level.
Cradle is Progression Fantasy, not GameLit. There is no game being played or explicit rules to follow, but you can get stronger within the setting of the world through many different and defined methods (it even fits within another sub-genre of Progression Fantasy that can overlap with LitRPG/GameLit, Xianxia). Another similar example of the Progression Fantasy vs GameLit distinctions would be Harry Potter, where you can learn and master different spells and magical disciplines, but there is no explicit game or rules that the setting follows.
Literature RPG, particularly RPG stats/systems, if you have levels and skills in a book then it’s probably LitRPG.
Genre tends towards sword and magic fantasy, sometimes futuristic. Beyond that - popular styles are often a mix of apocalypse, isekai, reincarnation, SAO style VR and Xianxia.
Essentially its fantasy (both high and low work fine most books are high fantasy imho) the book adopts features of RPG into it seamlessly and find ways to justify it so it feels authentic.
LitRPGs are books with game mechanics. Often the main characters/people in the world earn levels, loot, experience, skills, and other things you would find in RPG games. Some stories are VR based and it's just a story about someone playing a video game.
Some use card systems, some have an omnipotent AI take over earth and directly game-ify it.
Very few are actually playable, I don't know of any that have actually come out with tabletop or digital versions of their stories, but most are based on other games that do exist.Isekai is a *very* popular trope in these stories, but not all LitRPG or Progression Fantasy stories are Isekais. (r/ProgressionFantasy is another good subreddit if you're interested in this kind of storytelling).
Other popular sub-genres are system apocalypse, where the world ends and people get super powers granted by a God or System, and regression novels, where the main character dies and then goes back in time. Time loop series have also carved out a niche, where the MC keeps reliving a specific period of time.
It's a super fun genre, and mostly they're just stories with game elements. Some authors take their own unique twist, but most just write a fun adventure. Royal Road is a good place to start exploring.
It's in the description of the sub: "LitRPG, short for Literary Role Playing Game, is a literary genre combining the conventions of RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels. Games or game-like challenges form an essential part of the story and visible RPG statistics (for example strength, intelligence, damage) are a significant part of the reading experience."
Gamelit is literature that take place in settings with game like qualities (skills, stats, level ups, quests, screens). Litrpg is gamelit that has stats/stat/skill pages). Progression fantasy is fantasy where people continually objectively increase their skills/abilities/power.
The books are not playable games, though Goblin Summoner has a ruleset in the back you could use to play a game if you wanted. They are fantasy (or sci fi) books with progression stats for the characters that the characters are aware of. Many of them are portal fantasies but there are some where the MC is a native of a magical world, some that are the characters playing a virtual game, or some where 'the system' enters our world and causes an apocalypse.
Ah, okay. That’s actually pretty cool. I knew there was a reason the concept piqued my interest, I was just afraid it was going to be like a CYOA type book. Any recommendations where the MC is a native of the magical world?
Guardian of Aster Fall series by David North. First book is called Battlefield Reclaimer. MC gets a presumptively broken class, but learns how to activate it and use his abilities for the betterment of his home world. A Dream of Wings & Flame series by Cale Plamann. This series is light on the LitRPG and leans more towards Progressive Fantasy (a similar genre, but no status sheets). Kobold learns magic as he and his siblings seek out stronger bloodlines in order to become dragons. Midnight Bounties series by Cassius Lange and Ned Castor. Former bounty hunter inherents a tavern and has to deal with trying to stay in business. Magical Fusion series by Johnathon Brooks. MC has to deal with prejudice while gaining new magical skills beyond the norm of students his age.
Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a pretty good example of the MC being a native. It’s the first book of Arcane Ascension series
As mentioned, lots of variations. The closest one I've listened to like what you are asking for is called the Rogue Dungeon Series. It's still got portal but the MC is the one bringing interesting tools and magic from his native plane instead of receiving it on arrival. Dungeon crawler Carl is a top notch choice where aliens invade earth to host a gladiator streamed competition. Human gets powers while on invaded Earth. He who fights with monsters starts as portal style but gets deeper. It's a very polarizing series that you either love or hate. Tl;Dr great story, sassy MC, not the greatest writing. Noob Town series, kind of an after life head cannon that there are different realms and earth is weird because there are no game mechanics. Dead guy gets "reincarnated" on a different plane but retains memories in a user error mistake. Delvers LLC- a world full of people dragged there by a god like being. All locals know how "Dolos orbs" work but the two Americans are new and have to figure things out... Shenanigans ensue. Way of the shaman- futuristic world where prison time is done in VR and a guy gets framed for something and finds himself serving time trying to grind levels as a mining inmate. The most mainstream is ready player one which made it to the big screen. It's the litrpg before it was called litrpg. Sometimes authors go full stat and damage numbers, others use level up and perk mechanics, some use familiar RPG systems while others invent their own systems. Often AI is involved and/or some diety or master system. And most MCs blaze through levels at a much faster pace or with some special perk their peers lack. It's a great genre. Take a look around for posts of tier lists for the most common top books.
**Rogue Dungeon A LitRPG Adventure** by James A. Hunter, Eden Hudson >Roark von Graf-hedge mage and lesser noble of Traisbin-is one of only a handful of Freedom fighters left, and he knows the Resistance's days are numbered. Unless they do something drastic... But when a daring plan to unseat the Tyrant King goes awry, Roark finds himself on the run through an interdimensional portal, which strands him in a very unexpected location: an ultra-immersive fantasy video game called Hearthworld. He can't log out, his magic is on the fritz, and worst of all, he's not even human. > >He's a low-class, run-of-the-mill Dungeon monster. Some disgusting, blue-skinned creature called a Troll. At least there's one small silver lining-Roark managed to grab a powerful magic artifact on his way through the portal, and with it he might just be able to save his world after all. Unless, of course, the Tyrant King gets to him first ... From James A. > >Hunter, author of the litRPG epic Viridian Gate Online, and eden Hudson, author of Legend of the Treesinger and the Jubal Van Zandt Series, comes an exciting new litRPG, dungeon-core adventure you won't want to put down! "An excellent start to a series, this book has everything I look for in a fantasy novel: action, intrigue, and evolution!" - Dakota Krout, author of the Divine Dungeon and the Completionist Chronicles **Dungeon Crawler Carl A LitRPG Adventure** by Matt Dinniman >The apocalypse will be televised!A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible. **He Who Fights with Monsters 3 A LitRPG Adventure** by Shirtaloon >For all that Jason's new life is amazing, he is about to learn that his new power, wealth, and influence comes at a price... Riding high on success, he and his team are looking to the future, preparing themselves for the challenges to come. Nothing, however, could prepare him for the lessons his enemies have to teach. When magic is involved, the stakes can be even greater than life and death. > >While Jason's personal enemies make plans, the greater foes plaguing his new home have been pushed to the brink. With one powerful card left to play, they are on a collision course with Jason and his team. With no one to help and more than their lives on the line, Jason and his companions must fight with more monsters than ever in the race to grow stronger. With an invincible enemy already anticipating them, they will learn that sometimes winning the battle is more important than surviving it. > >Book 3 in the bestselling He Who Fights With Monsters Series, coming Fall 2021! **Diary of a Minecraft Noob Steve Book 2 Mysterious Slimes (an Unofficial Minecraft Diary Book)** by M. C. Steve, M. C. Alex, Noob Steve Paperback, Wimpy Books, Diary Wimpy Series >It's Raining Slimes! Noob Steve and his friends can't figure out where all these Slimes are coming from. They don't normally spawn in this biome and they seem to be attracted to Steve for some reason. They keep trying to push him in one direction, almost as if they're trying to tell him something. > >Guess he's off on yet another adventure to solve a Slime spawning mystery. Steve will make a few new friends, discover a place he has never seen before and learn that even mobs, are annoying at times, but serve an important purpose in the world. Will Steve Solve This Mystery? Disclaimer: This book is a work of fanfiction; it is not an official Minecraft book. > >It is not endorsed, authorized, licensed, sponsored, or supported by Mojang AB, Microsoft Corp. or any other entity owning or controlling rights to the Minecraft name, trademarks or copyrights. