On the whole, gaming has come a long way in the last decade alone. The games that are available have definitely shown improvements in terms of the gameplay, graphics and diversity. Frankly now that smartphones and tablets feature powerful processors and capable inbuilt graphics cards, mobile gaming is catching up with PC and consoles as well, so the big question is: What’s next?

While gaming may have come a long way, it is far from done yet. In fact, there are several trends that are on the horizon that could conceivably transform the entire gaming industry in a variety of ways. Out of these trends, the three that you can realistically expect to see in the near future include:

1. Games that have eSports potential

While not exactly a ‘new’ trend, eSports is a growing industry and it is only a matter of time until more and more PC, console and mobile games attempt to create more games that have potential as an eSport. Considering the success that Hearthstone has had after they created a mobile app version of their game, it is only a matter of time until others follow suit.

While many are skeptical as to whether or not mobile gaming (which is traditionally non-serious) will be able to take advantage of eSports in general, the fact that there are so many mobile gamers makes it worth trying, at very least. If not, there is always the PC and console crowd, where eSports is already widely accepted.

2. Virtual reality games

In gaming in general, Virtual Reality (VR) is considered to be the next big thing – and the rise of the Oculus Rift along with several other new ‘next gen’ VR devices have showcased exactly what it can do. Now that VR is becoming more accessible, it should start to see wider usage, and game developers will be looking to capitalize on interest in it.

Odds are it will still take a few years for VR gaming to catch on, but when it does it could mean a huge wave of expansion due to the new styles of gameplay that will be created, as well as the demand for better graphics.

augmented reality gaming 3 New Trends on the Horizon for Gaming | VGLeaks 2.0

3. Augmented reality games

Already there are some augmented reality games, but on the whole they have never really managed to gain the popularity that was initially expected. That being said with VR devices becoming more and more widespread, augmented reality games are going to have another chance due to the fact that VR will allow for better immersion into the augmented world that they utilize.

It is safe to say that initially many of the VR games may actually be augmented reality games due to the fact that they are less demanding and easier to engineer. That in turn could help to build the popularity of these games, and steer them in a new direction.

As you can see, there are a lot of fairly exciting possibilities on the horizon for gamers – and over the next few years you’ll definitely see incremental improvements as they start to be incorporated into the landscape. In a few years VR gaming with eSport titles on mobile platforms may even be fairly commonplace.

For now however, there are still a lot of options for you to look forward to in terms of gaming titles. The diversity of gaming has been one of its biggest strengths, and for example you could even play a MMORTS where you claim the throne of Sparta if you click here. Until a VR version of that comes out, playing in your browser is probably the next best thing.