What genre is World of Warcraft classified as?

World of Warcraft is classified as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG. Its central design combines role-playing progression with a shared online world inhabited by large numbers of players.

Players create characters, choose a race and class, complete quests, defeat enemies, gain experience, and improve equipment. They can explore independently or cooperate in groups for dungeons and raids. The game also includes player-versus-player combat, professions, trading, social hubs, and an evolving story delivered through updates and expansions.

The label is sometimes shortened to “online role-playing game,” but MMORPG is the standard classification. World of Warcraft is not primarily an FPS, because combat is not built around a first-person shooting perspective; it is not a MOBA, which normally features short team matches on compact arenas; and it is not an RTS, where players command armies in real time. Its persistent character progression and continuing world are defining MMORPG traits.