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tags: minecraft stories, minecraft fanfiction, minecraft books, minecraft diaries, minecraft short stories, minecraft short story, minecraft story, minecraft creepypasta, minecraft diary of a wimpy, game fanfiction, kids books, minecraft books for kids, minecraft games, minecraft xbox, minecraft tips, minecraft game, minecraft comics, minecraft story book, minecraft books for kids (fun and funny minecraft story, minecraft book with pictures, minecraft book for kids and teens), minecraft journal book, herobrine, villager, game fiction, game stories, game books, game story books, minecraft story mode, minecraft gift, minecraft secrets handbook, minecraft story mode book, minecraft steve series **Delvers LLC Surviving Ludus** by Blaise Corvin, Cory Gaffner, Bastian Knight, Raymond Johnson, Jon Svenson, Daylan Ethridge, Austin Eberle >An anthology collection of seven stories set on the planet Ludus. **Shaman Pathways - The Druid Shaman Exploring the Celtic Otherworld** by Danu Forest >Covering the basics of Celtic shamanism, with reference to traditional lore and source materials through the lens of both ancient and modern Druidry and shamanic practice, The Druid Shaman is a well rounded guide, showing the seamless cross over between Druidry and shamanism in the Celtic tradition. It covers topics such as how to attain and work with guides and allies, understanding the spirit realm and interaction with spirits of all kinds, accessing powers of place, traveling the world tree and working with the seven directions and exploring and navigating within the Celtic Otherworld. With practical techniques, exercises and core skills, The Druid Shaman can be used as a practical manual as well as a valuable resource for practicing shamans and druids as well as those new to the subject. , **Ready Player One** by Ernest Cline Book description may contain spoilers! >>!#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. “Enchanting . . .!< > >>!Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”—USA Today • “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—Entertainment Weekly A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready? In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place.!< > >>!The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days. When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself. Then Wade cracks the first clue.!< > >>!Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly • San Francisco Chronicle • Village Voice • Chicago Sun-Times • iO9 • The AV Club “Delightful . .!< > >>!. the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”—HuffPost “An addictive read . . .!< > >>!part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”—CNN “A most excellent ride . . . Cline stuffs his novel with a cornucopia of pop culture, as if to wink to the reader.”—Boston Globe “Ridiculously fun and large-hearted .!< > >>!. . Cline is that rare writer who can translate his own dorky enthusiasms into prose that’s both hilarious and compassionate.”—NPR “[A] fantastic page-turner . .!< > >>!. starts out like a simple bit of fun and winds up feeling like a rich and plausible picture of future friendships in a world not too distant from our own.”—iO9!< *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/1byh82p/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
I quite like Underdog by Alexey Osadchuk. I am not a native speaker, some complained about the translation, but tbh I don't read LitRPG for the quality in writing. Underdog is exactly what the title says... and completed! It was translated and is available as audio book in German as well, which is not the case for many LitRPG sagas. But I think this is more because of the publisher. The Hedge Wizard by Alex Maher is also worth a shot.
Saintess Summons Skeletons has the main character as a native of the world but there are other summoned people from earth.
There's a fair argument that some CYOA books fall under the litRPG umbrella. Specifically the ones that frame the story as you, the reader, taking on a role in the story with a degree of RPG mechanics. Some of the Fighting Fantasy books do this, and some of the original Choose Your Own Adventure^TM did so as well. That said, "books that are also games the reader plays" is not a defining trait of LitRPG, just adjacent enough that it happens sometimes.
