If you’ve ever seen a character squaring up against a bad guy in a heart-pumping confrontation, you’ve most likely read or watched an action story. Today, we’re going to look at what an action story is, then give you 20 action story ideas to get your creative juices flowing and your character fighting for their life!

What is an Action Story?

Action stories are one of the ten plot types (check out our full plot type guide here). They are all about the value scale life vs. death, where a protagonist must work to defeat an antagonist (whether that's a villain or another external force, such as a natural disaster or creature), leading to a final, epic battle.

These plot types go beyond the confines of genre. For example, you can have a science fiction action story, an action thriller, or an action horror story. The important thing to remember is that the action story type is based on the value of survival and life vs. death.

Famous Examples of Action Stories

Some famous action stories are:

• The Mission Impossible franchise
• The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

There are several sub-types of action stories, including revenge, natural disaster, military/war, and superhero stories.

Action stories can mirror real life or take on other elements, such as fantasy and science fiction. You can even play around with time periods, time machines, and an alternate reality. Your protagonist might be a trained martial artist or an ordinary college student. The choice is yours! You can really let your imagination run wild with this story type.

To learn more about how to write an action story, check out our guide here.

Now that we've explored what an action story is, let’s get stuck into some action story ideas to challenge both you and your protagonist!

20 Action Story Ideas

Prompts are a great way to practice your writing skills, especially with story types you're not familiar with. So whether you're a beginner or an experienced action writer, here are 20 action story ideas to spark your creativity.

1. Just as he is about to retire, a spy is asked to complete one last mission—one that could either save or end life as he (and everyone else) knows it.
2. A soldier on deployment discovers a terrifying secret—about their own government. They're far from home and anyone they know they can trust . . . and the enemy is closing in.
3. After a precious piece of history is stolen, a small group of highly skilled government agents agree to retrieve it. However, they quickly learn there’s a reason this artifact has been stolen—and the thieves are not going to give it up without a fight.
4. A group of scientists accidentally unleash a horrifying “natural” disaster on a small, rural community. Can the community band together to save themselves and their homes? And was it really an accident?
5. A young professional learns of terrifying (and dangerous) corruption in their workplace. It will take them ten minutes to disrupt these horrifying plans. But will that be long enough when their newfound enemies are in the same building?
6. Tasked with protecting an important witness, a bodyguard must ensure they not only both stay alive, but that the witness also doesn't slip from his grasp.
7. A professional thief accepts a job to steal the city’s most famous and valuable jewel. There’s only one problem: another thief has also been hired, and neither is welcome.
8. A prisoner spends years plotting his escape from jail and is ecstatic when his plan actually works. That is, until he realizes someone incredibly powerful allowed him to escape—for a very specific reason. And they’re not far behind.  
9. A con artist pushes his luck too far and finds himself on the run with some incredibly powerful enemies on his tail.
10. After being framed for a crime he didn’t commit, a young father goes on the run with his family. Can they reveal the truth about the criminal mastermind who framed him before the culprit tracks them down? 

11. After an alien race invades their city, a group of neighbors is forced to band together to escape. Will they succeed, or will the alien invaders find them?
12. A deep-sea diver on a mission to retrieve a valuable ancient artifact discovers he’s not the only one searching for it.
13. A group of masked men gain control of a train and take all of the passengers on board hostage. Can the passengers find what the men want and save themselves in the process?
14. A pair of assassins are assigned to kill each other . . .  but then they realize their bosses are working together to get rid of them both.
15. A group of astronauts work around the clock to repair their space shuttle, but things become even more complicated when they realize they’re not alone.
16. In a post-apocalyptic world, a small band of rival misfits uncover government agent corruption. They must now put aside their differences to fight against the true threat to their survival.
17. When their leader gets captured by the enemy, a group of soldiers must work together to rescue not only him but also themselves.
18. A reigning sporting champion finally loses a match . . . and accidentally uncovers a major conspiracy that has put his and his competitors’ lives in danger.
19. After a roving gang kills his family, a former police officer decides to take matters (and revenge) into his own hands.
20. The sole survivor of a plane crash finds himself on an uninhabited island . . . that is not as uninhabited as he first believed. His second fight for survival has begun. But will he get lucky twice?

We hope you enjoyed these 20 action story ideas!

What’s your favorite action story? Let us know in the comments!