Shoot 'em up games (also known as shmup or STG) are a subgenre of shooting games. In shoot 'em up games, as in HELLDIVERS, protagonist engages in a lone assault, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose shoot 'em up games, a good example is Sky Force. Some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character movement, like Star Soldier; others allow a broader definition including characters on foot and a variety of perspectives. Shoot 'em up games were called so for fast reactions and for the player to memorize levels and enemy attack patterns. "Bullet hell" games feature overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles, like IS Defense.
Due to the high popularity of these games all the gamers go to websites where they can download free shoot 'em up games or buy shoot 'em up games. There are a lot of shoot 'em up games for PC, but also many such games were released exclusively for consoles.
The most iconic shoot 'em up game is S.T.A.L.K.E.R..