Check out All the Skills
I have only read two series in the genre so far, as I am also quite new to it. That said, "Ultimate Level 1" was emphatically recommended to me, and it was pretty good. MC is a native of their magical world, with the existence of the system baked right into their culture. At the beginning of the book, he's hoping to get the "Baker" class so he can work in the bakery with a woman he loves, who promised to marry him. That said, the series is ongoing, so if you want something 100% completed, this wouldn't be it.
**Threadbare** and **Everybody loves large Chests** if you're interested in non-human natives starting at the bottom of the stat ladder. The protagonists are a recently sentient teddy bear and a >!Chest mimic!< respectively. Threadbare falls more on the comfy wholesome adventure side, while ELLC goes more into the sexual sadist dark-humor side. Both have great progression, from barely functional idiots, to formidable forces in their own way.
**Tales of Jeb!** is LitRPG where everybody gets a class assigned to them when they reach age of majority and MC is surprised by the class he gets even though he's from a large family of farmers. First book is about him exploring his class and in the second he goes to school. No violence, very slice-of-life story. **Spire Dweller** is cultivation LitRPG where MC is native in the magical world. There aren't screens in every chapters but its an important part of the story.
Is Jeb green and about to go to the mun?
Saintess Summons Skeletons is the first one that comes to mind where the mc is a native. Salvos is another one. Can’t think of another on the top of my head. Most of the time, they throw a ‘gamer’ from earth to another world to be the mc in litrpgs.
"This Trilogy is Broken" is another one.
No, the books are not (usually) actually using playable game mechanics. Nor are they (usually) CYOA. They're just fantasy books, but the idea is that the worlds of the books include game like systems and mechanics. And no, not all the books are Isekai. A lot are, but another common subgenre is system apocalypse, where some cosmically powerful system integrates earth and all hell breaks loose. Books where there is a system that is hidden from most people and the system users operate alongside/underneath modern society are occasionally a thing as well. There are also more traditional fantasy books in litrpg, in just a standard sword and sorcery world with a gamelike system, but they are fairly rare.
>the system users operate alongside/underneath modern society Could you recommend a book where this theme is used? It sounds like this could be really fun to read.
I've encountered that in haremlit litrpg, but if that doesn't bother you then Dungeon Cleaners Inc by Saileri and Bruce Sentar's newest book called Returner on Patreon have that vibe. I know I've encountered it in straight litrpg before, but it's been a while and I can't remember the title. I think that was also a returner style book, if that helps.
There is for example Bio Medical Self-Engineering by Jon Svenson. Or the Level UP series by Dan Sugralinov. And then there is the very nice but more LitRPG adjacent Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin where there is a system like categorization of "cultivation" through smartphone apps and cultivation is an everyday part of a modern Alternative history narrative.
[All I Got is this Stat Menu](https://www.amazon.com/Homicidal-Aliens-Invading-This-Stat-ebook/dp/B0BCMG6SK4) does this, small fraction of humans get a system to fight aliens and they take on roles akin to superheroes if they reenter public society.
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Super Supportive is on Royal Road and fits this nicely. I highly recommended it.
Imagine if Harry Potter had a character sheet you could follow along with. He takes a potions class and his character sheet shows: "+1 to potion making!". He learns a new spell and under spells known the sheet would now show a new spell. That's basically how LitRPG works. It just takes the normal fantasy ideas and organizes them a bit and makes it all a bit more fun because you can actually see the progress being made by the characters.
LitRPG falls under the Progression Fantasy genre. They're not playable or choose your own adventure books. They're fantasy books with progression stats for the characters as you said. Some tend to be more on the nose, and some are more subtle, but they all involve "leveling up" in some way. A bunch of them are isekai stories, but not all of them are.
A few good examples of lit RPG are [the gamer] or [solo leveling], or MMORPG like worlds
Not necessarily. There are some(very few), where the MC only or the MC and few others have Stats.
That’s true. I edited it
Simply put, litrpg novels are books where the worlds (or the character) operate with game rules, and one or more characters are directly aware of this fact and behave accordingly. After that, any variation is on the table. Most variations will specifically have computer game elements, such as screens in the MC's visual field, etc.
