As the gaming landscape continues to evolve, the resurgence of PC gaming has brought a renewed focus on sports titles, particularly in 2025. This year has revealed intriguing trends, especially among games that stray from the well-trodden paths of established franchises. The data suggests that innovative titles are capturing attention and engagement in ways that traditional series have struggled to replicate.
Steam’s Sports Game Landscape
According to insights from SteamDB, EA’s free-to-play skateboarding game, Skate, has made waves by achieving the most successful launch of any sports game on Steam this year. It peaked at an impressive 134,901 concurrent users (CCU), positioning it as the fourth most popular sports game on the platform, trailing only behind titans like Football Manager 2020, Hyperdrive Massacre, and Rocket League. However, despite its strong debut, Skate has seen a significant drop in player retention, with weekly peaks now hovering between 8,000 and 10,000 CCU.
In the realm of traditional sports titles, EA Sports FC 26 reached a peak of 100,283 CCU, although it fell short of its predecessors, including FIFA 23 and FC 25. The fluctuations in player engagement over the past few years have been notable, with FC 26 experiencing a more pronounced decline compared to the transition from FIFA 23 to FC 24. Nevertheless, it maintains a solid weekend presence, attracting between 60,000 and 80,000 CCU, similar to F1 25.
Among the surprises of the year, Rematch has emerged as a noteworthy contender, achieving a peak of 92,841 CCU without the backing of an established fanbase. This impressive figure places it above the launch numbers of long-standing series such as F1, Need for Speed, Forza Horizon, and NBA 2K. However, the game’s retention rates are concerning, with only a dedicated core of 4,000 players remaining during peak times, raising questions about its sustainability as a live-service title.
On the other hand, the standout success of 2025 may well be Umamusume: Pretty Derby, a roguelike gacha game from Japanese developer Cygames. Its global release garnered 87,453 CCU on PC, propelled by its engaging mechanics and the unique blend of anime aesthetics with real-world horse racing. While primarily a mobile game, it still manages to attract between 17,000 and 20,000 PC players each weekend.
Another title that has found its niche on PC is Football Manager 26, which launched with a peak of 84,909 CCU. Although this figure is lower than previous entries from this decade, it remains robust, with weekend peaks around 60,000 CCU, indicating a healthy post-release performance.
New releases such as Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road have also made their mark, achieving 52,795 CCU and earning a commendable user rating of 90 percent, setting it apart in a genre often characterized by polarized opinions.
Conversely, franchises like NBA 2K26 and F1 25 are facing challenges. NBA 2K26 peaked at just 32,081 CCU, marking a decline of over 20,000 players compared to its predecessor. Similarly, F1 25 managed only 22,595 CCU, a disappointing figure given the sport’s recent surge in popularity. This may have influenced the decision to position F1 26 as an add-on rather than a standalone title, with eyes set on F1 27 as the next major release.
Lastly, Madden NFL 26 is struggling to gain traction, peaking at a modest 6,600 CCU this past weekend. In contrast, Madden NFL 24 continues to hold the title of the most popular entry on the platform, with a peak CCU of 9,526.
