It’s finally being confirmed in the data. The world is moving on from battle royale titles and is instead focusing on sandbox games, adopting that sense of freedom and choice over being the last man standing. In a new report from NewZoo, it was confirmed that battle royale games saw a monumental drop of -27% in playtime in 2025 versus 2024.
By contrast, sandbox titles grew a whopping 36% in playtime in the same window. There were also some minor declines in the shooter and role-playing space, while adventure games also saw minor growth.
Survival in a Different Way
It seems to be the new trend these days. We’re seeing sandbox games soar in almost every respect, as players settle in and build a life for themselves in some digital universe. These universes include the likes of Project Zomboid, Garry’s Mod, Minecraft, Terraria, and Roblox, as detailed by NewZoo.
Battle royale titles, which saw a boom from 2019 onwards with the likes of Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Warzone skyrocketing, had a monumental drop across all platforms in 2025. The decline isn’t much of a surprise, as it’s effectively common knowledge that the battle royale experience is dying out.
Even Fortnite is leaning into alternate entertainment to keep fans engaged, standing up the UEFN ecosystem and offering all kinds of games and side modes away from the battle royale core.
It gets even more impressive when you realise that sandbox games are flying up over every other genre despite some major releases in the last year. For instance, Battlefield 6, the best-selling game of last year, a first-person shooter, and ARC Raiders, a transformative extraction shooter that racked up millions of sales, both dropped in 2025.
It’s not a good look for these top-tier battle royale games, which are failing to secure traction going forward. Apex Legends had a 24% drop in playtime in 2025, and Fortnite recorded a 29% drop. Shooters also suffered immensely:
- Call of Duty: -33%
- VALORANT: -15%
- Rainbow Six Siege: -24%
- Overwatch: -29%
- Destiny 2: -40%
Even Counter-Strike and Marvel Rivals couldn’t save shooters, and that’s with Marvel Rivals seeing a 546% increase in players in 2025. Although that figure is skewed, given that Marvel Rivals dropped in December 2024.
The numbers for 2026 will be much more interesting to view when they’re released, given that ARC Raiders has blown up and will understandably bolster results.
Are you surprised to learn that battle royale games are disappearing? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news about the recently proposed Tarkov changes
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Comments