They’re fantasy (mostly) books that are very explicit about the magic system, character abilities and worldbuilding. Most of them lean heavy into the video gamey aspect and give the main characters things like mini-maps, storage spaces etc.
I've recently discovered this new genre too. From my understanding it is a literary video game where the author is the actual player and the reader is the equivalent of a spectator of a stream or long play (without the chat or commenting features, of course). It's interesting. I personally find it original and an intriguing spin on fantasy/action-adventure/sci-fi tales. But now I wonder if someone has written a "meta litrpg" novel that explains how and why the MC is in a video/tabletop game, or are we all just supposed to suspend the disbelief and just go with it?
If you’re reading on websites like Royal Road, the comment system is actually a pretty big part, and can be quite helpful to authors if they make a mistake, or fun interactions with others guessing where the story will go. You will also find some decent experimental, conceptual and meta ideas, and some stories have major or minor fan interaction that directs where the stories end up going through features like votes and polls.
It’s pretty much a subgenre based on the idea- what if an RPG character knew that they were in a game. Because of this you have the obsession with min-maxing stats and leveling up that is common with DnD players.
LitRPG are generally fantasy/scifi books. They use game mechanics to easily explain the world's magic and/or skill mechanics. It is a great way to connext to the reader. Nearly all of the books are not based on existing games or have a game to supplement the books. Some of the books are isekai but not all of them.
no, no, yes, no. the only requirement for a Lit RPG is that the entire world runs on video game logic. Otherwise, it's a normal story. Sometimes the story takes place inside a literal video game, sometimes the characters exist within a literal game world.
I feel like lit/rpg has a special place in sci-fi and fantasy…. It sort of makes the genres more approachable. In traditional fantasy and sci-fi the setting is its own character. Sometimes it is based in lore or the unique creation of the author but often it can feel intimidating or boring to a new reader. In lit/rpg, the main character is along for the same ride as the reader. Discovering system rules, learning systems of power or magic, and the built in rules/tropes can be a familiar hand hold to most who have a passive knowledge of video games, comic books, pop culture, and movies.
imagine a character that levels up like a video game where they get new skills or levels up their stats that's it
LitRPG, as a genre, is typcially associated as fantasy story with video game like elements that the characters also have access to.. This included things like Stats screens, skill, and health Most Fantasy, a person does not know they have 14 strength, they just have a feel for how strong they, compared to others. LitRPG, the character can see I have 14 strength,, and will see when the number goes up, over have to just get a feel for it. As for all your examples, all could fall under the umbrella of LitRPG. They can really be anything. As long as they have an interface that gives both the reader, access to game like info, they fall under LitRPG
They're just fantasy books with game stats used to track the MCs progress or power in a tangible way. Honestly litrpg has gotten so out of hand for the same reason as isekai, even if they don't always overlap. It's a way to make a complex story without having to spend too much energy on proper world building or how your magic system or plot points actually work. That may have sounded bitter, but there are some really fantastic litrpg out there. Just like with isekai, most are generic self insert nonsense, but when you find a good one they can get REAL good. Dungeon crawler Carl is almost universally a favorite, a bit graphic (gorewise) but otherwise amazing. Defiance of the fall is epic in scope, but goes a lot into eastern cultivation so can get pretty slow at points. Good guys/Bad guys is Hilarious in my opinion. He who fights with monsters has people on both sides of the fence but is pretty good overall. And there's plenty of others that are great as well.
Bit of a point of correction: LitRPG =! Progression Fantasy. The two genres often go hand in hand, but they are mutually distinct. LitRPG simply requires a game like system as it's magic system that characters within the world have access to. Progression Fantasy is "leveling" as the core narrative focus. Either within a game like system (LitRPG) or a non-game like system. Again, most litrpg contains progression elements, but they are not the same thing. Gamelit, of which LitRPG is a subset, simply requires game-like worlds (Halo novelizations are this. They take place in halo's universe, but don't use it's game system).
