None of Epic Recreation Shops’ prime 5 video games had been launched in 2024 – Polygon

Only a few of the highest 20 had been launched in 2024, in truth
by Nicole Carpenter
Genshin Impression, Rocket League, Honkai: Star Rail, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Fortnite had been the highest 5 video games — “by participant spend and engagement,” per Epic Video games — on the Epic Video games Retailer in 2024. None of these 5 video games had been launched in 2024. Epic Games released its Year in Review blog on Friday, the place it introduced the platform had 32 million every day lively customers (from a complete of 295 million Home windows PC gamers) throughout all its video games.
The highest video games in 2024 are damaged into three classes: 5 video games listed as Mythic, 5 as Legendary, and 10 as Epic. It might not shock you that the highest 5 video games are all free-to-play, besides Grand Theft Auto 5, which has bought greater than 210 million copies. An Epic Video games consultant informed Polygon “titles inside every tier are randomized, not in any order of these metrics” of spending and engagement. EA Sports activities FC 24, Future 2, Alan Wake 2, Fall Guys, and Wuthering Waves are the 5 listed as Legendary. EA Sports activities FC 25, Cyberpunk 2077, The Sims 4, Black Fable: Wukong, Passable, Warframe, Farming Simulator 2022, Useless by Daylight, Purple Useless Redemption 2, and Useless Island 2 are the ten video games listed as Epic.
Of those 20 video games, simply 4 video games had been launched in 2024. Whereas it may be stunning to see laid out so clearly, the “black gap” of older video games overriding new ones has been ongoing for a number of years. In 2023, games six years old or more took up 61% of people’s gaming time, in accordance with Newzoo. As Ryan Rigney put it in his Push to Talk newsletter, “in 2023 simply 5 video games, most of them launched over a decade in the past, collectively accounted for extra playtime than each recreation launched in 2022 and 2023 mixed.”
That left 23% of recreation time for brand spanking new video games — however of these new video games, nearly all of that enjoying time goes towards annualized releases like Name of Obligation or sports activities video games. Eight p.c of enjoying time in 2023 went towards new video games untethered from huge, annual IP. Analyst and The Metaverse author Matthew Ball wrote in his State of Video Gaming in 2025 presentation that the identical 5 franchises — Name of Obligation, Counter-Strike, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Minecraft — has averaged 30% of playtime for 4 years operating on Home windows PC; on console, the highest 5 franchises — Name of Obligation, FIFA/EA FC, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, and NBA 2K — have averaged 43% of all playtime for 4 years straight.
Individuals are enjoying new video games, however not almost as a lot as they’re enjoying older, lengthy operating ones.
Replace: This story has been up to date to incorporate a press release from an Epic Video games consultant.
The perfect of Polygon in your inbox, each Friday.
© 2025 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved

source