The most profitable free-to-play games on consoles and PCs are gradually losing market share, study shows

The analytics company Newzoo has recently unveiled a comprehensive study examining the landscape of free-to-play games across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms in 2025. The findings reveal intriguing trends that could reshape the gaming industry landscape.

Market Dynamics and Revenue Trends

• Newzoo’s analysis indicates that revenue within the free-to-play segment has historically been concentrated among a select few titles. However, a shift is underway; gamers are increasingly spending less on the top games. In 2021, the top five grossing titles accounted for a staggering 79% of total console free-to-play revenue. By 2025, this figure has dipped to 72%. The decline on PC is more subtle, with the share decreasing from 68% in 2021 to 65% in 2025.

• In the previous year, players dedicated approximately 30 billion hours to free-to-play games on PC and consoles, representing 29.3% of total gaming time across these platforms. Notably, this marks a decline of 2.9% in the share of free-to-play games compared to 2021.
• Amidst these trends, Roblox has emerged as a standout performer, experiencing a remarkable surge in playtime. Over a five-year span, its engagement has more than doubled, reaching nearly 10 billion hours. Consequently, Roblox’s share of total playtime on PC and consoles has risen from 3.3% to 7.9%.

• Interestingly, while free-to-play playtime on PC has seen growth, the same cannot be said for consoles, which have experienced a decline, although specific figures were not disclosed.
• Gacha games are enjoying a particularly fruitful period. The number of gacha titles has skyrocketed, with Newzoo reporting that just three major gacha games were launched on PC and consoles in 2021, compared to 17 in 2025. This influx has led to a significant increase in playtime; on PC alone, playtime surged by 92%—an additional 864 hours. Console playtime also saw growth, although the exact figures remain unspecified.

It is important to note that Newzoo’s research encompasses 37 major markets, excluding China and India, with revenue data specifically pertaining to the USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.