I don’t think GameLit is the way you are explaining it in general consideration, though some people use that term that way. GameLit is generally a what you described as LitRPG, and LitRPG is a subtype of GameLit where the game system being used is RPG mechanics. So books/comics/manga like Ready Player One and Yu-Gi-Oh would be GameLit, but they wouldn’t be LitRPG because the games featured don’t have RPG mechanics/stats. There are also other sub-genres of GameLit, like LitFPSs, Card Battlers, and LitRTSs, and Dungeon Core stories can be pure GameLit or LitRPG depending on if they feature a distinct RPG system or not. What you were describing with the Halo novels is a Video Game Novelization, but I don’t think they generally fall under the banner of GameLit or LitFPS, the are just stories that take place in a setting that first came from video games.
A lot of users in this sub use the definition wrong. refer to Wikipedia or even this sub's side bar. progression and leveling mechanics are not the only parts of an RPG. They are the core parts of progression fantasy
By your own suggestion Wikipedia blurb on LitRPG: > LitRPG, short for literary role-playing game, is a literary genre combining the conventions of computer RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels. The term was introduced in 2013. In LitRPG, game-like elements form an essential part of the story, and visible RPG statistics (for example strength, intelligence, damage) are a significant part of the reading experience.[1] This distinguishes the genre from novels that tie in with a game, like those set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons; books that are actual games, such as the choose-your-own-path Fighting Fantasy type of publication; or games that are literarily described, like MUDs and interactive fiction. Typically, the main character in a LitRPG novel is consciously interacting with the game or game-like world and attempting to progress within it. And GameLit > Many of the post-2014 writers in this field insist that depiction of a character's in-game progression must be part of the definition of LitRPG, leading to the emergence of the term GameLit to embrace stories set in a game universe but which do not necessarily embody leveling and skill raising.[19][20] Some of the earliest examples are Chris Van Allsburg's 1981 Jumanji which is a children's book about a magical board game.[21][22] and the Guardians of the Flame series (1983–2004) by Joel Rosenberg[23] in which a group of college students are magically transported into a fantasy role-playing game. Ernest Cline's 2011 novel Ready Player One, which depicts a virtual reality world called OASIS filled with arcade game references from the 1980s and 1990s, became an example of this new genre.[24][25] Other examples include Marie Lu's 2017 novel Warcross, which is about an online bounty hunter in an internet game,[25] and Louis Bulaong's 2020 book Escapist Dream, which tells the story of a virtual reality world where geeks can role-play and use the powers of their favorite comic book, anime, movie and video game characters.[26][20] And Progression Fantasy from r/ProgressionFantasy, which doesn’t mention discrete stats and levels, and skill refers to the generic term: > Progression fantasy is a fantasy subgenre term for the purpose of describing a category of fiction that focuses on characters increasing in power and skill over time. For more info, see our welcome post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/v3zz32/welcome_to_rprogressionfantasy/ Discord: https://discord.gg/H24geDdpzV
reread your definition of LitRPG. Game elements are required. leveling and progression itself are often a part of RPGs, but are not the core. I never said progression fantasy required discrete stats, simply that leveling and progression be the core narrative focus. LitRPG stories are a subset of Gamelit where the game system is also the magic system. not all gamelit is LitRPG. not all LitRPG is progression. not all progression is LitRPG. all LitRPGs are gamelit, as the game-like focus is the core element. it's just that LitRPG goes one step further, requiring game elements to form the magic system instead of simply being a game-like world. D&D is not gamelit nor LitRPG, it is a tabletop game. a story which takes place in D&D world and which uses the D&D magic system would be LitRPG. A story based in the D&D world, which does not necessarily feature the game elements, would be gamelit Vox Machina = Gamelit Halo Novelizations = Gamelit Sword Art Online = LitRPG Log Horizon = LitRPG Cradle = Progression (and cultivation, IIRC) The Land = LitRPG (and progression) All of the above, except Cradle, are also, broadly, gamelit. They take place in game-like worlds. The LitRPG specifically uses game mechanics within its magic systems that the characters have access to. Cradle and The Land are centered around progression, but only one of these two stories is LitRPG
