These are the 20 most popular PC games in the world at the moment. The data was compiled by research institute NewZoo using information from any of the Overwolf’s monitoring apps. This is the most recent listing, created using user data of unique active players who played these titles during the month of May 2020, monitored from 42 different countries.
It may come as no surprise that League of Legends still is the most popular PC game, ever since its launch in 2009. It is also, currently, the most profitable in the world. What may be a surprise is that, for the first time ever, there are three titles from Riot Games on the list. Both have been recently launched and already made their way into the minds and hearts of gamers.
Valorant made to 6th position, surpassing even Overwatch, despite (or perhaps due to) having been launched only on June 2nd. This player data is from the beta version alone, which is even more impressive. The other is Legends of Runeterra (10th), which is the mobile version of League of Legends itself.
A fan favorite, GTA V is more popular than ever. It climbed 7 positions from the previous month and is now 4th on the rank. This is certainly due to the fact it was distributed completely free on the Epic Games Store – which crashed their servers. Check out the full list below.
RANK | GAME | PUBLISHER |
1 | League of Legends | Riot Games |
2 | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege | Ubisoft |
3 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | Valve |
4 | GTA V | Rockstar Games |
5 | Minecraft | Mojang |
6 | Valorant | Riot Games |
7 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Activision |
8 | Apex Legends | Electronic Arts |
9 | Overwatch | Blizzard Entertainment |
10 | Legends of Runeterra | Riot Games |
11 | PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) | PUBG Corporation |
12 | Hearthstone | Blizzard Entertainment |
13 | Dota 2 | Valve |
14 | Fortnite | Epic Games |
15 | Terraria | Re-Logic |
16 | ROBLOX | Roblox Corporation |
17 | Sid Meier’s Civilization VI | 2K |
18 | World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment |
19 | Osu! | Dean Herbert |
20 | World of Tanks | Wargaming |
Most Popular and Profitable PC Games
Also, while we are on this subject, according to SuperData Research, game spending in April 2020 totaled a record-breaking US$10.5 billion. This shows that gaming is still one of the most popular forms of entertainment during the COVID-19 crisis.
Sven games on this ranking are also some of the most popular PC games in the world at the moment, as well as some of the most profitable. League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, World of Warcraft, Roblox, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Revenue increased 17% over April 2019 (to US$8.9 billion). Annual earnings on mobile and PC also increased, respectively 14% and 12%.
However, the most substantial growth came from console gaming, which increased by 42% year-on-year compared to 2019, especially due to strong performances from established titles. See the table below:
RANK | PC | CONSOLE |
1 | League of Legends | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
2 | Dungeon Fighter Online | Final Fantasy VII Remake |
3 | Crossfire | FIFA 20 |
4 | Fantasy Westward Journey Online | GTA V |
5 | Doom Eternal | NBA 2K20 |
6 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | Doom Eternal |
7 | Fortnite | Fortnite |
8 | World of Warcraft (West) | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered |
9 | Roblox | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare |
10 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Resident Evil 3 |
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch) continued holding the title of the most digital units sold, a whopping 3.6 million, of any game during the month. It has become a cultural and global phenomenon, with celebrities and athletes organizing events and presentations in game. Even though digital sales declined 27% in April, it is still the greatest Switch title ever in digital sales and revenue after just two months on the market. K.K. Slider needs to write a song about this.Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix), one of the most anticipated games in recent history, sold a total of 2.2 million digital units – a record for the franchise and for PlayStation exclusives. With stores closed during the lockdown, players had to resort to digital copies. Because of that, FFVII sales surpassed, though slightly, the sales of Marvel’s Spider-Man, the previous record-holder for a PS4 exclusive.
Over to the world of MOBAs and eSports, League of Legends (Riot) saw a renewed influx of players during the quarantine, and players who spent money in the game. The revenue for League of Legends hit the highest level since February 2017; also, player numbers hit an all-time high. As we have already shown you, League of Legends remain undisputed at the top of the most popular PC games in the world after 11 years.
Most Popular PC Games in the World (Updated, 2019)
Newzoo 2020: Global Esports Market Report shows the most-watched games on Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer worldwide by live esports hours and non-esports hours. Esports content includes live professional gaming matches and pre- and post-game analysis. Non-esports content includes streamers, influencers, and talk shows.
