What Is LitRPG? The Top 60 Best LitRPG Books

20+ Female Protagonist LitRPG Books Included

May 13, 2025

Don't forget to subscribe to receive new content and updates sent straight to your inbox!

What is LitRPG?
The Two Attributes of All LitRPGs
LitRPG Genre Conventions
LitRPG Emerging Subgenres
How I Discovered LitRPG
Why The Genre Appeals To Me
Female Protagonist LitRPG Books
Male Protagonist LitRPG Books
LitRPG Publishers For Reader And Authors

What is LitRPG?

Most people have zero idea what LitRPG is. While not limited to one type of media, the literary genre has attracted a strong following among tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) enthusiasts, fantasy and science fiction aficionados, anime fans, and gamers. Short for Literature Role Playing Game, LitRPG typically combines the conventions of computer RPGs with Science Fiction and Fantasy novels.

Several factors make these books difficult to find in chain stores: many are independently published, the genre terminology is relatively new (EKSMO, Russia’s biggest publishing house, coined it in 2013), and LitRPG works span the entire spectrum of speculative fiction, often marketed under more popular genres. More specifically, LitRPG often gets categorized under Gamelit, Mage Gaming, Fantasy Gaming, Contemporary Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery Fantasy, Action & Adventure Fantasy, Coming of Age Fantasy, Dark Fantasy Horror, Asian Myth & Legend, Cyberpunk Science Fiction, Galactic Empire Science Fiction, Space Opera, etc.

So, most speculative fiction. However, the LitRPG literary community has come up with two defining attributes of LitRPG novels.

The Two Attributes of All LitRPGs

1. The story involves some type of explicitly stated progression (i.e. leveling, report of item finds, quests, etc).
2. The story involves a game type world that is integral to the story. A popular trope of LitRPG is that the main character becomes stuck in a Virtual Reality world. Other stories have characters that live in a universe that operates by game principles, i.e. questing, leveling and finding amazing loot.

LitRPG Genre Conventions

Explicit Game Mechanics: The nitty-gritty of gameplay, like level-ups and damage dealt, is showcased in-text.
Character Within a Character: Protagonists often play avatars in a virtual RPG, creating a story-within-a-story experience.
Visible Progression: Clear detailing of stats such as health and intelligence provides tangible character development.
Rules of the Game: Characters operate within the game’s defined rules.
Unlockable Abilities: Characters gain and use new skills vital to the storyline’s progression.
Secondary Setting & World-building: Environments adhere to specific in-game lore and mechanics, enhancing the RPG feel.

LitRPG Emerging Subgenres

Deckbuilding LitRPG: Centers on strategic card play. Characters amass, trade, and duel with card decks, combining the tactics of card games with RPG mechanics.
Town Building LitRPG: Characters create, manage, and develop towns or settlements, including elements like resource management, character progression, and visible RPG statistics, making the town-building aspect a central part of the narrative.
Crafting LitRPG: Central to these stories is the act of creating objects, be they magical items, weaponry, or spells, often critically influencing character progression.
Isekai LitRPG: Characters find themselves transported to another world or realm, forcing them to adapt quickly while contending with a game-like system inherent in their new world.
Apocalyptic LitRPG: Set in worlds on the brink of or amid a cataclysm, characters must use and master RPG mechanics to survive against overwhelming odds.
Monster Evolution LitRPG: The protagonist, usually a monster, undergoes a series of evolutions or transformations, acquiring new abilities and characteristics vital to their progression.
Dungeon Core LitRPG: The dungeon is the main character, and it wants to grow and expand. Often it’s a human that has died and becomes a dungeon core.
Reborn LitRPG: Combines elements of reincarnation with role-playing game mechanics, where characters are often reborn in a new world with memories of their past lives. This genre typically features adventure, character progression, and a blend of fantasy elements, allowing readers to explore themes of growth and second chances.

How I Discovered LitRPG

Even as a lifelong devourer of Fantasy and Science Fiction, I didn’t know the LitRPG genre existed until recently. Hence, why I felt compelled to share. I was burning through Military Science Fiction titles when I encountered one with magically powered spaceships for intergalactic travel. I moved on to others of a similar vein, categorized as Galactic Empire Science Fiction, and stumbled across To Valor’s Bid: (Monster Girls In Space Book 1) by M. Tress a.k.a. Matthew Case.

Monster Girls is Space was strangely suggestive for a title but I gave it a shot, figuring it was a mixed genre with magic and Science Fiction. The book turned into a very engrossing read until I came across the chapter marked with an odd annotation: Chapter 38 >3 >3>3. Why was the chapter marked? The annotation alerted readers to an upcoming sexually explicit scene, which they could skip without missing plot development. Yes, a significant number of LitRPG books are full of overdone tropes, over-sexualized women, and just plain terrible writing.

I shifted to more exciting titles (or less exciting depending on how you view sexual encounters in books). There are many popular LitRPG books such as Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon a.k.a. Travis Deverell, and The Primal Hunter by Zogarth to name a few I’ve read so far. My advice: the titles with editors listed are better written.

Why The Genre Appeals To Me

I tired of plain vanilla Fantasy and Science Fiction. And I’m a huge fan of Anime (Solo Leveling, One Piece, Kaiju No. 8, Sword Art Online, Black Clover, Gurren Lagann, Vinland Saga, and many other Isekai and Shonen shows, etc.). In my opinion, the medium of anime elevates action, adventure, science fiction, and fantasy elements to a level beyond Film and Mainstream T.V. The fundamental level of crazy action and striking, transformative settings, as well as character development inherent in Anime, is above what’s possible for even big budget Hollywood productions for a fraction of the cost. LitRPG novels delve into many of the same elements as Anime, often to a much higher, engrossing depth and scope. But even then, LitRPG is a genre packed with unique conventions that set it apart for a one-of-a-kind experience.

To Be Read List (Sorted by protagonist’s gender and popularity)

I’ve compiled a TBR list here. Most of the books included here are available with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, which is outstanding for reading budgets. Keep in mind, I have not read these titles yet so the quality and appeal will be of wildly varying degrees. Enjoy!