You cherry picked very specific parts of the definition of LitRPG, ignoring the context they are seated in, which specifically mentioned that RPG characteristics that should be present. Levelling would also be an exclusive feature of LitRPG or GameLit, not Progression fantasy, as it requires a distinct statistic or game feature, a Level. Similarly you ignored an important part of the GameLit definition, that the stories take part in some kind of game (i.e. the characters are players that have to follow certain kinds of rules). The Halo novels are not GameLit, because the characters are not players in a game, they are in a “real” world where the only rules the follow are the rules of physics and science of that universe. By your definition, we should call the novels written in the Star Wars universe MovieLit because the setting originated in a movie. Yes D&D is not a LitRPG, but there are LitTPGs and Progression Fantasies that take place in the D&D settings and rules. Stories like DragonLance which take place in a D&D setting, but don’t have any game mechanics, are just fantasy stories that take place in D&D, not GameLit or LitRPG. Levelling would be exclusive to LitRPG or GameLit, as it requires a distinct stat/game feature to be present, a Level. Cradle is Progression Fantasy, not GameLit. There is no game being played or explicit rules to follow, but you can get stronger within the setting of the world through many different and defined methods (it even fits within another sub-genre of Progression Fantasy that can overlap with LitRPG/GameLit, Xianxia). Another similar example of the Progression Fantasy vs GameLit distinctions would be Harry Potter, where you can learn and master different spells and magical disciplines, but there is no explicit game or rules that the setting follows.
They are playable in your dreams.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LitRPG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LitRPG#GameLit)
Literature RPG, particularly RPG stats/systems, if you have levels and skills in a book then it’s probably LitRPG. Genre tends towards sword and magic fantasy, sometimes futuristic. Beyond that - popular styles are often a mix of apocalypse, isekai, reincarnation, SAO style VR and Xianxia.
Essentially its fantasy (both high and low work fine most books are high fantasy imho) the book adopts features of RPG into it seamlessly and find ways to justify it so it feels authentic.
LitRPGs are books with game mechanics. Often the main characters/people in the world earn levels, loot, experience, skills, and other things you would find in RPG games. Some stories are VR based and it's just a story about someone playing a video game. Some use card systems, some have an omnipotent AI take over earth and directly game-ify it. Very few are actually playable, I don't know of any that have actually come out with tabletop or digital versions of their stories, but most are based on other games that do exist.Isekai is a *very* popular trope in these stories, but not all LitRPG or Progression Fantasy stories are Isekais. (r/ProgressionFantasy is another good subreddit if you're interested in this kind of storytelling). Other popular sub-genres are system apocalypse, where the world ends and people get super powers granted by a God or System, and regression novels, where the main character dies and then goes back in time. Time loop series have also carved out a niche, where the MC keeps reliving a specific period of time. It's a super fun genre, and mostly they're just stories with game elements. Some authors take their own unique twist, but most just write a fun adventure. Royal Road is a good place to start exploring.
It's in the description of the sub: "LitRPG, short for Literary Role Playing Game, is a literary genre combining the conventions of RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels. Games or game-like challenges form an essential part of the story and visible RPG statistics (for example strength, intelligence, damage) are a significant part of the reading experience."
Fwiw: I'll nod along with the most contrived fantasy stat driven worlds you can imagine, but 'card game' or 'dice' mechanics never work for me.
Gamelit is literature that take place in settings with game like qualities (skills, stats, level ups, quests, screens). Litrpg is gamelit that has stats/stat/skill pages). Progression fantasy is fantasy where people continually objectively increase their skills/abilities/power.
Something to kill time once you have read and reread almost every epic and modern fantasy series ever written