Building a website is tough. And if you’re building for always-online communities, such as a gaming website for gamers, it can be especially difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Fortunately, there’s one easy way to find a design that will stand out without needing years of web design experience: by using a high-performance and fast WordPress themes.
What is WordPress?
Released way back in 2003, WordPress is one of the internet’s most popular tools for building websites. While it was initially built for creating blogs, it has been used across the internet to create everything from forums to management systems to commercial websites.
It’s essentially a one-stop shop for creating and publishing websites to the web. And thanks to the fact that it’s both free and open source, you can get started without needing to pay for anything.
What is a WordPress Theme?
Themes are essentially templates—but they’re also a little more than that. Themes give users a variety of front-end options when creating their WordPress pages; everything from code files and stylesheets to specific layouts.
These can then be edited to build your custom site by using some or all of the content available in the theme.
While most website builders use templates, themes are a little bit broader. But the use case for most users will end up being almost exactly the same as a template from another website builder.
How to Pick a Theme
Themes give you a bunch of tools which immediately give your site a specific look or feel, without much effort on your end. But getting the right feeling is all about choosing the right theme. Here are some key things to consider when picking a WordPress theme.
- Purpose. What is the function of your website? Is it a news platform? A blog? A storefront? A forum? Selling clash royale gems? Whatever it is, it’s paramount that your given theme helps to achieve this function. At the early stages of choosing a theme, it’s very much function over form.
- Target audience. Your website likely is aimed at a specific group of users. Make sure your theme adheres to an aesthetic that will appeal to them. For example, a gaming-focused website should deliver gamer-style aesthetics. And if you’re going for a niche, hit that niche.
- Features. Like purpose, think about what specific features you need in the site. Finding a theme which has tools for those features will save you a lot of time.
- Budget. Themes can be free or paid. Make sure you search for themes that are within your budget. But also remember that premium themes often come with additional features or functionality built into them. So paying a little bit of money can end up saving you a lot of time if you are inexperienced in building websites.
These four key considerations will help guide you in selecting the right theme for you.
16 WordPress Themes For Gaming Websites
Kata Theme by Climax
Kata is a lightweight and fast WordPress theme developed by Climax, focusing on performance and simplicity.
Built with clean code and efficient design elements, Kata prioritizes speed and loading times, making it an ideal choice for users seeking a fast and responsive website. It is fully compatible with the Gutenberg block editor, offering seamless integration and enhanced editing capabilities.
Kata follows SEO best practices, helping improve website visibility and search engine rankings while providing a solid foundation for various types of websites.
The Kata theme by Climax Themes is a popular choice among WordPress users for its sleek design and customizable features. Here are some pros and cons:
Pros:
- Modern Design & Styler Tool: Kata boasts a contemporary design with clean lines and ample white space, making your website visually appealing and also with Styler Tool there is not thing you can't cusotmize!
- Customization Options: It offers a wide range of customization options, including various layout options, color schemes, and typography settings, allowing you to tailor your website to your preferences.
- Responsive: The theme is fully responsive, ensuring that your website looks great and functions well across all devices and screen sizes.
- Performance Optimized: Kata is optimized for performance, with clean code and lightweight design, which helps improve page load times and overall site speed.
- SEO-Friendly: It is built with SEO best practices in mind, helping to improve your website's visibility and ranking in search engine results.
- Compatibility: Kata is compatible with popular WordPress plugins, extending its functionality and allowing you to add features such as contact forms, e-commerce capabilities, and more.
Cons:
- Learning Curve: While Kata offers a lot of customization options, navigating through them might have a bit of a learning curve, especially for beginners.
Overall, Kata is a versatile and feature-rich theme that can help you create a professional-looking website. However, it's essential to consider your specific needs and budget before deciding if it's the right choice for you.
Gillion – News and Reviews
This simple and to-the-point theme has some powerful admin tools which provide plenty of functionality for publishing articles and blog posts. It also has a load of demos and even a one-click installation to let you hit the ground running.
Pros:
- Powerful admin tools
- Plenty of functionality
- Multiple demos
- One-click installation
Cons:
- Limited customization options compared to more flexible themes
Newspaper – News and Reviews
Like it’s name suggests, this is a theme for a news style site. Making it a great choice for news outlets, review sites or even just blogging. It features plenty of demos and a very user-friendly theme panel which gives you plenty of tools without being too cumbersome.
Pros:
- User-friendly theme panel
- Suitable for news outlets and review sites
- Plenty of demos
Cons:
- May lack some advanced customization options
Soledad – News and Reviews
Clean and modern, this is another great option for crafting a news or blog site. It features some nice quality-of-life features such as a drag-and-drop page builder which prioritizes clarity.
