Fortnite And Other Oldies Are The Most Popular Video Games On Each Platform
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Fortnite, Minecraft, and other games that released six years ago or longer account for 60 percent of all time people across all age groups spent playing video games on most platforms, a new report from analyst firm Newzoo shows. Fewer than five games released in the last two years showed up on the list, with a handful of exceptions on Nintendo Switch.
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Newzoo’s data puts Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft as the three most-played PC games. Fortnite also shows up as the most-played PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch game, though the similarities between platforms ends there. Grand Theft Auto V is the second most-played game on PlayStation and the third on Xbox, while Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Warzone are the second most-played on Xbox and the third on PlayStation.
Roblox landed in the fifth spot on PlayStation, an impressive showing considering the platform only launched on Sony consoles in October 2023. It’s also fifth for Xbox, though it launched in 2016 on that platform.
Meanwhile, on the Switch, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom slid into the number two spot behind Fortnite, with Super Mario Bros. Wonder just after it. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the fourth most-played game on Switch, with Minecraft in the fifth slot and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in number six. Animal Crossing: New Horizons sits at number eight and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rounds out the top 10.
Newzoo
Newzoo’s data for the Switch only comes from U.S. and U.K. markets, which may account for some of the differences – that, and the lack of GTA and Call of Duty. Data for the other three platforms comes from 37 markets around the world.
What all this means in practical terms is that players are, apparently, spending less time with new games than they are with established live-service games that’ve been around for nearly a decade.Many of the hottest releases in 2022 and 2023 were premium, single-player games that launched at full price, where the likes of Fortnite and Minecraft receive free updates every few weeks or months.
“Last year saw many highly anticipated and delayed games make landfall while significant layoffs cast a shadow over the industry," Newzoo lead analyst Tom Wijman said. "The market did recover after a slight dip in 2022, but truly significant growth is still not on the immediate horizon. Playtime is on the decline in 2024, and market consolidation is pushing more eyes and cash into the hands of fewer games and studios.”
The state of the industry likely explains why most developers are pursuing games with some element of live-service updates to them. Whether it pays off is another matter, though. 2023 saw the closing or cancellation of several live-service, multiplayer projects, and no live game from the last four years except Fall Guys appeared in Newzoo’s top 10 list for any platform.
