Shifting Trends in PC Gaming: A Look at Player Preferences
Recent insights from market research firm Newzoo reveal a notable shift in the landscape of PC gaming, highlighting a growing trend where players are increasingly gravitating towards older titles. According to their latest report, only 8 percent of gaming hours in 2024 were dedicated to newly released games, indicating a significant preference for established classics.
Ben Porter, Newzoo’s director of consulting, presented these findings at GDC 2025, emphasizing that while overall playtime is on the rise, it is predominantly concentrated in AAA titles, creating a competitive environment that feels almost zero-sum. “The battle for audience hours is fierce and near zero sum,” Porter noted, reflecting the intense competition among games for player engagement.
The report, titled “The State of PC and Console Games in 2025,” delves into gaming habits across platforms, revealing that PC gamers are particularly inclined to revisit titles that are at least six years old. Iconic games such as Roblox, League of Legends, and Fortnite accounted for a staggering 67 percent of total PC playtime, while games released between two to five years ago made up 25 percent. In stark contrast, new releases from 2024, including Helldivers 2, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Black Myth: Wukong, collectively captured a mere 8 percent of playtime.
This trend echoes findings from Newzoo’s 2024 report, suggesting a worsening situation for new game releases. While it may be expected that players would spend more time on beloved older titles, the sheer volume of new games entering the market each year complicates the scenario. In 2024 alone, over 18,000 games launched on Valve’s storefront, marking an increase of 5,000 from the previous year.
On the console front, the dominance of older games is also evident, albeit to a lesser extent. Approximately 44 percent of playtime on PlayStation was attributed to titles released six or more years ago, while Xbox players spent 49 percent of their time on similar games. However, console gamers allocated twice as much time to 2024 releases compared to their PC counterparts, with 15 percent of playtime dedicated to new titles like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that this trend presents challenges for new games seeking to capture player attention. Despite their quality, new releases face an uphill battle in breaking through the noise, resulting in a more ruthless competition for existing players’ focus. Consequently, larger studios and publishers may become increasingly hesitant to invest in innovative genres, ideas, and franchises, opting instead for safer bets that align with established player preferences.