Top 25 Games (2019) – By Live Non-Esports Hours Watched on Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer | ||
Rank | Game | Hours Watched |
1 | Fortnite | 1327.9M |
2 | League of Legends | 895.4M |
3 | Grand Theft Auto V | 634.5M |
4 | Apex Legends | 394.6M |
5 | World of Warcraft | 381.9M |
6 | Minecraft | 347.8M |
7 | Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds | 341.5M |
8 | Dota 2 | 317.1M |
9 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 292.9M |
10 | PUBG Mobile | 243.2M |
11 | Hearthstone | 189.5M |
12 | Teamfight Tactics | 163.6M |
13 | Garena Free Fire | 161.1M |
14 | Overwatch | 150.6M |
15 | Dead by Daylight | 121.9M |
16 | Escape from Tarkov | 117.5M |
17 | FIFA 20 | 111.1M |
18 | World of Tanks | 99.8M |
19 | FIFA 19 | 94.9M |
20 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 93.7M |
21 | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: Siege | 91.3M |
22 | Slots | 88.3M |
23 | Path of Exile | 84.4M |
24 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | 79.3M |
25 | Destiny 2 | 69.7M |
League of Legends was once again 2019’s most-watched game on Twitch and YouTube by live esports hours. The title was #2 by live non-esports hours, owing to the continued strong performance of battle royale phenomenon Fortnite, which was viewed live for more than 1.3 billion hours.
Top 25 Games (2019) – By Live Non-Esports Hours Watched on Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer | ||
Game | Main Device Competed on | Hours Watched |
League of Legends | PC | 348.8M |
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | PC | 216.0M |
Dota 2 | PC | 198.9M |
Overwatch | PC | 109.9M |
Hearthstone | PC | 37.0M |
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow: Siege | PC | 32.4M |
Arena of Valor | Mobile | 31.6M |
PUBG Mobile | Mobile | 27.9M |
Fortnite | PC | 27.5M |
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds | PC | 26.8M |
Starcraft II | PC | 22.8M |
Rocket League | PC | 20.4M |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Console | 18.6M |
Garena Free Fire | Mobile | 17.8M |
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Console | 13.3M |
Magic: The Gathering | PC | 12.9M |
World of Warcraft | PC | 10.3M |
FIFA 19 | Console | 7.7M |
Street Fighter V | Console | 7.0M |
Super Smash Bros. Melee | Console | 5.2M |
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Mobile | 4.0M |
Tekken 7 | Console | 3.8M |
Clash Royale | Mobile | 3.8M |
Teamfight Tactics | PC | 3.4M |
FIFA 20 | Console | 3.0M |
Total Top 25 | 1209.6M |
Riot Games’ Teamfight Tactics was the most-watched new title by live esports hours, taking #12 by non-esports hours. The titles PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire, and Mobile Legends Bang Bang all entered 2019’s top 25 ranking (by live esports hours).World of Warcraft was ranked #5 for non-esports hours, with an increase of more than 50% compared to the previous year. This jump was mostly due to the release of World of Warcraft Classic, which initially brought back numerous players and streamers. Grand Theft Auto V’s live non-esports hours have rocketed from 180 million hours in 2018 to 635 million hours during 2019. The release of the popular FiveM’s Role Playing (GTA RP) mod in Q1 sparked this rise.
Most Popular PC Games in the World (2018)
With more than 12 million gamers spread around the planet, computers are still one of the most important platforms in gaming industry. There are always new games coming out, and occasionally there are massive hits that surprise everyone – like Fortnite Battle Royale. Even among the most popular titles, positions are switched constantly. That’s why we have prepared for you a complete list of the 20 most popular PC games in world. The main criterion is the total number of active players in a month. The data was monitored and collected by Overwolf, through their apps and softwares, in 42 different countries.
It’s interesting to note the rank variation. For example, Fortnite fell two positions, compared to the previous month, switch places with Hearthstone, which went up two spots. Some of the largest games now, such as LoL, PUBG, and CS:GO, have maintained their spots. Blizzard’s Diablo III returned to the Top 20, going up 9 ranks from May to June.
And there are two other noteworthy questions: Skyrim, launched in 2011, is still on the list, seven years after its launch. And Fallout 4, released in 2015, is a newcomer to the list – possibly due to the announcement of Fallout 76 by Bethesda at E3 2018. The full list of the most popular pc games in the world is just below. The data refer to June 2018.
Rank | Game | Developer |
1 | League of Legends | Riot Games |
2 | Hearthstone | Blizzard Entertainment |
3 | PLAYERUNKNOWN’S Battlegrounds | Bluehole Studio |
4 | Fortnite Battle Royale | Epic Games |
5 | Counter Strike: Global Offensive | Valve Corporation |
6 | Minecraft | Mojang |
7 | Overwatch | Blizzard Entertainment |
8 | Rainbow Six: Siege | Ubisoft Entertainment |
9 | World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment |
10 | GTA V | Rockstar Games |
11 | DOTA 2 | Valve Corporation |
12 | Realm Royale | Hi-Rez Studios |
13 | Garry’s Mod | Valve Corporation |
14 | Heroes of the Storm | Blizzard Entertainment |
15 | Rocket League | Psyonix |
16 | World of Tanks | Wargaming.net |
17 | Diablo III | Blizzard Entertainment |
18 | Warframe | Digital Extremes |
19 | Fallout 4 | Bethesda Softworks |
20 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Bethesda Softworks |
Images: Disclosure
By Gregore Candalez and Fernanda Domingues
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