Home Gaming Suprise! Research shows that first-person shooters are still the most popular genre in video games

Suprise! Research shows that first-person shooters are still the most popular genre in video games

2 min read
32
Never-bring-a-sword-to-a-gun-fight

Everyone has a preferred genre of game. Maybe you like stretching your grey matter with some good ol’ real-time strategy, maybe you’re the kind of fella who prefers simulated racing or maybe gratuitous sax and violins in a music game gets your blood pumping. Whatever the desire, there’s a game out there to satisfy it.

Still, some genres are unbelievably popular, and will continue to be so for years to come. The analysts over at the EEDAR decided to see just which game genres performed the best across various gaming systems, which saw the NPD group send out a survey to various players. The results? Well yeah, first-person shooters are still the most popular games around, and water is still wet.

The EEDAR had a look at 16 genres for console and PC, and 22 for mobile. According to their results, console games had a far more definitive line drawn between top genres, while mobile was more evenly split:

EEDAR 2019 (1)

To celebrate the end of the year, we wanted to take a look at the top genres across gaming platforms. In our survey, we asked players to tell us their top 5 favourite genres (out of 16 genres for console/PC and out of 22 genres for mobile). Console by far draws the clearest line between the top genres. Shooter, Action, and RPG hold the titles of favourite genres on consoles by a wide margin at 47%, 45%, and 38% respectively. Fighting and Puzzle are a distant fourth and fifth, both favoured by 24% of console gamers.

The top mobile genres are split more evenly among the top 5 and reflect the genres that perform well on the platform. Brain Puzzle, Matching, Arcade, Skill & Chance, and Strategy genres are very popular with the older, more casual mobile audience.
PC players (which includes players who game on sites such as Facebook) are somewhere between the other two segments. Like consoles, the Shooter, RPG, and Action genres are still very popular, but Puzzle games make up a very close fourth pick amongst PC gamers. Massively Multiplayer games are also exclusively popular on PC.

So what’s changed in the past year? Well, the Shooter genre on consoles and PC has increased in popularity in 2018, becoming the top genre on both platforms this year. This primarily due to the large popularity of Battle Royale games such as Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). On mobile, Casino Slot games have fallen out of favour in 2018, replaced by Strategy.

This is in part due to the popularity of titles such as Clash Royale and the lack of newer titles in the Slot genre in the past year.

It’s a given, but what’s nice is seeing how other genres fared. While you could argue that every game is an RPG these days, seeing puzzle games earn a spot in the top five puts a smile on my face. Unless said puzzle game was Mind Maze from Encarta 97, because I still have a vendetta against that damn jester who taunted me with obtuse questions every time I ran out of matches.

Last Updated: February 7, 2019

32 Comments

  1. Mobile…..odd that Diablo is not the most popular there…

    Reply

  2. konfab

    February 7, 2019 at 13:15

  3. HvR

    February 7, 2019 at 13:39

    If the analysts included C&C Abortion and counting it towards “strategy games” on mobile somebody needs a beating.

    Reply

  4. Skittle

    February 7, 2019 at 13:51

    Debate time!

    My colleague is arguing with me. He claims that Rocket League is NOT a sports game but I think that it IS a sports game. Who is correct?

    Reply

    • Magoo

      February 7, 2019 at 13:51

      Hey it’s me. Your colleague.

      I tell you! It’s an action-arena game!

      Reply

      • Skittle

        February 7, 2019 at 13:55

        Bugger off with your buzzwords

        Reply

        • Magoo

          February 7, 2019 at 13:55

          no

          Reply

      • Admiral Chief

        February 7, 2019 at 20:50

        I smell marketing opportunity!

        Reply

    • MaSeKind

      February 7, 2019 at 13:55

      Is based on anything we considered a sport 20 years ago?
      If yes, then it’s a sports game. If no, well you could figure that one out.

      I say 20 years ago because these days most people make up any shit they like and I like to compare things to a simpler time

      Reply

    • HvR

      February 7, 2019 at 13:55

      Or if EA makes FPS or a sports game is it a shooter/sports game or a gambling game?

      Reply

    • Humantouch

      February 7, 2019 at 15:11

      It is a mobile sports game…….

      Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      February 7, 2019 at 15:10

      Rocket League won sports game of the year from a a number of outlets in 2015, as well as the Sports game of the year from The Game Awards, the D.I.C.E Awards, The BAFTA Awards and The National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers.

      Reply

  5. Admiral Chief

    February 7, 2019 at 13:15

    WHO PLAYS PUZZLE GAMES ON PC????

    Unless it is Portal and Portal 2, in which case, carry on good sir/madam

    Reply

    • konfab

      February 7, 2019 at 13:15

      I have sunk an unholy amount of time into Plants Vs Zombies and Peggle.

      Reply

      • Geoffrey Tim

        February 7, 2019 at 15:11

        Both of which are fan-fucking-tastic games. Legit two of my favourite games *of all time*

        Reply

    • Magoo

      February 7, 2019 at 13:55

      lowers head, raises hand

      Reply

    • HvR

      February 7, 2019 at 13:55

      All South African government employees while you are waiting in the queue that doesn’t move.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief

        February 7, 2019 at 20:49

        I know I should not laugh, but haha

        Reply

  6. konfab

    February 7, 2019 at 13:15

  7. MaSeKind

    February 7, 2019 at 13:46

    Real gamers don’t stick to one genre. We rock them all 😀

    EDIT: Ok except for anime hentai porno games (might have dabbled in the past), and browser games, and sports games, and MMOs, and… okay maybe not all genres then

    Reply

    • Guz

      February 7, 2019 at 14:45

      Just out of curiosity having never played one of those H.P.Games, how would it even work, like press x to thrust?? sounds kinda lame IMO, rather get a good old PH premium sub

      Reply

      • MaSeKind

        February 7, 2019 at 14:55

        Well it’s not Press F to get your freak on kind of games, although I’m sure you get those. Just a generic choose-your-own-porno story of a guy who goes to a new school/job/town/country and there’s a bunch of girls of questionable age and morals who all want him, even though there’s at least one character who acts like she doesn’t want anything to do with you. They tend to be the most freaky when it comes down to it.

        My introduction to this was something called Do You Like Horny Bunnies? 2. Now this was a very important question in my mind that had to be answered. And I’m happy to report that, yes, I grew quite fond of those frisky things.

        Reply

        • Guz

          February 7, 2019 at 15:00

          Answering the important questions here xD

          Reply

    • konfab

      February 7, 2019 at 15:40

      In order to own, you must own at all games.

      Reply

  8. Steffmeister

    February 8, 2019 at 09:30

    I never liked first person shooters. Played mostly rpg’s and 3rd person action/shooter/adventure games.
    That’s was until I played Metro:Last Light in Ranger mode 2 years ago and something finally clicked. It was mostly the immersion factor. Now I’m trying to play all those single player FPS games that I have missed. Only played Half-Life 2 about a year ago. Can’t wait for HL3.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Manchester United Sues Football Manager Over Use of their Name and Fan Mods

Manchester United, that massive global football brand whose fans are as equally annoying a…