Gaming Glossary

ALLM stands for auto low latency mode. When a console starts, the television detects it and switches itself into game mode, disabling the picture processing that causes input lag. When you switch to a film, it reverts.

It needs HDMI 2.1 and has to be enabled in the TV settings, where it usually ships off. Worth finding: it saves you changing picture modes by hand every time.

Response time is how quickly a pixel changes from one colour to another, measured in milliseconds. Slow response causes ghosting — a faint trail behind moving objects.

It is often confused with input lag, but they are different: response time is about the image, input lag is about the delay from your controller. A 1ms monitor can still feel sluggish if its input lag is high.

Manufacturers quote best-case figures, so treat the number as an indication rather than a measurement.

Screen tearing is when the top and bottom of the image show different frames, producing a visible horizontal split during movement. It happens when the game and the screen are out of step.

V-Sync fixes it by forcing the game to wait for the screen, which removes tearing but adds input lag and can cause stutter when frames are missed.

VRR is the better solution: the screen matches the game instead of the other way round, so there is no tearing and no added delay.

A teraflop is a trillion floating-point operations per second — a measure of raw graphics throughput. Consoles quote it because it is a single big number that sounds decisive.

It is not. Real performance depends on memory bandwidth, the SSD, the CPU, cooling and how well a game is optimised. Two machines with similar teraflops can perform very differently, and consoles from different manufacturers cannot be compared this way at all.

Useful within one family, misleading across families.

Backward compatibility means a console can play games made for an earlier one. It protects a library you already own when you upgrade.

Support varies a lot: Xbox Series X and S reach back several generations, PS5 covers PS4 but not PS3, and Switch 2 plays almost the entire original Switch library.

See our full guide for what each console plays and what it means when choosing.

The CPU is the general-purpose processor. In a game it handles the logic: enemy behaviour, physics, the world simulation and preparing work for the graphics card.

Most games are limited by the GPU, not the CPU — which is why a graphics card upgrade usually helps more. But some are CPU-limited: strategy games with thousands of units, simulations, and competitive shooters running at very high frame rates.

On consoles the CPU and GPU sit on one custom chip designed to work together.

Haptic feedback is more precise than old-style rumble. Instead of a motor buzzing, it can reproduce textures and small distinct sensations — rain on a surface, footsteps on gravel, a string being pulled.

Adaptive triggers change their resistance as you press. A bowstring gets harder to pull, a faulty weapon jams, a car''s brake feels heavy.

Both are PS5 DualSense features, and support varies by game. They also work on PC, best over a USB cable rather than Bluetooth.

NVMe is the protocol modern SSDs use to talk to a computer. It connects over PCIe and is built for flash memory, unlike the older SATA standard which was designed for spinning drives.

The difference is large: an NVMe drive is many times faster than a SATA SSD, which is itself far faster than a mechanical drive.

This is why consoles require NVMe specifically. A PS5 expansion drive must be PCIe Gen4 NVMe — a SATA M.2 drive looks similar but will not work.

System software is the console''s operating system; firmware is the low-level code in the hardware itself, including controllers and disc drives.

Updates bring security fixes, new features, stability improvements and support for new accessories. Skipping them eventually blocks online play, since most services require a current version.

Two practical notes: never turn a console off mid-update, and pause downloads while playing online — a background system update will ruin a match.

Difficulty modes adjust how hard a game is — usually enemy damage, enemy health, how much you can take, and sometimes AI behaviour.

Modern games increasingly offer finer control: separate settings for combat and puzzles, aim assistance, or the option to skip a section entirely. These are accessibility features as much as difficulty ones.

Worth saying plainly: picking a lower difficulty is not cheating. A game you enjoy on easy is better than a game you abandon on hard.

A live-service game is built to be played indefinitely, with regular content updates, seasons and events rather than a finish line.

The model funds ongoing development through battle passes and cosmetics, which is why so many are free-to-play.

Two things to be aware of: they are designed to occupy your time on a schedule, and they can be switched off. When a live-service game''s servers close, the game generally stops working entirely.

A loot box is a randomised reward bought without knowing what is inside. You pay, it opens, and you receive items by chance.

The similarity to gambling has attracted regulation in several countries — some have restricted them outright, and many games now disclose the odds of each outcome.

