Fortnite Dominates as Battle Royale Interest Declines, Report Finds

A recent report from the research firm Newzoo suggests a tightening grip on the battle royale genre, yet Fortnite remains a dominant force. 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. This data is sourced from Newzoo's Game Performance Monitor, which analyzes 37 markets (excluding China and India) across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.

Despite the overall decline in the genre, shooter games and battle royale games together still account for a significant 40% of playtime. Interestingly, as battle royale playtime has decreased, shooter game playtime has seen an uptick. The standout within the battle royale genre is Fortnite, which has remarkably increased its share from 43% in 2021 to a staggering 77% in 2024. This indicates that while the genre itself is shrinking, Fortnite is capturing an increasingly larger segment of the remaining market.

In parallel, role-playing games (RPGs) have also shown growth, with their share rising 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.

The competition for player attention is intense, as Newzoo notes. While stalwarts like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends continue to thrive, other games struggle to maintain relevance. Meanwhile, both shooters and RPGs are gaining ground and capturing more of the gaming community's focus. The success of titles such as Marvel Rivals and Baldur's Gate 3 underscores this trend.

Fortnite's resilience amidst these shifts can be attributed to its continuous updates, evolving gameplay, and the inclusion of diverse gaming experiences within its ecosystem. As the gaming landscape evolves, it will be interesting to observe how these trends develop in response to changing audience preferences over time.