Some people might be all about playing whatever game has just released. Some even hop into closed betas or opt for intriguing upcoming Early Access titles. But sometimes, a person just needs a break from a classic RPG, RTS, turn-based, or hack-and-slash gaming experience. Enter: the casual typing game. It isn’t a very popular genre, but recent releases have reinvigorated user interest in games with these mechanics.
Imagine the enigmatic Geralt of Rivia unleashing deadly attacks as you typed in the name of a spell. This isn’t a likely scenario, but these typing games enable people to fight using words instead of swords. In particular, these games challenge even the best typists in terms of accuracy, speed, and attention stamina.
Updated September 29, 2021 by Kirsten Howarth: As time progresses with more receptive keyboards on the market, innovative crossover genres mean that typing games are once again surging in popularity for PC players. More than ever, typing games are less about speed and more in line with accuracy, management, and timing, so it’s important to account for more of these new features in this article. With the addition of more top-notch tricky typers being made available all the time, it makes sense to keep this list fresh and up-to-date, so some new entries have been added to this list of challenging typing titles accordingly. Are you up to the challenge?
15 Cook, Serve, Delicious!: A Cooking Sim For Button-Mashing Typers
This enormously popular restaurant simulator game franchise boasts a chaotic mix of cooking games with time management and typing mechanics, as you race to serve incredibly impatient patrons in your restaurant. Learn and unlock new recipes, earn money from each working day to boost your restaurant’s buzz and revenue, and upgrade your kitchen to achieve the lofty heights of a five star world famous restaurant.
Take part in extra challenges to earn additional cash, go head-to-head with the AI in food battles, or play in local multiplayer mode with friends. With three games available in the Steam library, type your way to culinary victory in these addictive typing frenzy games.
14 Ztype: A Gripping Space Shoot ‘Em Up With A Typing Twist
If Space Invaders and Mavis Beacon had a typing game baby, Ztype would be the result. As one of many fun, free PC games to test your typing, you’ll need to think fast and type faster as you command your spaceship through enemy territory in Ztype.
Complete randomly generated words to defeat the alien fleet, and endure waves of enemies that get more intense as the levels continue. The pressure ramps up as the enemy starships get more numerous, with faster and denser bullets, so keep up or risk starting all over again for a better high score.
13 God of Word: Greek Mythology Meets Typing Hack-And-Slash Action
In God of Word, the word is mightier than the sword. In this experience grounded in Greek mythology, you’ll use your vocabulary to string together longer words than your opponent as you go head-to-head in battle.
The longer the word, the more damage you will deal to your foe. utilizing this ingenious mechanic, you’ll battle to emerge victorious and gain the favor of the Greek gods. Play against the AI or with a friend through online multiplayer in this Scrabble-like word game with a fun combat twist.
12 Secret of QWERTY: Dragon Quest Meets Undertale
This free typing game is a fast-paced dungeon-crawler RPG with the familiar main objective of saving the world and defeating the evil wizard. Inspired by the likes of The Typing of the Dead and Dragon Warrior (the 1989 US-localized version of the first Dragon Quest game), it uses many elements from typical role-playing games. The difference is that you cast spells and execute attacks by typing out given words.
While you won’t find Secret of Qwerty anywhere on the Steam Store, you can download it via itch.io for Windows operating systems. Unfortunately, this means that Mac users will have to sit this one out, but there are plenty more opportunities for typing challenges elsewhere on this list!
11 Slash It 2: A Colorful Arcade Typing Extravaganza
Fans of arcade games will love this bold and challenging 2D typing game. Quick reflexes and reactions are vital to winning in this title, which puts you through your paces against the clock. You must type words and phrases as fast as you can before time runs out.
Just when you think they’re getting used to it, Slash It 2 always throws in another unique, neon-colored curveball. With over 6 different game modes, there is plenty of variety in this fast-paced rhythm game (it’s not the most beginner-friendly) to keep you hungry for more, especially with a Slash It Collection available on Steam.
10 Typing of The Dead: Overkill: Zombie Fun and Typing Hilarity
This game is pretty NSFW and is definitely for an older audience. A remake of House Of The Dead originally released in 1999, this game features a unique story and setting instead of rehashing a different SEGA title. The B-movie styling suits the zombie enemies and stereotypical characters rather well.
The grindhouse aesthetic belies how difficult the game can actually become. Not only does the game require accuracy, but adds the tension of zombies coming at you if you don’t type words in the right time frame. The game also uses phrases across three difficulty levels and features two-player co-op.
9 Epistory: Typing Chronicles: A Fox-Riding Typing Fantasy
Epistory: Typing Chronicles is a fantastic indie game with a lovely story. The animation is a simulated origami style and the worldbuilding is A+. You follow a young woman on a giant fox through a world bedeviled by spiders, bugs, and other insects known as “Corruption.”