If children play, this is the mechanic most worth controlling. Spending limits and removing the saved card are the effective safeguards; see microtransactions.

Mods are modifications made by players: new content, visual improvements, bug fixes, or complete overhauls. Some of the most popular games in the world began as mods of other games.

Mods are overwhelmingly a PC feature. Consoles restrict what can be installed, though a few games support limited official mod support.

Two cautions: mods can break saves or cause instability, and unofficial mods in online games can get an account banned.

New Game+ lets you restart a completed game from the beginning while keeping your equipment, abilities or level. Enemies are usually made stronger to compensate.

It exists because a finished character is fun to use, and because a second playthrough lets you see a story differently once you know the ending — or reach content a single run cannot cover.

Common in RPGs and soulslikes, where builds and choices vary widely between runs.

NPC means non-player character — anyone in a game controlled by the game rather than by a person. Shopkeepers, quest givers, enemies, passers-by.

NPC quality is one of the clearest signs of a well-made world. Characters who react to what you have done, remember you, or behave differently at night make a place feel real; characters repeating one line do the opposite.

In multiplayer games, NPCs are often called bots.

A demo is a finished slice of a game released so you can try it. What you play is representative of the final product.

An open beta is a test. The game is unfinished, the developer is checking servers and balance under real load, and things will change before release. Progress is usually wiped afterwards.

Both are free, and both are worth using. Just do not judge a game by a beta''s bugs, or assume a demo represents the whole game''s pacing.

A patch fixes bugs, adjusts balance or adds content after release. Games now receive them for years.

A day-one patch arrives on launch day, often large. Discs are manufactured weeks before release, so development continues after the disc is finalised — the patch closes that gap.

The practical consequence: a disc game still needs a download before it is current. On a slow connection, plan for that on launch day rather than being surprised by it.

Speedrunning is completing a game as quickly as possible. It has become a discipline with its own categories, rules and verified records.

Common categories include any% (finish by any means, glitches allowed) and 100% (complete everything). Runners often exploit bugs deliberately, which is permitted in most categories.

It has turned into a significant part of gaming culture, with charity marathons drawing large audiences — and it gives old games a second life long after release.

Split screen divides one display so two or more players each get their own view, on a single console. It is how local multiplayer works in most games that support it.

Fewer modern games include it than you might expect — it is demanding to render, and online multiplayer replaced much of its role. Its absence is the most common disappointment when buying a game to play with someone at home.

Check the box or store page for local player count specifically, not just "multiplayer".

JRPG means Japanese role-playing game. The label describes a design tradition rather than just a country of origin.

Typical traits: a strong authored story with a fixed cast rather than a character you create, turn-based or menu-driven combat, distinct visual styles, and long runtimes.

The contrast with Western RPGs is player choice: Western games tend to let you shape the story, JRPGs tend to tell you one. Final Fantasy, Persona and Dragon Quest are the defining series.

Metroidvania — named after Metroid and Castlevania — describes a single interconnected world you explore, where progress comes from gaining abilities rather than levels.

You constantly encounter places you cannot reach yet. Later, a double jump or a new tool opens them, and the map gradually reveals itself. The satisfaction comes from remembering a locked door and returning with the key.

Usually a platformer at its core. Hollow Knight and Ori are modern standouts.

MMO means massively multiplayer online. Thousands of players share one persistent world that continues whether you are logged in or not.

The appeal is scale and community: guilds, large group content, an economy driven by players, and a character you develop over years.

The cost is time. MMOs are designed around long sessions and regular play, and many charge a subscription or are free-to-play with substantial optional spending. Worth knowing before you start one.

MOBA stands for multiplayer online battle arena. Two teams of five each control one character with unique abilities, fighting along fixed lanes to destroy the opposing base.

Each match starts your character weak; you gain power during the match and lose it when the match ends. Coordination matters more than individual skill.

MOBAs have enormous player bases and are central to esports, but they are demanding: matches run long, and the learning curve is among the steepest in gaming.

Puzzle games make problem-solving the entire experience. They range from simple match-three games to complex logic and physics puzzles that take hours per problem.

The genre has unusually wide appeal: puzzle games need no reflexes, work in short sessions, and suit any age. They are among the best choices for someone new to games, and among the best for playing a few minutes at a time.

