PlayStation and Xbox Gamers Stick to the Same Games for Years
Despite a wealth of exclusive projects for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, the actual gaming time of users is surprisingly conservative. A recent report from the analytics company Circana revealed that the leaderboard for engagement changes little from year to year. Analyst Mat Piscatella noted that service hits still dominate, sidelining even the most hyped new releases.
In the US, Fortnite became the undisputed favorite on PlayStation in 2025. It is followed in unchanged order by Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto V, Roblox, and Minecraft. Remarkably, this same top five led the Circana Player Engagement Tracker chart in 2024 as well. Nothing has shifted, no surprises: the audience seems captivated by these titles and unwilling to switch to something new.
"Call of Duty" encompasses a whole bouquet of games in the series available through Activision's unified launcher: in 2025, this includes Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The popularity of Grand Theft Auto V relies almost exclusively on the vibrant multiplayer mode Grand Theft Auto Online—the single-player campaign has long receded into the background.
On Xbox, the situation is similar, albeit with a slight shift in dynamics: Fortnite overtook Call of Duty to take first place. Otherwise, the top five also mirrors last year’s list with just a minor reshuffle: Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, and Roblox maintained their positions, confirming that audience tastes are predictably monotonous.
This results in a closed loop: players spend years in the same universes, publishers invest in what's guaranteed to be profitable, and the space for experimentation and fresh ideas shrinks to the size of a pixel. There's currently no sign that this picture will change in 2026.