English GameLit/LitRPG
GameLit or LitRPG are books that usually involve some sort of virtual reality game, usually a massively multiplayer online game (MMO), that the main character becomes trapped in, or that becomes so popular that gold from the game becomes legal tender, or involves people from Earth being transported to another world where MMO mechanics are the norm, or perhaps a game “System” comes online on planet Earth and we all have to survive waves of monster that appear.
These books started in Korea with a light novel named Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, became really big in Russia (which is why Russian authors have their own page), and then in 2015 started to become a thing among indie authors on Amazon with A Dragons Wrath and The Land. Having been an avid gamer I have really been getting into this genre. If you are confused about my explanation of what this genre is take a look at Ramon’s website where he goes over the genre, and has podcasts where he goes over the latest novels released on Amazon. There are also several groups on Facebook you can join with the biggest being the LitRPG group started by Aleron Kong, author of The Land (The “self-titled” Father of American LitRPG), and the GameLit Society started by Blaise Corvin, author of Delvers LLC (The voted God-Emperor of LitRPG).
These books may not be everyones cup of tea but I would encourage you to give the Gam3 and Ascend Online a try.
Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1) by Cosimo Yap
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.43/5
Kindle Unlimited: No
Author Website
Amazon Description: The Earth is changing. The alien invasion brought social upheaval, advanced technology, and an armada of peacekeeping robots. But Alan, a college student pursuing a now-useless degree, cares little about all of this. He has only one thing on his mind: the Game.
A fully immersive virtual reality, the Game appears to be a major part of the invading civilization. Alan can’t wait to play, recklessly diving into the digital universe. Soon though, Alan realizes the Game is anything but simple, and the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.
Ascend Online by Luke Chmilenko
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.34/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Diving into a revolutionary new video game, Marcus and his friends escape a stagnant society, entering into a world that defies their wildest imaginations. But from the moment that he logs in, Marcus finds himself separated from his friends and thrown into remote villages under attack by a horde of goblins.
Forced into battle, Marcus rallies the beleaguered villagers and with their help, manages to drive off the invading creatures. With the village in ruins and their supplies spoiled, the survivors desperately turn to Marcus for help in rebuilding the village.
Realizing that this game is nothing like he’s ever played before, Marcus is swept up into a whirlwind of adventure as he struggles to defend his new home, quickly finding that marauding goblins are the least of his problems.
In Memorium:
The Dragon’s Wrath: A Virtual Dream by Brent Roth
(no longer listed in Amazon but was among the first, if not THE FIRST American LitRPG/GameLit books written. Godspeed on your journey)
Book Stats:
Amazon: 4.1/5
Goodreads: 4.13/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: When Brent Roth suffered a workplace accident that rendered him temporarily immobile, he found himself lying in bed dreaming of a better life. He dreamed of a life where maintaining his health was no longer a daily struggle and then when he had lost all hope, he had discovered a new virtual reality game on the horizon. A VR-MMORPG that offered him everything he lacked in real life, everything that had eluded him.
A world where he could find adventure, companionship, and success all wrapped up in the singular package of The Dragon’s Wrath. The game offered him a chance, a chance for salvation… a glimmer of hope.
It was better than a dream, it was a virtual dream.
Awaken Online: Catharsis by Travis Bagwell
Amazon: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.42/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: A spellbinding adventure perfect for fans of Ready Player One.
Awaken Online is a brand new virtual reality game that just hit the market, promising an unprecedented level of immersion. Yet Jason quickly finds himself pushed down a path he didn’t expect. In this game, he isn’t the hero. There are no damsels to save. There are no bad guys to vanquish. In fact, he might just be the villain.
Delvers LLC by Blaise Corvin
Amazon: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.1/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Henry and Jason were two regular guys before being transported to Ludus, a dangerous fantasy world. Luckily, they have at least a few useful skills, and more importantly, can learn to use magic.
Now they will need to survive a world where nothing is familiar, where monsters roam the wilderness and alien people populate the cities. The two friends will need to dig deep, discovering who they are and what it means to be human.
Unfortunately, making money will also be important, and working as fantasy adventurers in real life…isn’t always fun.
Life Reset (New Era Online Book 1) by Shemer Kuznits
Amazon: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.42/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: After being betrayed and cursed by an extremely rare spell, Oren, a powerful and influential player, finds himself as a 1st level Goblin!
Without even a fraction of his previous power, he vows to pull through and have revenge on those who betrayed him.
His thorough knowledge of the game’s world and his unique ability to immerse himself entirely are his only advantages.
But first, he must figure out how to survive long enough playing what is basically a low-level fodder monster!
