The games industry has only grown in recent years, regardless of age, gender or taste, everyone has played a game at least once in their life. Its revenue in 2019 was almost four times that of movies, and everything indicates that it will continue to grow exponentially. If you're part of this world, the question of which are the most played games in the world must have crossed your mind.
In today's list, we'll answer that question by telling you which are the 7 most popular games and we'll also provide you with information and curiosities about the various titles. We're going to focus on the world's most played games available on PC, as it's the platform that currently supports the largest number of games. So, are you excited to see which names will appear? Then follow the list!
Apex Legends
Seventh on our list is a free Battle Royale that has aged surprisingly well, since it launched in 2019 but had its peak number of players in 2023, reaching 610,000 simultaneous users. Today, it averages 150,000 players playing at the same time.
What sets Apex apart from other Battle Royals are its futuristic features and its unique movement that rewards more dedicated players with more skills. However, it also welcomes new players due to its tutorial and ranking system in ranked matches, which tends to bring gamers of similar skill levels together in the same match.
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
Coming sixth in our list of the world's most played games, PUBG holds the Steam record for the highest number of simultaneous players, reaching 3,257,248 players at the same time within the game. Today, Battle Royale has around 250,000 simultaneous players, 100,000 more than its rival Apex.
Unlike our seventh-placed game, PUBG is more realistic, containing resources, vehicles and clothing from the real world. Despite this, the game is far from being a war simulator, the confrontation with other players is quick and tests individual skills. It's also free to play, but it's considered a "heavy" game, so check its minimum requirements on the Steam page before downloading.
Dota 2
Moving on from Battle Royals, our fifth place is occupied by one of the world's oldest and most popular MOBAs, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. As one of the most played games on Steam, Dota 2 has an extensive fan base that has kept it one of the most influential titles in the industry since its launch in 2013.
Unlike its biggest rival, League of Legends, Dota is known for being a complex MOBA that is difficult for new players to understand. However, due to its 11 years of activity and its impressive number of players, the amount of online content aimed at helping "noobs" (people with little skill and/or experience in a game) is extensive. It's free and, of the world's most played games on this list, it's one of the best options for those with a weaker PC.
Counter Strike 2
We can't talk about the most played games in the world without mentioning the famous and acclaimed Counter-Strike 2, or as it is also known, CS2. Until the end of 2023, the game was known as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but Valve, its developer, decided to end the servers of this version and focus on CS2. We can say that this game is a major update of the previous version, since the items in the player's account have been transferred from one game to the other and the maps, gameplay and weapons are very similar, identical in some cases.
The Counter Strike franchise is an absolute hit, known for dominating the Internet cafés with CS 1.6. The game consists of two teams, Bombers and Counter-terrorists, while the former tries to plant a bomb in specific locations on the map, the latter has to prevent this from happening. CS2 is free and, like Dota 2, runs on most computers.
Fortnite
The top three most played games in the world are not available on Steam, but they are known worldwide and their fan bases are larger than those of all the games mentioned so far. Fortnite, released in 2017, has been a hit since its launch to date and will most likely be the world's most popular game in 2018/2019. However, its peak number of simultaneous players was in 2023, 5 years after the game's launch, when more than 44 million people played the game at the same time.
Despite containing other game modes, Fortnite is known for being an action-packed Battle Royale, where the player has the ability to build structures to protect themselves or help them in combat. Because of this unique feature, it can be considered the most difficult game in the world if you plan to take on experienced players. Fortnite is free and can be found at Epic Games.
Minecraft
Despite being in second place in our list of the world's most played games, Minecraft has most likely been the world's most popular game for several years. Despite its simplicity, the game is extremely vast, allowing players to create and do whatever they want, attracting people of all ages from all over the world. Its average number of simultaneous players is around 1 million, not counting the mobile version.
In the world of Minecraft, everything is in block form and your character, Steve, is free to build, destroy and create almost anything his imagination allows. Of all the games on this list, this is the only one that isn't available for free, costing R$99.90 in the official store. There are now other versions of the game, such as Minecraft Legends and Minecraft Dungeons. Although they maintain many of the same aspects as the base game, they have a different purpose and can be characterized as RPGs.
Roblox
But without a doubt, the top spot on our list of the world's most played games goes to Roblox. Its player base consists mostly of children and pre-teens, but that doesn't mean the game is limited, as it's one of the longest games in the world.
Roblox is actually a platform where anyone can create games and make them available online for others to play. This allows millions of different games to be created on the platform. The four most popular games are: Brookhaven RP, Adopt Me!, Tower of Hell and Blox Fruits. All of these are extremely different from each other, and yet each of them has had more than 20 billion visits.
Conclusion
So, did you like our list of the most played games in the world? What do you think is the best game among these 7? Let us know in the comments! Want to read more about games? Then take a look at our article on the 5 strongest pals in Palworld. Now, if you want to know more about games, click on the video below.
