Over 40 million people play video games simultaneously and over 3.3 billion have ever played a video game. All these numbers include PC gamers on Steam where there is more than 23 million players that are typically connected at one time; Console gamers on Xbox and Play Station who have hundreds of millions of MAU (monthly active users); Mobile gamers who connect to billions each day.
For this list, we are listing the top ten most played games for 2025 using a total number of cross platform players. Our data comes from Newzoo and ActivePlayer.io, and gives us information about not just the number of viewers of Twitch streamers but also the total number of steam concurrent players as well as the number of console users. The only games we did not include were the click bait type of games with very little engagement and we only counted games with high levels of actual player interaction. As an example, new games like ARC Raiders will be included because they grew so quickly and old favorites like Minecraft will be included because it has continued to lead the world in terms of total number of players.
Global Steamroll Trends Led by Steam on PC: Steam is driving PC gaming trends by providing open, real-time data of live player activity; its popularity has been used to drive global Esports events in Europe, Asia, etc., while both Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 have dominated the competition with their large prize purses.
1.Counter-Strike 2 CS2
Steam Present: 628,019 | 24 hr high of 1,597,285
The most popular tactical FPS game; with 28 million + dollars awarded in prize money through e-sports (BLAST Slam V currently streaming) and a global trade for skins that can be used to customize weapons. A game that has been thrilling teams world wide since 1999 through a 5 player bomb defusal model.
Why is there an increasing popularity internationally? In early 2018 “Operation Wildfire” was released which included over twenty new maps and agent’s. This increased the players by fifteen percent and it averaged 917 thousand concurrent weekly players.
Platforms: PC (estimated 50,000+ mobile). Total Monthly Active Users: 1,500,000+
2. Dota 2
Current Peak on Steam: 888,896 users | 24 hour peak on Steam: 404,007 – 120+ Heroes, free-to-play MOBA that draws players from Asia/Europe using The International 2025’s $40 million dollar purse. Clan strategy game for all.
Why It’s Growing? A 20% increase in user retention occurred after Crownfall Act IV meta changes; evening hours are seeing as many as 700,000+ players queuing up.
Platforms: PC. Average Twitch viewers: 150,000+ worldwide.
3. ARC Raiders
Steam Active Users 7/26: 312,116 | 24hr Max Active User Count: 459,483- Breakout extraction shooter (Tarkov x Apex) PvPvE raids with a global appeal for groups of international players. Free Hit after October Launch by Embark.
Why The Global Success Boom? +300% Growth in 30 days; 74M+ Twitch hours. Ranked #4 on all platforms worldwide.
Platforms: PC (Consoles Q1 2026) . Estimated concurrent users at 350K+.
Cross-platform is the future of gaming — with both console & mobile platforms able to be used at home or on-the-go.
Borderless gaming is an opportunity for massive audience growth via cross-platform play (MAU) & new games that are built from the ground up with a focus on cross-platform compatibility. The current leaders in cross-platform gaming include PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S & mobile gaming (Asia-Pacific is a major emerging market as an esports hub with 640 million viewers).
In terms of the top 5 most popular cross-platform games, 4 of the 5 titles are battle royals — this shows how much the genre has grown over time.
4. Battlefield 6
Steam Current Users: 155,209 | Steam 24-hour User Peaks: 563,989 | #2 Most Active Player Base (MAU) Among PS5/Xbox Games — Destruction 2.0 & 128-Player Maps Will Make For Chaos Engine That Is Battlefield 6.
Battlefield 6 is the franchise’s biggest seller to date.
International Success Due To:
Season 2 Launched During Black Friday, And Was A Top Seller In Both The United States & Europe In Terms Of Sales Over The Year-To-Date.
Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S. Estimated MAU: 20 Million+.
5. Fortnite
Estimated Concurrent Players: 493,940 | #1 Most Active Player Base (MAU) Among PS5/Xbox Games — Fortnite Is A Global Phenomenon With Cross-Play, And It Has Become One Of The Largest Communities On Twitch.
Universal Appeal Due To:
Unreal Editor UGC Allows For Almost Endless User-Created Content.
Fortnite Had An All-Time Peak Of 44 Million Players At Once, And Estimates Suggests It Now Draws Approximately 1.6 Million Daily Players Across The Globe.
