The Most Popular Video Games of 2024
This has been a groundbreaking year for gaming, with blockbuster releases, fresh updates to fan-favorite franchises, and streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube playing a bigger role than ever. Gamers aren’t just playing their favorite titles; they’re watching, sharing, and creating a global buzz around the biggest games. From the most purchased to the most streamed, this year’s top games offer a fascinating glimpse into what’s dominating the world of gaming right now.
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✖The US’s Top 10 Most Sold Games in 2024
Here are the best-selling paid games of 2024 in the US. These titles have captured players’ attention with their exciting gameplay, unforgettable stories, and massive popularity, making them the most-wanted games of the year.
1. EA Sports College Football 25
The new college football video game was released in July 2024. It made over $500M in its first month. The fans have taken to the updated teams, new gameplay mechanics, and nostalgic appeal. In the US, where football is still king, sports simulation continues to perform well. It is expected that Madden 25 will take over the top spot when the sales data for August is available.
2. Helldivers II
Over 12 million copies of the co-op tactical shooter game, Helldivers II, have been sold since its release in February 2024. The sequel has cooperative gameplay and very tough missions. It improves on everything with better graphics and a deeper strategic element and a switch from top-down to third-person from the original.
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
The newest game in the most popular franchise came out in November 2023. It grossed over $1 billion in the first 16 days. A mad multiplayer and a great single-player mode make it a top shooter, Call of Duty is one of those franchises that is a fan favorite and always performs well.
4. Dragon's Dogma II
A high-fantasy RPG by Japanese company Capcom, released in March 2024, is a hit. It has sold over 3 million copies in the first few months globally. Dragon's Dogma II is a top RPG this year. It is known for its open-world exploration and tough combat. Over the past few years, open-world RPGs have been a hit, and while that trend has slowed, it shows that it is still a very popular genre with fans.
5. EA Sports MVP Bundle
This is a mega bundle by EA of the best-selling sports games, namely FIFA and Madden NFL. It caters to a huge audience of sports lovers who want more than just one game included in a pack. It is interesting that a bundle of games, rather than a single game itself, has put itself high in the rankings.
6. Elden Ring
In 2024, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion made Elden Ring, originally released in 2022 a hit, selling over 25 million copies. The game weaves rich lore, a detailed world, and relentless combat. It is one of the most popular and exciting action RPGs to be released in the last few years.
7. MLB: The Show 24
An all-time favorite for baseball fans, MLB: The Show 24 is the best, most realistic baseball simulator. New, lifelike game mechanics and updated rosters keep gamers hooked year after year. As with College Football, it shows the popularity of sports simulation games are a constant feature.
8. WWE 2K24
This new WWE 2K game has better graphics and a number of new or revived features from earlier editions of the franchise, such as the return of gauntlet matches. These new additions have certainly helped its popularity among wrestling fans. This game has definitely clinched its spot as the number-one wrestling simulation for 2024.
9. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
This classic was revived in 2024, dusted with better graphics and new gameplay mechanics. This remake of the enormously popular Final Fantasy VII, originally released in 1997 became a hit with fans, becoming the 9th best-selling game of this year so far. The nostalgia of a remake certainly adds to the appeal of the game.
10. Tekken 8
The latest Tekken, a popular, long-running series, adds new characters and better combat. It became a best-seller upon its release in 2024 for gamers, selling over 2 million copies in its first month. From the casual to the competitive fighting game community, Tekken is a long-standing front-runner in this genre.
10 Most Streamed Games of 2024 Globally
These games have dominated streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, drawing millions of viewers. Whether it’s intense competition or captivating worlds, these are the games that streamers and their audiences couldn’t get enough of in 2024.
While we aimed to focus on the popularity of streaming of these games in the US, reliable and complete data was not available for 2024 so far, the data below therefore is based on global streaming data.
1. GTA 5
With over 6 million watch hours this year, GTA 5 keeps on going. The game, released in 2013, is still popular due to GTA Online. The company keeps supporting it with massive, open-world updates. The game is also a regular hit across social media, with funny, interesting, or outright ridiculous scenes from the online mode aiding interest in the game. GTA 5 is a game that has traditionally held wide appeal globally but is also popular in the US.
2. League of Legends
Besides topping Twitch, League of Legends grew its popularity. It now has over 130 million monthly active users, since 2024. The game maintains its appeal by providing constant updates and being a major name in the competitive esports scene, despite being one of the oldest multiplayer arena games. League of Legends has traditionally been more popular in the Asian market than in the US, but still has a wide global fanbase.
