A recent report from the research firm Newzoo suggests a tightening market for the battle royale genre, yet Fortnite continues to dominate.
According to Newzoo's PC & Console Gaming Report 2025, the battle royale genre has experienced a decline in playtime, dropping from 19% in 2021 to 12% in 2024. Newzoo's Game Performance Monitor, which tracks 37 markets (excluding China and India) across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, shows that shooter games and battle royale games together still account for 40% of total playtime. As battle royale playtime has decreased, shooter game playtime has correspondingly increased.
Despite the overall decline in the genre, Fortnite has significantly expanded its market share within battle royale games, rising from 43% in 2021 to a commanding 77% in 2024. This indicates that while the genre as a whole may be shrinking, Fortnite is capturing a larger portion of the remaining player base.
Additionally, role-playing games (RPGs) have seen a growth in popularity, with playtime increasing from 9% in 2021 to 13% in 2024. Newzoo highlighted that 18% of RPG playtime in 2024 was dedicated to major releases from 2023, including titles like Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo IV, Honkai: Star Rail, Hogwarts Legacy, and Starfield.
Newzoo's report underscores the competitive nature of capturing player attention and hours. While stalwarts like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends maintain their positions, other games struggle to retain their player base. Both shooters and RPGs are gaining ground, with successful titles like Marvel Rivals and Baldur's Gate 3 leading the charge.
Fortnite's resilience in the face of these shifts can be attributed to its ongoing updates, changes, and expanding range of gaming experiences and genres. As audience interests evolve, we can expect further shifts in gaming trends in the coming years.