Twitch Hours: 200 Million Per Month.
Platforms: All Platforms (PC, Consoles, Mobile).
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (including Warzone)
Estimated steam concurrent players: 65,105 (from the series). PS5/Xbox #3. 50M+ DAU (daily active users); global squad zombie gameplay (Omnimovement): 2.0 Verdansk. Estimated billions of hours of gaming per year.
Why is it a cross-border dominant title? Double xp at the time of release & legacy support add 65% to the base.
Platforms: All. Estimated DAU: 50M+.
7. PUBG: Battlegrounds
Steam concurrent: 98,664 | peak in last 24 hours: 691,068 | Mobile: 250 million+ players — The OG battle royale drop into 100 player combat zone with intense competition driven by Asia. Hype around championships.
Why is it a staple globally? Rondo update + 76 million mobile DAU; average of 4.1 daily sessions.
Platforms: PC, Mobile, Consoles. Cross platform MAU: 300 million+.
8. Minecraft
Estimated concurrent users: 1.1 Million | PS5/Xbox top 4 | 100 million+ DAU — Endless sandbox gaming experience; 1.21 billion Tricky Trials unites Minecraft creators across the globe. Estimated sales 350 million+.
Why is this a timeless game everywhere? Cross play + movie buzz; #3 on Twitch w/ 118k viewers.
Platforms: All. Best-selling game of all-time.
9. Marvel Rivals
Current Steam: 94,889 | Current Peak 24 Hours: 117,771 | PS5 Top 10 MAU – 6v6 Hero Showdowns: Marvel Legends battle as part of international teams in an Overwatch style of fast paced action.
Why is it Rising Globally? Season 1.5 (buffs Mantis); +50% weekly.
Platforms: PC, Console. Estimated Monthly Active Users: 15M+.
10. Roblox
Estimated Daily Active Users: 111.8 Million | Ranked 2nd on Xbox | Mobile: 76 Million + – A User Generated Content (UGC) Haven with trends of Blox Fruits drawing a Gen Z crowd from all corners of the globe. Creator Boom.
Why is this Borderless Giant? More logged in users than many countries.
Platforms: All. Mobile Daily Active Users: Dominant.
Key Trends: How Are Trends in Gaming Developing Globally to End 2025?
- Category
- What’s Trending
- Global Top Examples
- Peak Hours of Live Players
1. Steam Charts (Live Player Counts) — MOST IMPORTANT
2. TwitchTracker (Twitch Viewers & Hours Watched)
3. Newzoo (Global MAU, Market Reports)
4. Circana (NPD) – Console Sales & Rankings
5. Official Marvel Rivals Page (since your blog mentions it often)
PC gaming is being supported by Steam with a record-breaking 23 million+ players at one time and billions of additional console and mobile players through cross-platform play.
Fortnite (an estimated 493k) and CS2 (peak of 1.6m).
The hype around streaming has reached new heights with Twitch with 200 million+ hours of gameplay on ARC/Minecraft and APAC leading the world in esports fans with 640 million+.
150k Viewers – Dota 2, PUBG events.
Power of Consoles
MAU (monthly active users) for PS5 and Xbox are high as Fortnite and CoD have been the top games since launch; Black Ops 7 saw an increase of 25% after its release.
Battlefield 6 (#1 game sold).
Free-to-Play + Updates
80% of all free to play titles follow the season model, retaining 70% of their DAU (daily active users) in each region, worldwide.
UGC Roblox, Marvel seasons.
Shifting Platforms
Extraction/hero genre games increased +300% and mobile RPGs remained steady in emerging markets.
ARC Raiders boomed.
Methodology of Ranking: Weighted Blend: Steam Live (40%), Newzoo Monthly Active Users (MAU) (30%), Twitch Hours (20%), Console Charts (10%).
The Sources are: Steam Charts, Newzoo, TwitchTracker, Circana.
Thoughts at the End: Go Global – Your Next Epic is Waiting!
Gaming’s $189 billion market has 3.6 billion gamers in it; 2025 will unite them all – jump right into F2P games such as CS2 or Fortnite to make squads instantly across the world. Please share your favorite cross region picks below! Peak times are changing hourly – bookmark this page to stay up to date.