Dungeon Born (The Divine Dungeon Book 1) by Dakota Krout
Amazon: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.30/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Authors Publishing Company
Amazon Description: For eons, conquering dungeons has been the most efficient way to become a strong adventurer. Although, not everything is as straightforward as it seems. Several questions have always plagued the mind of those that enter these mythical places of power: Why are there so many monsters? Where does the amazing weaponry and heavy gold coins come from? Why does the very air fill with life-giving energies?!
Cal has all of the answers to these age-old questions, for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Heart, a soul forced against his will into a magical stone. After several lonely years, Cal was able to regain sentience, allowing him to form new memories while slowly growing a dungeon around himself. With help from a friend, Cal learned how to create monsters and traps, increasing his power and size quickly.
When a threat to his existence rears its head, Cal decides that he will do anything to stay alive and become stronger. Unfortunately for treasure-seekers, the fastest way for Cal to achieve his goal… is to eat anyone that enters his depths.
Ritualist (The Completionist Chronicles Book 1) by Dakota Krout
Amazon: 4.8/5
Goodreads: 4.38/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Authors Publishing Company
Amazon Description: The decision to start a new life is never an easy one, but for Joe the transition was far more literal. After making the decision to become a permanent addition to a game world, it doesn’t take him long to learn that people with his abilities are actively hunted. In fact, if the wrong people gained knowledge of what he was capable of, assassins would appear in droves.
In his pursuit of power, Joe fights alongside his team, completes quests, and delves into the mysteries of his class, which he quickly discovers can only be practiced in secret. Ultimately, his goal is to complete every mission, master every ability, and learn all of the world’s secrets. All he has to do is survive long enough to grasp greatness.
Temple of Sorrow (Stonehaven League Book 1) by Carrie Summers
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.29/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Devon Walker has one chance to turn her life around.
A half-wit ogre, a legion of overgrown jungle beasts, and a power-tripping AI are trying to stop her.
Relic Online is the hottest new game out there, and it’s Devon Walker’s best hope for escaping her hard-knock life. Thanks to her rocking achievements in other games, she’s been hired as a salaried player. Even better, her new position comes with cutting-edge implants that turn RO’s virtual reality into a full sensory explosion. Her only task? Drive the game’s creator AI to the outermost limits of its creativity.
Sounds easy, right?
But when Devon logs in, her expectations shatter like an ice golem hit with a sonic blast. Wearing nothing but a cloth tunic and ragged pants, she spawns inside a ruined city overgrown by steamy jungle. With zero skills and nothing in her inventory but pocket lint, she immediately runs afoul of the city’s guardian, a stone golem the size of an apartment building. The encounter does not go well.
And Relic Online is just getting started with her.
Advent (Red Mage Book 1) by Xander Boyce
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.41/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Drew Michalik was working in a top-secret facility in Washington, D.C. when the Advent began. As all electronics in the world simply ceased to work, blue screens filled with information appeared before him.
Drew was given access to a mana interface and a limited number of reality-altering crystals called Xatherite. Following the instructions on his vision-impairing screens, he ‘slotted’ his Xatherite and changed his fate: he gained the ability to cast spells. Now alone in the dark, he must battle through the government bunker-turned-dungeon in a desperate bid for survival.
Escape is only the beginning, the first of his many problems in the changed world. Drew will be tasked to not only survive… but to guide the rest of humanity safely through the anarchy.
One More Last Time (The Good Guys Book 1) by Eric Ugland
Amazon: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.42/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: A ruined life. A broken heart.
He thought it was the end, and his gun sat ready to make sure.
But an oddball offer from his only friend comes at the literal last second. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he finds himself sucked into iNcarn8, a game claiming to be a whole new life. Now as Montana, the larger-than-life tank warrior, he has one more last time to get his life right.
One More Last time is the first book in The Good Guys, a LitRPG GameLit series. If you like fast-paced adventure, RPG mechanics, and sweet level progression with a deep magic and game system, this book is for you. It has notes of The Land and classic Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, and stars a lovable idiot of a main character who can’t seem to shake his dark past and find the quiet life he so wants.
World Tree Online: The Curse of Hurlig Ridge by M.A. Carlson
Amazon: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.46/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: In the future, androids have taken over most jobs, leaving humans with little to do and even less to motivate them. Enter the World Tree Online, a fully immersive virtual reality experience. Join Byron in his first 30 days of a non-stop fantasy adventure in the cursed province of Hurlig Ridge, a land filled with monsters, mysteries, murderers and treasure. The people of the province have been tormented for centuries by a pack of voracious wolves. Now, with the arrival of the adventurers, dark forces have begun to stir, accelerating their dark plans. Can Byron unravel the mystery of this curse before it’s too late?
Adventure and excitement await anyone brave enough to join the World Tree. Will you be one of them?