Many other genres borrow from them — see action-adventure, where environmental puzzles are standard.

Rhythm games ask you to press inputs in time with music. Accuracy of timing is the entire skill.

They are among the easiest genres to understand — the rules are obvious within seconds — and among the hardest to master at high difficulty. They also work well as party games, since watching someone play is entertaining.

Some use standard controllers, others use dedicated peripherals or motion controls. Worth checking what a game needs before buying.

A roguelike is built around runs. You start, progress, die, and begin again from the beginning with a newly randomised layout. Death is permanent and you keep nothing.

A roguelite softens this: you keep some permanent progress between runs — unlocked abilities, currency, new options — so each failure makes the next attempt slightly easier.

Roguelites are far more approachable, and most modern games in this space are roguelites even when marketed as roguelikes.

A sandbox game gives you a set of tools and a space, and lets you decide what to do with them. There may be no goals at all, or goals you can ignore indefinitely.

It is often confused with open world, but they are different. Open world describes the space; sandbox describes the freedom to act. A game can be open world with a strict story, or a sandbox in a small area.

Minecraft is the clearest example — the game provides no objective you have to follow.

Stealth games are built on avoiding detection. You observe patrol patterns, use shadows and distractions, and move when nobody is watching. Being seen is usually a failure state rather than the start of a fight.

The tension comes from planning under uncertainty, and from the moment a plan collapses.

Many modern games include stealth as an option rather than a requirement — action-adventure titles frequently let you choose between sneaking and fighting.

Survival games make staying alive the objective. You manage hunger, thirst, temperature and health while gathering resources, crafting tools and building shelter.

Difficulty usually comes from scarcity and from permanent consequences — many include permadeath or heavy penalties for dying.

Note the difference from survival horror: survival games are about resource management over long periods, survival horror is about fear and vulnerability in a designed narrative.

A third-person shooter places the camera behind and slightly above the character, so you see them on screen. Compared with a first-person shooter, you get better awareness of your surroundings and can see around cover, at the cost of some aiming precision.

The perspective suits cover-based combat and games with a visible protagonist whose animation carries the story. Gears of War, The Last of Us and Marvel''s Spider-Man sit here.

ANC uses microphones to detect outside noise and generates an opposing sound wave to cancel it. It works best on constant low sounds — fans, air conditioning, traffic — and poorly on sudden or high-pitched ones like voices.

For gaming it is usually optional. Closed-back headsets already block a lot passively, and ANC adds cost and occasionally a small processing delay.

Worth it in a noisy household; otherwise spend the money on comfort and a better microphone.

DTS:X is an object-based surround format — sounds are positioned as points in space including height, rather than assigned to fixed channels. It is the main competitor to Dolby Atmos and works on similar principles.

It does not require a specific speaker layout; the system adapts to what you have. Support is common on receivers and in films, less common in games than Atmos.

Check what your receiver supports before choosing an audio format on a console.

ARC (Audio Return Channel) sends audio backwards down an HDMI cable, from the television to a soundbar or receiver. It means one cable does both directions, and one remote can control volume.

eARC is the improved version, with far more bandwidth — enough for uncompressed surround and object-based formats like Dolby Atmos.

Both use a specific HDMI port, usually labelled on the TV, and often need enabling in the settings. If your sound system supports eARC, use it.

Spatial audio is the general term for sound placed in three-dimensional space around the listener, including above and below. It covers 3D Audio on PlayStation, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and the versions built into phones and headphones.

Some implementations add head tracking, so the sound stays fixed in the room as you turn your head — effective in films, less common in games.

Stereo is two audio channels, left and right. It can place a sound to one side or in the middle, but it has no way to tell you whether something is in front of you or behind.

It remains the default for headphones, speakers and most content. And a good stereo setup beats a cheap surround one — more channels does not mean better sound if each channel is worse.

On PS5, stereo headphones plus 3D Audio gives you positional sound without any extra hardware.

Virtual surround uses processing to make two speakers or headphone drivers sound like more. A "7.1 headset" has two drivers, not eight.

Done well it gives genuinely useful directional information. Done cheaply it makes everything sound hollow and distant, and many players turn it off in favour of plain stereo.

A quick test: if voices sound like they are in a tunnel, the processing is hurting more than helping. Switch it off.