A recent report from the research firm Newzoo suggests that the battle royale genre might be facing challenges, yet Fortnite remains a dominant force within it. According to Newzoo's PC & Console Gaming Report 2025, the battle royale genre has experienced a noticeable decline in playtime, dropping from 19% in 2021 to 12% in 2024.
Newzoo's Game Performance Monitor, which covers 37 markets (excluding China and India) across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, shows that shooter games and battle royale games together typically make up 40% of total playtime. As playtime for battle royale games has decreased, playtime for shooter games has correspondingly increased.
Despite a 7% decline in the overall genre, Fortnite's dominance within it has significantly grown. Newzoo reports that Fortnite's share of the battle royale genre increased from 43% in 2021 to an impressive 77% in 2024. This indicates that while the genre as a whole is shrinking, Fortnite is capturing a larger portion of the remaining market.
Additionally, role-playing games (RPGs) have seen a rise in popularity, with their share of playtime increasing from 9% in 2021 to 13% in 2024. Newzoo noted 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 emphasizes the intense competition for player attention and hours. While stalwarts like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends continue to thrive, other games struggle to maintain relevance. Meanwhile, both shooter and role-playing games are gaining ground and capturing more of the gaming community's interest. The success of games such as Marvel Rivals and Baldur's Gate 3 underscores this trend.
Fortnite's resilience can be attributed to its continuous updates, changes, and the expansive variety of gaming experiences it offers. As the gaming landscape evolves, it will be interesting to see how these trends develop in response to shifting audience preferences over time.