Life in the North: System Apocolypse by Tao Wong
Amazon: 4.4/5
Goodreads: 4.27/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: All John wanted to do was get away for his life in Kluane National Park for a weekend. Hike, camp and chill. Instead, the world comes to an end in a series of blue boxes. Animals start evolving, monsters start spawning and he’s now got a character sheet and physics defying skills. Now, he has to survive the apocalypse, get back to civilisation and not lose his mind.
The System has arrived and with it, aliens, monsters and a reality that draws upon past legends and game-like reality. John will need to find new friends, deal with his ex and the slavering monsters that keep popping up.
Life in the North is Book 1 of the System Apocalypse, a LitRPG Apocalypse series that combines modern day life, science fiction and fantasy elements along with game mechanics.
This series contains elements of games like level ups, experience, enchanted materials, a sarcastic spirit, mecha, a beguiling dark elf, monsters, minotaurs, a fiery red head and a semi-realistic view on violence and its effects. Does not include harems.
World-Tree Online by E.A. Hooper
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.27/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: In 2056, the world’s most powerful AI System, ARKUS, comes online. Created to extend human lifespans, it quickly makes world-changing discoveries in health science. It also develops an advanced VR headset that uses consumable nanomachines to let users experience time faster in virtual worlds.
Two years later, ARKUS releases World-Tree Online, a game where players scale a giant tree with thousands of unique game worlds hanging from the branches. The game’s time-dilation makes it so that one hour of playtime feels like one month to those in-game, allowing humans to virtually extend their lifespans.
However, after an old gamer named Vincent joins World-Tree Online, an update begins that stretches the time-dilation to one year for every five seconds. Players are unable to exit the game during the update—with an estimated wait time of three hundred sixty years.
After experimenting with an exploit, Vincent begins to develop new spells that will take him higher in the game than he ever thought possible. Unfortunately, he crosses paths with the last moderator, a young man named Lucas that uses his mod abilities to torture and subjugate other players.
Lucas is willing to abuse his power to conquer the World-Tree, but Vincent’s exploit might just be the key to stopping him.
First Login (Chronicle Book 1) by Kevin Murphy
Amazon: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.33/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: In a not-too-distant future ripe with marvels of technological convenience, wage and work disparity are as rampant as they ever were.
A new game makes a claim that’s bolder than its competition: so long as players are logged in, they’ll have extra time to live.
Corbin has been stunted by the real world, but chance has given him a new lease on life in the form of a game and he’ll do whatever it takes to pursue it.
Forever Fantasy Online Book 1 by Rachel Aaron
Amazon: 4.3/5
Goodreads: 3.96/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: In the real world, twenty-one-year-old library sciences student Tina Anderson is invisible and under-appreciated, but in the VR-game Forever Fantasy Online she’s Roxxy–the respected leader and main tank of a top-tier raiding guild. In the real world, her brother James Anderson is a college drop-out struggling under debt, but in FFO he’s famous–an explorer who’s gotten every achievement, done every quest, and collected all the rarest items.
Both Tina and James need the game more than they’d like to admit, but their favorite escape turns into a trap when FFO becomes a living world. Wounds are no longer virtual, stupid monsters become cunning, NPCs start acting like actual people, and death might be forever.
In the real world, everyone said being good at video games was a waste of time. Now, stranded and separated across thousands of miles of new, deadly terrain, Tina and James’s skill at FFO is the only thing keeping them alive. It’s going to take every bit of their expertise–and hoarded loot–to find each other and get back home, but as the stakes get higher and the damage adds up, being the best in the game may no longer be enough.
Mayor of Noobtown by Ryan Rimmel
Amazon: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.37/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: It could be worse. You could be stuck with a literal shoulder demon.
After dying and being reborn into a world that’s built like a video game, Jim has found himself stuck in a very old world style new player zone for low level adventurers. Unfortunately, the zone fell out of use centuries ago, and no one told the monsters they were supposed to take it easy on the Noobs. Even worse, the only new player around is Jim.
Jim has been given an opportunity, and he’ll do his best to take advantage of it.
Hero of Thera by Eric Nylund
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.42/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: BE A HERO IN THE ULTIMATE GAME
Are you a top-rated gamer?
Then you might have the skills to play the Game … where players are sponsored by actual demon lords, gods and goddesses, or Lovecraftian nightmares.
Enter Thera, a real kingdom at the crossroads of many other worlds, but with all the augmented-reality interfaces, character progression, and game mechanics that players know and love.
And the stakes of The Game?
Nothing less than Creation—every world in every universe and reality.
So … no pressure.
Thus Hector Savage, gamer extraordinaire, comes to Thera. Nothing can prepare him, though, for the schemes of Abyssal Lords,
rampaging barbarian ghosts, and a host of nefarious forces who want him dead—before he can even make fifth level!