3. Valorant
Riot Games' hero shooter has continued doing very well, with nearly 4 million watch hours in 2024. Valorant has been described as a mixture of Counter-Strike and OverwatchThe strategy and tactics behind the game and the very rich e-sports field helped it to become one of the most popular competitive multiplayer games in its field, both in terms of number of players and streaming popularity.
4. Counter-Strike 2
Released in 2023, Counter-Strike 2 has over 1 million daily players and has accumulated 2.7 million watch hours. The Counter-strike series in general has long been one of the top online multiplayer shooters, It's well-known for its tactics at play which have inspired a number of other video games that came after it. It is some of these factors that have long made CS2 a favorite for both casual players and esports professionals.
5. Fortnite
Fortnite remains popular as a game, being played daily by 1.6 million players. Fast-paced battle royales, together with in-game events, make the audience enjoy it. This game remains one of the most watched and most played games, with more than 2.4 million hours of viewership, and regularly tops the charts when it comes to most players at one time. The thriving esports community helps maintain its position as one of the top multiplayer games and is extremely popular in the US.
6. Dota 2
Although Dota 2 was released back in 2013, it remains a favorite of many when it comes to esports and streaming. It boasts more than 2.2 million watch hours across Twitch so far this year. The strategies are complex, and the competition is at a very high level; hence, it keeps engaging the players and viewers back-to-back.
7. Call of Duty: Warzone
Warzone features an open-world style element, with gamers competing objectives across the map, working alongside their squadmates and occasionally against other squads. Despite a drop in daily active players since interest peaked in the first few months after release, Warzone is still loved by streamers and has a strong Twitch presence. It is therefore a good pick, especially for shooter aficionados and boosted by being part of the Call of Duty franchise,
8. Minecraft
The best-selling game of all time is still popular on streaming platforms. Its open-ended gameplay and the game allows an extensive display of creativity. Watching streams and designs come together through streaming is a great way to be inspired to create your own designs. The game saw over 1.3 million watch hours in 2024, emanating from its massive player base.
9. Elden Ring
After releasing a new content piece, Elden Ring became surged in popularity in the second half of 2024. It's mainly a solo game, which makes it unique among the most streamed games, but does also feature a multiplayer co-op and PvP mode. On Twitch, it attracted over 1.2 million watch hours this year so far, due to its interesting world and complex lore.
10. Apex Legends
Apex Legends still reigns as a powerhouse in battle royale, with 120,000 daily players and 1.2 million watch hours. The fast-paced gameplay and overall strong esports scene keep Apex in the spotlight, despite not having the same mass appeal and popularity of some of its competitors like Valorant, it continues to maintain its place in the top 10.
Emerging Indie Titles in 2024
Even with the giants in the scene, 2024 was a year when indie games have marked the biggest time. Hades II won fans with its perfect gameplay, art, and story. The original set had a strong foundation. It was rich in combat mechanics and a compelling story. The other key to the success of Hollow Knight: Silksong was its complicated 2D platforming, tricky combat, and deep exploration. Fans of the first game loved the polished mechanics and the atmospheric world.
Other indie titles, like Dave the Diver and Pizza Tower, have kept up with vibrant communities. Dave the Diver has gained fame for its mix of fishing, management, and RPG elements. Pizza Tower offers fast-paced platforming and quirky humor that players love. Both games gained speed on the Internet through word-of-mouth. This helped engage more communities. It showed that small developers can make a big impact in today's gaming world.
What To Watch Out For Later in 2024
After a year and a half into the console cycle, many highly anticipated titles are set to release during the latter part of 2024. On September 26, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is set to release on the Nintendo Switch following the success of its predecessor. And then comes Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which makes its release on October 25 for PC and for PlayStation as well as Xbox. This is set to be a banger with a new campaign and multiplayer modes. Last but not least is Assassin's Creed: Shadows. It will be released on November 15 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It's one of the most awaited games this year. It has a darker story and better stealth gameplay.
Methodology and Sources
Data was collected from Twitchtracker.com for streaming data from Twitch. This data is shown week-by-week. The totals for the top 10 games were added up based on their weekly viewing stats to provide the number of viewing hours for the top 10 games, starting from the week commencing 01/01/2024.
The top 10 sold games of 2024 were gathered from circana.com, based on their research and available data.
Data on the most sold games of 2024 was obtained from here:
https://www.circana.com/intelligence/entertainment-top-10/2024/top-10-video-games/
GTA 5 data was obtained from here:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1247955/gta-v-unit-sales-worldwide-total/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1453523/gta-5-mau-pc-console-monthly/
Data on other game sales was collected from various sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1300663/elden-ring-sales-worldwide/
Data on active player counts was obtained from a number of different websites, depending on the game, these are:
Twitch streaming data was gathered from https://twitchtracker.com/.