Quick Time Event

A Quick Time Event (QTE) is an action sequence in which the progression of the game depends on the buttons pressed by the player. They exist in two formats.

Survival-based QTEs
These events generally require button-smashing in a particular order to guarantee survival. Failure to do so will lead to the character's death, or at least injury.

Branched QTEs
These events, rather than determining if the player survives or not, instead determine how the player progresses through the game. They are based around decision-making rather than button-smashing. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis uses this system significantly, with one notable decision being on whether to push the Nemesis-T Type off a bridge or to escape it and jump into the river.