While 2026 is already underway, new engagement data offers a clear picture of what players actually spent their time on last year. According to US playtime tracking, the most-played games on both Xbox and PlayStation in 2025 were dominated by familiar names, with live-service titles continuing to crowd out newer releases.
The data, shared by industry analyst Mat Piscatella using Circana's Player Engagement Tracker, highlights a trend that has become increasingly hard to ignore: once a game secures a long-term audience, it can sit at the top for years with little movement.
The same top five on both platforms
On PlayStation, the top five most-played games in 2025 were:
- Fortnite
- Call of Duty
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Roblox
- Minecraft
What stands out is not just the list itself, but the fact that it is identical to PlayStation's 2024 ranking, including the order. Fortnite once again led the pack, followed by Call of Duty and GTA 5, both of which are now more than a decade old in some form.
Xbox players showed nearly the same behavior. The top five most-played games on Xbox in 2025 were:
- Fortnite
- Call of Duty
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Minecraft
- Roblox
The only difference between platforms was the order of Minecraft and Roblox. Compared to Xbox's 2024 list, the same five games appeared again, with minor reshuffling.
New hits struggled to displace established giants
This consistency is notable given how strong 2025 was for new releases. Games like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sold millions of copies and generated sustained discussion. Expedition 33 even secured major awards elsewhere.
On the AAA side, releases such as Battlefield 6 and Mario Kart World attracted large launch audiences. Yet none of these titles cracked the top five in total playtime on either console.
That gap highlights the difference between sales, visibility, and engagement. Players may buy new games, but many still return to a small group of familiar titles for the bulk of their gaming hours.
Live-service gravity is still strong
The top five across both platforms share a common trait: they are all live-service or evergreen games with constant updates, social hooks, and long-term progression. Fortnite and Call of Duty refresh content regularly. GTA 5 continues to benefit from GTA Online. Minecraft and Roblox function more as platforms than single games.
Piscatella summarized the situation bluntly, describing the top of the charts as "established." The ranking itself is based on the percentage of active players who engaged with each game, not raw sales or revenue, which makes the lack of movement even more striking.
What comes next
Circana's full US market report for 2025 is expected later this month, which should provide a broader view beyond the top five. Still, the headline is already clear: console playtime remains heavily concentrated around a handful of long-running titles.
That may change in 2026. The upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI is widely expected to disrupt engagement charts across all platforms. Whether it breaks the current pattern or simply joins the same small circle of dominant games will be worth watching.
For now, 2025 reinforces a familiar reality. In terms of where players actually spend their time, the biggest games on Xbox and PlayStation are not the newest ones, but the ones that never seem to leave.
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