Fortnite Dominates as Battle Royale Interest Declines: Report

A recent report from the research firm Newzoo sheds light on the evolving landscape of the battle royale genre, highlighting a contraction in playtime, yet showcasing Fortnite's enduring dominance.

According to Newzoo's PC & Console Gaming Report 2025, the battle royale genre has seen a decline in player engagement, dropping from 19% of total playtime in 2021 to just 12% in 2024. This data, gathered from Newzoo's Game Performance Monitor across 37 markets (excluding China and India) on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, indicates a significant shift. Interestingly, while battle royale playtime has decreased, the broader category of shooter games has seen an uptick in playtime, maintaining a combined 40% share with battle royale games.

Despite the overall genre's contraction, Fortnite has remarkably increased its dominance within the battle royale space. The report notes that Fortnite's share of the genre has surged from 43% in 2021 to an impressive 77% in 2024. This suggests that even as the genre faces a downturn, Fortnite continues to capture a larger portion of the remaining market.

The competition for player attention is intense, as noted by Newzoo. While stalwarts like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends persist, other games struggle to maintain relevance. Concurrently, both shooters and RPGs are expanding their footprint and capturing more of the gaming community's interest. The success of games like Marvel Rivals and Baldur's Gate 3 underscores this trend.

Fortnite's resilience amidst these shifts can be attributed to its continuous evolution through updates, changes, and an expanding array of gaming experiences and genres. As time progresses, it will be fascinating to observe how these trends evolve with shifting audience preferences.