According to a newly released game industry report by market analyst Newzoo (via Kotaku), gamers spent more time on games that are at least six-years-old such as Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite, and League of Legends. The second annual PC and Console Gaming Report from Newzoo analyzed player trends, highlighting how playtime has decreased and is focused on a smaller number of titles.
The report revealed that 66 games accounted for 80% of overall playtime in 2023, and out of that percentage, a significant 60% of playtime was spent with titles released six years ago or more. Games on each platform's top 10 list were ranked based on their Monthly Average Users (MAU) across 37 markets, with the exception of Nintendo Switch which only used data from the U.K. and U.S. While Switch saw three new additions, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Hogwarts Legacy, and Tears of Kingdom, not one new release made it to the PC list, while only Starfield breached Xbox's list, and EA Sports FC 24 was the only 2023 game on PlayStation's list. Across PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Starfield was the only dedicated single-player game that made it to the top 10.
Epic Games' popular battle royale game Fortnite topped the lists on all platforms, including PC and Switch. Other titles included in the lists are not surprising: Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Minecraft, Roblox, Rocket League, Fall Guys, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Based on the analysis of percentage of total hours spent on games by launch date, 61 percent of total hours was spent on titles six years old and over while newer games (under 3-years-old) accounted for 23% of time. Out of 23% of playtime spent in 2023 on new titles (under 2-years-old), more than half was spent in big annual releases like the latest NBA, FC (formerly FIFA) or Madden game.
"Studios hoping to release a new title will find it challenging to include these playtime hours in their addressable market, as they nearly always go to these games that engage players on a reliable annual basis," Newzoo explained. "In other words, it's a tall order to steal playtime hours from a Call of Duty or big sports title."
New, non-annual titles such as Baldur's Gate III and Diablo IV only accounted to 8% of playtime spent. "While that may sound dire, the reality is that it’s easily possible to be successful within these constraints," Newzoo said.
According to Newzoo's report, new player growth opportunities will flatten out in the coming years across both console and PC.
"Last year saw many highly anticipated and delayed games make landfall while significant layoffs cast a shadow over the industry," said Newzoo lead analyst Tom Wijman. "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."
One game that will likely upset this trend of new releases only claiming a tiny percentage of overall playtime is Grand Theft Auto VI, which is currently in development and is scheduled to launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
