Older Live Service Titles Take Up Over 60% of Overall Playtime, Report Says

Older live service games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft make up more than 60 per cent of the gaming community’s overall playtime, a new report from Newzoo reveals. Based on data collected throughout last year, it is said the amount of time people play games is trending down and those hours are spent playing a smaller range of titles. In 2023, games released within the past three years accounted for 23 per cent of playtime.

Last year, the PS5, PS4 titles with the most playtime were:

1. Fortnite
2. Grand Theft Auto V
3. Call of Duty (Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Warzone)
4. EA Sports FC 24
5. Roblox
6. Rocket League
7. Minecraft
8. Rainbow Six: Siege
9. Apex Legends
10. Fall Guys

When you drill further down into the data, it’s revealed that just eight per cent of total playtime was spent on brand-new releases. The five most-played releases were Diablo IV, Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, and Starfield, in that order.

Lead analyst at Newzoo, Tom Wijman, said: “Last year saw many highly anticipated and delayed games make landfall while significant layoffs cast a shadow over the industry. 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.”

With more than half of gamers’ playtime being spent on live service titles — the exact stat is 61 per cent — then it’s easy to see why Sony has made a push to enter the space in recent years. When even the likes of 2015 game Rainbow Six: Siege is being played more than its biggest blockbusters like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, having something such as Helldivers 2 in its arsenal makes a lot more sense. These are the types of games people are playing the most — and presumably spending the most money on too.