Sports games dominate consoles, PC players choose differently
Analytics firm Newzoo has released its 2025 annual game market performance report, revealing a fundamental difference between player preferences on consoles and PCs.
· Author: Michal FortynThe 2025 annual report provides a detailed look at financial flows in the gaming industry and reveals two completely different worlds.
Distinct asymmetry between platforms
Analytics company Newzoo has published comprehensive data mapping the gaming market over the past year. The numbers and charts tell a story of diametrically opposed user preferences across platforms. The most prominent trend remains the unwavering loyalty of console players to sports simulators, which make up half of the top ten highest-grossing titles. Games like EA Sports FC 26, NBA 2K26, Madden NFL 26, and MLB The Show 25 generate massive profits and attract massive audience attention.
The ranking of the ten highest-revenue games on PC across six major markets primarily included action and multiplayer titles. First place was taken by Battlefield 6, followed by ARC Raiders and Schedule 1. Other positions were held by Monster Hunter Wilds, Borderlands 4, EA Sports FC 26, R.E.P.O., Oblivion Remastered, Expedition 33, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
Of the sports games, only the football simulator fought its way into the top ten in sixth position.
Electronic Arts placed four titles in the console top ten, reflecting the stability of its sports brands and the strength of the annual release cycle. According to the report, the situation suggests that PC players approach game selection much more experimentally and seek out more diverse genres.
Consoles, on the other hand, serve as a bastion for proven series with regular roster updates.
An interesting contrast to the sales figures is offered by monthly active user statistics, which reflect actual time spent in-game. Here, the dominance of free-to-play models is clear, led by the phenomenon Fortnite, followed by the Call of Duty series and the ageless GTA 5. It may come as a surprise that despite massive revenues, sports games only appear in sixth place in the activity rankings, as users spend more time in the open worlds of Roblox or Minecraft.