Gamers again spent little time playing new titles.
(Image credit: Valve)
Valve has published its Steam year in review 2024 along with a list of the top-selling and most-played games. The best sellers in terms of gross revenue include a lot of free-to-play titles like Counter Strike 2, PUBG Battlegrounds and Apex Legends. Paid for titles include Space Marine II, Black Myth Wukong, Elden Ring and Palworld.
What some people may find surprising is the relatively little time that people spent playing new games, but the figure was actually higher in 2024 compared to 2023 (also see our own pick of the best indie games of 2024).
(Image credit: Valve / Future)
Sadly, Valve doesn't provide the full data. The precise numbers for each game are conspicuously absent (although we did get an idea recently when a game dev scraped Steam to find the most popular games and themes). Instead the Steam end-of-year review puts games into broad categories like 'platinum', 'gold' and 'silver', with several titles in each.
Among the new releases of 2024, the best sellers included Stalker 2, Dragon's Dogma II, Manor Lords, 2K25 and Call of Duty Black Ops 6. But while the most-played list (defined as games with over 450,000 peak players), includes 2024 releases like Path of Exile II, Black Myth Wukong, Palworld and Marvel Rivals, it also includes older games like Dota 2, Elden ring and Apex Legends.
Moreover, only 15% of global play time was spent on new titles. And while part of that might mean people were still catching up on games from 2023, Valve's data shows that only 47% of time was spent playing on games released in the last one to seven years. That means players spent 37% of their time playing games that were eight years old or more.
Nevertheless, that 15% of time dedicated to new games in 2024 is still an increase from 2023, when players spent just 9% of play time on new games. Of course, older games are also boosted by sales and discounts. As for VR games, Skyrim, Blade & Sorcery, Arizona Sunshine II are among the most popular (see our own pick of the best VR games of 2024).
How to to see your Steam Replay 2024
Steam has re-rebranded its personalised Steam Year In Review for players as Steam Replay, the name it began with back in 2022 before the change last year. Like Spotify Wrapped, the annual round up gives users data on their use of the platform over the last year, including playtime by month.
To see your Steam Year in Review, or Steam Replay 2024, just log in to the Steam Year in Review site using your Steam account. You should also see a Steam Year in Review banner at the top of the Steam Store.
Want to play on a console instead of on PC? See the best prices on the best games consoles below.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
