The year 2026 is officially underway. However, a look back at 2025 reveals a stagnant trend in the gaming industry. New data from the Circana Player Engagement Tracker shows that established live-service games continue to dominate the market.
Analyst Mat Piscatella shared the top five most-played games for Xbox and PlayStation on Bluesky. Surprisingly, the lists remain nearly identical to 2024.
The “Established” Titans of 2025
Gamers on PlayStation spent the most time playing Fortnite in 2025. This was followed immediately by Call of Duty and GTA V. The list for 2025 mirrors the 2024 list exactly, with the same games appearing in the exact same order.
Similarly, the Xbox charts show little movement. While the top three games match the PlayStation list, the bottom two saw a slight swap. Minecraft took the fourth spot, pushing Roblox to fifth. Compared to 2024, every single game in the Xbox top five remains the same.
Piscatella summarised the situation perfectly on social media:
Things are a bit… established… at the top.
Most-Played Games on PlayStation (2025)
| Rank | Game | Change from 2024 |
| 1 | Fortnite | – |
| 2 | Call of Duty | – |
| 3 | GTA V | – |
| 4 | Roblox | – |
| 5 | Minecraft | – |
Most-Played Games on Xbox (2025)
| Rank | Game | Change from 2024 |
| 1 | Fortnite | +1 |
| 2 | Call of Duty | -1 |
| 3 | GTA V | +1 |
| 4 | Minecraft | -1 |
| 5 | Roblox | – |
New Hits vs. Live-Service Giants
The dominance of older titles is notable because 2025 was a massive year for new releases. Major AAA titles and indie hits landed on both platforms.
For instance, Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. Additionally, the highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong made a significant impact on the industry. On the AAA front, Mario Kart World and Battlefield 6 attracted millions of players.
Despite selling millions of copies, these new entries could not break the engagement stranglehold of the top five. The data, ranked by the percentage of active panel players, proves that gamers consistently return to familiar experiences.
What Comes Next?
This snapshot only covers the top five games. Piscatella noted that the full US video game market results from Circana will be available on January 22. This upcoming report will provide a comprehensive view of the 2025 landscape.
Looking ahead, 2026 might finally shake up these rankings. GTA VI is scheduled to launch this year. Given the massive hype, it will likely challenge the current leaders. Time will tell if it can dethrone the long-standing kings of the industry.
