Last year was an outstanding stretch for the gaming industry. Specifically, the gaming market reached over $500 billion in 2025. It is also expected to rise to more than $691 billion by 2029. During the year, the active video game players globally were roughly 3.32 billion. At the same time, the previous 12 months included the launch of major titles, such as Hollow Knight: Silksong, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Ghost of Yōte, and more. However, despite new releases, the most-played games on PlayStation and Xbox in the US were familiar. The results highlight a growing dominance of live-service games.
Most-Played Games on PlayStation and Xbox
As shown by analyst Mat Piscatella, the top five most-played games on Sony’s console remained unchanged for 2025.
- Fortnite by Epic Games
- Call of Duty by Activision
- GTA 5 by Rockstar Games
- Roblox by Roblox Corporation
- Minecraft by Mojang Studios
Aside from the exact titles staying the same, there were also no shifts in the ranking from 2024. This list, based on the Circana Player Engagement Tracker, shows that players keep returning to play these well-known titles. Notably, the games have live-service features, which help maintain engagement through regular updates, seasonal content, and social interactions.
On the other hand, the top five most-played video games on Microsoft’s gaming hardware in 2025 are the following:
- Fortnite by Epic Games
- Call of Duty by Activision
- GTA 5 by Rockstar Games
- Minecraft by Roblox Corporation
- Roblox by Mojang Studios
While the list features similar titles, the order shifted slightly. For 2024, the ranking had Call of Duty at 1, Fortnite at 2, Minecraft at 3, GTA V at 4, and Roblox at 5.
The consistency across platforms shows how dominant live-stream games have become in the console market. For instance, the first two spots are taken by similar titles, Fortnite and Call of Duty. According to GameSpot, one in three users played Fortnite during peak periods, such as the Christmas holiday week. Meanwhile, Call of Duty’s multi-game launcher paved the way for its strong showing.
Note: The rankings are based on the percentage of active panels that played.
Looking Ahead
It is unfortunate that the list only included the top five most-played games in 2025. However, in another Bluesky post, the analyst said that the complete US video game market results from Circana will soon be released. In particular, the public can expect the full list on January 22.
The latest results prove that old favorites continue to set the standard. However, 2026 may bring a shake-up with the rollout of new video games.