Pros:
- Clean and modern design
- Drag-and-drop page builder
- User-friendly
Cons:
- May not offer as much flexibility as some other themes
GamePress – Communities
Built with tonnes of features to create forums, event calendars, user profiles and discussion boards—Game Press may sound like it’s a template for news, but it’s actually a great template for community building and community engagement. Making it great for guilds and in-game groups.
Pros:
- Features for forums, event calendars, user profiles, and discussion boards
Cons:
- May not be as suitable for traditional news or blog sites
Ludos Paradise – Communities
While this theme has great aesthetics, its true value lies in its additional functionality for forums. Particularly through its tournament integration and event calendar management. This makes it great for casual esports or competitive gaming communities.
Pros:
- Great aesthetics
- Additional functionality for forums, tournament integration
Cons:
- May not have as many customization options as some other themes
Oxigen – Communities
Featuring a super clean design and another great user interface, this theme is sure to pull eyes towards your community site. The theme also integrates seamlessly with a lot of plugins from social media sites, making it easy to promote your content across different platforms.
Pros:
- Super clean design
- Seamless integration with social media plugins
Cons:
- Limited features compared to themes specifically tailored for gaming communities
Gamio – Esports
It’s in the name, really. This is a theme made specifically for esports. It features powerful tools for making team and player profiles, match schedules and even live streaming broadcasts all with ease. If you’re an esports organisation you’ll definitely want to check it out.
Pros:
- Tools for team and player profiles, match schedules, live streaming
Cons:
- May not be as suitable for other types of websites outside of esports organizations
Imba – Gaming WordPress Theme – Esports
Going for a more modern and slightly understated aesthetic, Tourge integrates with all the main streaming platforms while offering everything you’ll need to host and manage esports events and audiences.
Pros:
- Modern aesthetic
- Integrates with streaming platforms
- Features for hosting esports events
Cons:
- May lack some advanced customization options
Divi – Esports
Another easy to use drag and drop page builder, Divi is very flexible allowing you to showcase everything your esports organisation has to offer. It is a premium option, though.
Pros:
- Flexible drag-and-drop page builder
- Versatile for showcasing esports organizations
Cons:
- Premium option with potential cost implications
Gamequ – Developers and Publishers
You have to make good games to use this theme… Seriously though, it’s a great theme for promoting video games. It features a useful online shop which makes it easy to sell digital copies of your game directly from your site.
Pros:
- Useful online shop for selling digital copies of games
- Promotion-focused features
Cons:
- May not offer as many features for community building compared to other themes
Xion – Developers and Publishers
Specifically aimed at developers, this template is particularly useful for promotion. Offering features for sharing game trailers and screenshots as well as integration with social media platforms. It also has tools for pre-orders and announcements.
Pros:
- Features for promoting games
- Integration with social media platforms
- Tools for pre-orders
Cons:
- May not have as many customization options as some other themes
Shift – Artists
With a bold and futuristic style, this site gives you the tools to imbue your game with a powerful visual aesthetic that jumps out of the screen. Its unique visual identity is very strong, making it a great fit for bold artists.
Pros:
- Bold and futuristic style
- Strong visual identity
- Suitable for bold artists
Cons:
- May not be as suitable for websites outside of the gaming industry
Bit – Artists
Revelling in nostalgia, this template is very retro. Tailoring itself to indie games, pixel artists and other playful styles which reference older games. This pick is definitely for users who prioritize a strong visual aesthetic.
Pros:
- Retro aesthetic
- Suitable for indie games and pixel artists
Cons:
- Limited in terms of modern design elements and customization options
Streamity – Streamers or Youtubers
This theme is specifically designed to be functional for streamers, YouTubers and other content creators. Its integration with streaming platforms—particularly Twitch and YouTube—make it super useful for managing your content.
It also has some nice features like chat and donation buttons, which can help you earn independently of the major platforms.
Pros:
- Functional for streamers and content creators
- Integration with streaming platforms
Cons:
- May not offer as many features for other types of websites
Gamezone – All-rounder
If you’re just a bit of an all rounder, a theme like Gamezone might be good for you. It offers extensive functionality for most things you’ll ever need a site for. From blogging to communities to online shops and app integration.
If you’re setting up and doing a lot, this could be a great way to build your site as you continue to find your niche.
Pros:
- Extensive functionality
- Suitable for various types of websites including blogging, communities, and online shops
Cons:
- May not excel in any particular niche compared to more specialized themes.