Nova Terra: Titan by Seth Ring
Amazon: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.51/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Trapped in his own body by a debilitating medical condition, Xavier Lee seeks reprieve from his giant-sized problems through full immersion into the game world of Nova Terra. Billed as the first true alternate reality, Nova Terra runs parallel to the real world and promises to fulfill the fantasies and desires of those who dare plunge into its mysterious depths. In order to adjust to his new life of quests, skill mastery, and magic, Xavier will have to forget everything he knows. As he struggles to make the most of his new-found freedom, Xavier will have to learn to deal with a new body, new friends, and a new world that is much more than it seems.
Nova Terra, your dreams, your world.
Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm (Viridian Gate Archives Book 1) by James Hunter
Amazon: 4.6/5
Goodreads: 4.16/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description:
An extinction-level asteroid is blazing toward Earth. Collision, imminent. The world is doomed and only a select few lottery winners will be saved.
Unfortunately, Jack Mitchel—a down on his luck EMT from San Diego—isn’t one of those winners.
Still, there might be a way for him to survive the impending cataclysm: a slim chance, requiring a radical leap of faith. Through a connection at Osmark Technologies, Jack’s acquired a NexGenVR capsule and with it, a one-way ticket to the brand-new, ultra-immersive, fantasy-based VRMMORPG, Viridian Gate Online. Taking that leap of faith, though, means permanently trapping his mind in the game, killing his body in the process.
Worse, one in six die during the transition, and even if Jack beats the odds, he’ll have to navigate a fantastical world filled with vicious monsters, domineering AIs, and cutthroat players. And when Jack stumbles upon a secret conspiracy to sell off virtual real estate to the ultrawealthy—transforming V.G.O. into a new feudal dark age—the deadly creatures inhabiting Viridian Gate’s expansive dungeons will be the least of his concerns.
If Jack can’t game the system, he’s going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one …
Towers of Heaven: Book 1 by Cameron Milan
Amazon: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.44/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: One day, six towers appear on Earth. Each one stands hundreds of stories tall, and are invulnerable to all attacks. At the base of each tower is a portal, welcoming in all who dare enter it.
All sorts of magical monsters can be found inside the towers. Even treasure, magic and superhuman strength can be acquired. The problem is that the towers aren’t a friendly place. Even worse, the towers sometimes release waves of monsters to attack Earth.
In the year 2083, there are only a hundred survivors. In one last attempt, they challenge the final floor without regard for their lives. By some miracle, they manage to beat the floor at the cost of their lives, leaving only one survivor.
As a reward for clearing the tower, he is granted one wish. He decides to go back in time to before the towers arrived. His goal is simple: prevent humanity from being wiped out.
Dragon Seed (Archemi Online Chronicles Book 1) by James Osiris Baldwin
Amazon: 4.5/5
Goodreads: 4.26/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: What would you give to be a dragon rider?
Before being conscripted to fight in the Total War, Private Hector Park had a shattered family, a collection of old videogames, and a promising career as a motorcycle stuntman. Now, he is dying from a virus threatening humankind with extinction. He has three days to live.
When Hector’s brother contacts him after years of hostile silence, Hector goes to try and make peace. But his brother has an offer even more unbelievable than reconciliation: the chance to cheat death by joining him in Archemi, a full-immersion fantasy VR-RPG videogame.
Determined to forge a life worth living, Hector undergoes the experimental upload process and chooses the difficult path of the Dragon Knight. To achieve his dream, he must prove himself worthy of imprinting a dragon, a being with whom he will share a telepathic bond more intimate than any human relationship.
But at what cost?
The Wayward Bard (World of Chains Book 1) by Lars M.
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.24/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Daniel’s Guide to Early Retirement:
1: Intercept illegal money transfer from mafia boss.
2: Hide out in super exclusive Full Immersion Virtual Reality game until the heat is off.
3: Roll a bard. Max out charisma. Live it up.
4: Profit.
With all the pesky planning out of the way Daniel set out to realize his ultimate dream: gaining enough money to buy a tropical island and spend his days playing the violin and RPGs. What could possibly go wrong?
Disclaimer: There shall be no harems in this series. Overpowered, perfect protagonists will not be tolerated and excessive cursing will result in donations to the swear jar.
The Land: Founding (The Land Book 1) by Aleron Kong
Amazon: 4.7/5
Goodreads: 4.27/5
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Author Website
Amazon Description: Tricked into a world of banished gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic, Richter must learn to meet the perils of The Land and begin to forge his own kingdom. Actions have consequences across The Land, with powerful creatures and factions now hell-bent on Richter’s destruction.
Can Richter forge allegiances to survive this harsh and unforgiving world or will he fall to the dark denizens of this ancient and unforgiving realm?
A tale to shake “The Land” itself, measuring 10/10 on the Richter scale, how will Richter’s choices shape the future of The Land and all who reside in it? Can he grow his power to meet the deadliest of beings of the land? When choices are often a shade of grey, how will Richter ensure he does not become what he seeks to destroy?