What does meta mean in gaming?

The world of gaming has a language all its own that goes beyond simple slang. Each genre can develop its own terms and lingo that can sound completely alien to an outsider, but there are some that are more common than others. Terms like DPS are shared between the best multiplayer games in almost any genre and can easily be understood once you know what it stands for. On the other hand, meta is a very common word thrown around in competitive games that is harder to decode. If you hear people talking about the meta being broken, the meta shifting, or complaining about someone not playing the meta and can’t make heads or tails of it, we’ll help you understand this essential term in gaming.

What does meta mean in gaming?

In games, the meta refers to the current best or most optimal way to play. This can be the use of a specific gun, character, move, team composition, or strategy that the community has discovered — intentionally or not. Metas are developed over time as the community plays the game and begins to discover which options are simply better than others in most, if not all, situations.

The term meta doesn’t typically apply to single-player games and is most often used in PvP games such as hero shooters, MOBAs, and fighting games. Those playing these games at a competitive level will want to know the meta so that they can exploit or counter it to win as often as possible.

Some examples of an established meta (at least for now) are the Golgari Midrange deck in Magic: The Gathering, Akuma in Street Fighter 6, and the Holger 556 rifle in Modern Warfare 3. If you’re ever playing a game and see dozens of people using the same character, gear, cards, equipment, or what have you, then odds are they are playing the meta.

However, a game’s meta is rarely stagnant. Developers want to keep their games as balanced and fair as possible, so when a meta emerges that breaks the game or is too overpowered, buffs and nerfs can change the meta. In the end, it is almost impossible