Though the game’s combat is entirely typing based, it incorporates elemental attacks. Each element features unique combat tactics useful against different enemy types or quantities. It is very much worth the price of admission and can be quite challenging. This comes from Fishing Cactus, who also made Ary and the Secret of Seasons.
8 Typefighters: A Challenging Multiplayer Typing Battle
Typefighters is a multiplayer experience and is a pretty traditional typing game. It is the epitome of “pick one thing and do it well.” It challenges you not just on speed, but also accuracy, attention, stamina, and reaction time. If you want to prove your skills as an all-around typist, this is perfect.
There is also a single-player opponent that can be adjusted. It makes a great LAN party challenge game, but the element of predicting your competitor’s moves is what really makes this a fun experience and not just a typing exercise.
7 Letter Quest: Grimm’s Journey: A Magical Scrabble RPG Mash-Up
Many typing games can feel a bit bare-bones in terms of narrative elements. Letter Quest: Grimm’s Journey bucks this trend, following an adorable little specter-like character through great 2D environments. The enemies each have unique abilities that Grimm has to compensate for with their own attacks.
Letter Quest definitely includes something of a Boggle or Scrabble element over pure typing, but this lends a bit more variety to the game and keeps you engaged. It also features evil bunnies, power-ups, potions, and weapon enhancements.
6 The Textorcist: The Story Of Ray Bibbia: Bullet-Dodging Typing Mayhem
This game comes highly recommended by fans, and for good reason. You perform exorcisms amid bullet dodging in boss fights. It might just be the most challenging game on this entire list.
The game itself resembles a roguelike with the character traversing 2D environments. The game can be very challenging, but it now features a “Rookie Mode” for those who want to practice. It’s one of those titles that you will come back to time and again, if simply because you might not be able to ever beat it.
5 Keyboard Sports:Saving QWERTY: A Slapstick Typing Olympic Games
Triband’s brilliant bizarre title is one that is sure to challenge even the best typists. The game features a Katamari Damacy animation style and follows the apprentice of Master QWERTY.
It was originally released as a mini-game in a Humble Bundle in 2016. So this fully fleshed out title is a welcome sight for fans of the original experience. The slapstick tone and colorful, inventive backgrounds are certainly refreshing in a space (gaming) increasingly dominated by grim, dark, or heavy narratives, and the varied gameplay is sure to surprise.
4 Type Knight: A Medieval Typing Survival Adventure
This is an affordable Steam release you’re sure to get your money’s worth out of. The game has you purging a graveyard of evil by utilizing their typing skills. While the setup is quite simple, the typing gets challenging quickly. At one point, the game throws 10+ letter words at you nonstop.
While it does not have full-screen capabilities, it does feature great enemy variation. There is also a combo system, but it is timed for an added layer of difficulty. The 8-bit music (inspired by an era of excellent titles with excellent soundtracks) pairs nicely with the narrative elements and nostalgic style, too.
3 On Key Up: A Game For Keyboards: Laidback Learning For Chill Typers
This unusual and curious game features a more unique approach to typing than any other title presented here. It uses physics mechanics in tandem with keyboard inputs to help you “learn” your keyboard.
For instance, one mode has you trying to roll small balls placed at disparate locations on the keyboard into a hole in the middle. The game does feature a timer for each task, but is far more charming than it is frustrating. In fact, On Key Up is like meditation compared to Typing of the Dead or The Textorcist.
2 Typer Shark! Deluxe: Jaws At Your Fingertips
This game hails from the lost era of 2006 from PopCap Games, Inc., the developer that created the original Bejeweled. The game is perfect for people learning how to type, and for those who want to improve their accuracy and speed. It also features an arcade style to keep things interesting.
Typer Shark! features three game modes: adventure, abyss, and typing tutor. Adventure is a collection game while Abyss involves descending into a trench using “survival skills.” You must type things correctly and at the right time to avoid sharks and other dangers.
1 Nanotale: Typing Chronicles: Beautiful Storytelling With Typing Combat
For readers wondering — yes this is the spiritual successor to Epistory: Typing Chronicles. Instead of following a young woman and a giant fox, this game puts you in the shoes of a young archivist… with a ghost fox. She travels the world to investigate why it is dying and doing what she can to stop the process.
The game features similar mechanics, with combat being typing based and the use of elements. This whimsical experience encourages you to uncover as many secrets as possible. With such an engaging and beautiful world (evoking some of the most stunning open-world titles in some ways), it would be difficult not to explore every nook and cranny possible.
NEXT: Best Games You Can Play On PC So Far (According To Metacritic)
