A new report from research firm Newzoo shows that the storm may be tightening up in the Battle Royale genre, but Fortnite is still strong.
NewZoo’s PC & Console Gaming Report 2025 details many changes and trends across the industry, with one of the trends in that movement being the Battle Royale genre. NewZoo’s tracking shows that the Battle Royale genre has reduced in playtime, from 19% of playtime in 2021 to 12% of 2024.
NewZoo cites gaming performance monitors looking at 37 markets (except China and India) on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, showing that as a pair, shooters and battle royale games routinely make up 40% of their playtime. Therefore, the shooter game playtime has risen as Battle Royale playtime gradually shifts down.
Despite the 7% shift, differences within this genre may be a more surprising number. According to Newzoo, Fortnite has now sold 77% in 2024 from 43% in the Battle Royale genre. Essentially, even as the battle royale games have gone down, Fortnite has ate more and more space within this genre.
Role-playing games saw noticeable growth of up to 13% in 2024, exceeding the 9% share of 2021. 18% of 2023 RPG time will be spent on major releases from 2023, with Bardur Gate 3, Diablo IV, Honkai: Star Rail, Star Leg, Star Field
As Newzoo said in the report, the battle for playtime and time attention is fierce. Games like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends Conery cause other games to fall on the roadside. Meanwhile, shooters and role-playing games seem to be invading more territory and mindshare. Looking at the outstanding success in these genres, it’s hard to argue whether they’re astounding rivals or Gate 3 of Baldur.
With the game experiences and genre changes, updates and constant slates in the growing library, it may not be surprising that Fortnite has survived the storm. Still, as time passes, we will undoubtedly see trends continue to change as the interest of a wide audience changes over the years.
Eric is an Passthecontroller freelance writer.
