According to a recent report by Newzoo, the battle royale genre is experiencing a contraction, yet Fortnite continues to thrive amidst these challenges. The PC & Console Gaming Report 2025 from Newzoo highlights various shifts and trends within the gaming industry, with a notable decline in the battle royale genre's playtime—from 19% in 2021 to 12% in 2024. This data is sourced from Newzoo's Game Performance Monitor, which tracks 37 markets (excluding China and India) across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. Interestingly, while battle royale playtime has decreased, shooter games have seen a corresponding increase, maintaining a combined playtime share of 40% with battle royale games.
Despite the overall genre decline, Fortnite's dominance within the battle royale space has surged impressively. Its market share within the genre jumped from 43% in 2021 to a commanding 77% in 2024. This indicates that while the genre may be shrinking, Fortnite is capturing an increasingly larger portion of the remaining playtime.
In addition to the battle royale genre, role-playing games (RPGs) have experienced significant growth, increasing from a 9% share in 2021 to 13% in 2024. Newzoo notes that a substantial 18% of RPG playtime in 2024 was dedicated to major releases from 2023, including titles such as Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo IV, Honkai: Star Rail, Hogwarts Legacy, and Starfield.
The competition for gamers' attention is intense, with standout titles in the shooter and RPG genres like Marvel Rivals and Baldur's Gate 3 gaining traction. As Newzoo's report underscores, while some battle royale titles like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends continue to perform, others are fading into obscurity. Fortnite's ability to adapt through constant updates and an expanding array of gaming experiences has evidently contributed to its resilience against the shifting tides of player interest. As time progresses, it will be fascinating to observe how these trends evolve in response to changing audience preferences.
