Fortnite, Call of Duty, GTA 5… PlayStation unveils ranking of most popular video games in 2023

Fortnite, FIFA 23, Call of Duty and GTA V. Everywhere on Earth, the observation is the same: the most popular video games are the same, from continent to continent. This is the main lesson from the data communicated by Sony, which on Sunday, December 31, published its annual ranking of the most played video games in 2023 on its PlayStation console in about ten countries around the world.

When PS5 sales exceed 50 million units, the ranking is established based on the total number of hours accumulated on the PS4 and PS5 consoles between January 1 and November 30, 2023. This calculation method excludes a large number of videos. Games, which may have sold a lot but which players no longer touch after the main adventure is complete. On the contrary, it favors online games that are regularly updated with new content.

South Korea and Japan are exceptions

Only Japan and South Korea are different. Japanese play more Apex Legends,Battle Royale» Published by Electronic Arts, and Genshin Impact, a Chinese role-playing game. Diablo IV (Blizzard) and Alden Ring (Bandai Namco), created in collaboration with Game of Thrones saga author George RR Martin, are more appreciated by South Koreans. Hence the craving for fantasy type games. Argentina added Rocket League to its individual rankings.

If the game says “alone» A popular experience, online games are on the rise. 61% of gamers (+1 point compared to 2022) play multiplayer games, as reported in a study published in October 2023 by the Union of Leisure Software Editors (SAIL) and Media. A strong trend among players, especially among young people: 81% of children are fond of this mode compared to 58% of adults.

Fortnite, which brings together 70 million players every month, is therefore the most popular game on PlayStation. Appeared in 2017 and free, it is now more than just a game where hundreds of players compete to the last one standing. It is beginning its transformation into a real platform, or even a parallel universe, as per the vision of Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.

Followed by Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto V, which have united fans for over 20 years and who have been able to create loyal communities thanks to their online game mode. The FIFA saga, which is very popular in the football lands of Europe and Latin America, also remains in pole position. Since its birth in 1993, it has generated over $20 billion in revenue.

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There are no games published by Sony in the ranking

There are no games in this list of popular games”First party» Published by Sony, i.e. a studio affiliated with the maker of PlayStation. The latter are experts “Single player games» with great grandeur, viz Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The latter sold 2.5 million copies in 24 hours, setting a historical record for Sony Studios.

For many years, publishers “Service games», which includes adding additional paid or free content to an online game. The interest of the players is constantly renewed, the time spent increases, and thus it becomes easier to monetize the game in the long term. This economic model can represent a real gold mine, viz Fortnite Or League of Legends.

Sony tried to take this route and announced in 2022 that it was working on a dozen.Service games» For release before March 2026. A year later, the Japanese group halved this ambition. Its studio Naughty Dog announced in December that it was abandoning multiplayer game project The Last of Us to focus on its single-player experiences.

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The ranking published by Sony also focuses on games released before 2023. However, this year has been exceptional for the video game industry, as numerous blockbusters have been released. Starfield From Microsoft, Assassin’s Creed Mirage At Ubisoft, Super Mario Wonder And Zelda Tears of the Kingdom at Nintendo, and the Belgian Baldur’s Gate 3, crowned the best video game of the year.