Top 10 Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players

Here we’re ranking the most played games, ranked by monthly players in the games industry as of 2018. You’ll notice that popular games such as Overwatch and Hearthstone aren’t listed, simply because Blizzard does not release hard data (although we were able to pull some Blizzard data for certain games on this list). We’re sure they would otherwise make this list of most played games, ranked by monthly Players comfortably. If you’re interested, check out our other similar list, such as Most popular MMORPGs, Peak Concurrent & Most popular MMRPGs, Active Users.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – Smite

Hi-Rez Studios’ Smite aimed to put a clever spin on a genre that was, by the time of its release, quickly starting to become overcrowded. Its over-the-shoulder third-person camera gives it a more fast-paced, action-oriented flavor than traditional strategic MOBAs such as DOTA 2. Four years after its initial launch, the game is still recording impressive numbers, as noted by a recent SuperData Research finding. It’s still one of the world’s most played games, ranked by monthly players

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – Heroes of the Storm

The same report from SuperData Research cites Heroes of the Storm’s player count at 6.5 million monthly players. Blizzard’s popular title pitts the developer’s most iconic heroes against each other in what feels like the Smash Bros of the MOBO world. The game didn’t launch to the best critical reception due to a host of bugs and balancing issues, but that’s since been righted. Support from Blizzard has seen a reworked progression system and a large competitive scene keep the game afloat. Heroes of the Storm’s numbers are still impressive, placing it within this list of the world’s most played games, ranked by monthly players

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – Counter-Strike Global Offensive

Counter-Strike has long been one of the most popular multiplayer shooters on the market. From the earliest days of its first versions running on the original Half-Life engine, source, and finally Global Offensive, the player counts have continued to rise. Global Offensive’s progression system and the rise of esports has really seen it take off, though, and monthly player counts sit at 11.5 million active monthly players according to Statista.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – World of Warcraft – 10.1 million players

World of Warcraft is another of our top 10 most played games firmly engrained in modern pop culture at this point. It’s been around since the dawn of online gaming, and it’s been the template that virtually all subsequent MMORPGs have followed and iterated on. But it’s still going strong. In fact, the latest expansion, Battle for Azeroth, has seen the numbers climb back almost as high as its 2010 peak. That’s hugely impressive –so much so that it caused Blizzard game designer Tom Chilton to blurt out the game’s current active subscribers during an interview. That’s not data Blizzard typically shares, so we’re not sure if this was deliberate or not. Regardless, WoW’s comeback is something to behold. It’s still one of the world’s most played games, ranked by monthly players

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – DOTA 2

Another of our Top 10 most played games and MOBA’s founding father, DOTA kicked off a genre that has been astronomically popular for over a decade. The sequel launched to a competitive market, and the once undisputed king has been somewhat knocked off its perch by League of Legends. Still, despite a dropping pool of monthly players Research, DOTA 2 remains amongst the world’s most played games.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – Rocket League

Developer Psyonix’s Rocket League another of our Top 10 Most Played Games and a prime example of how you put a crazy new spin on a tried and tested gameplay loop. Soccer was already the world’s most popular sport, so it made sense to make a video game about playing it in rocket-boosted cars. Well, not really, but regardless, it was a smash hit. Our quoted number is old, hence the “+” distinction. Registered players have nearly doubled since then, so Rocket League might well be higher up this list of the world’s most played games with hard data.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – Minecraft

The 2011 sandbox game became a global phenomenon when it launched, and it’s since become another of the world’s Top 10 most played games, available on virtually every gaming platform out there. Fans couldn’t get enough of letting their creative juices flow with all sorts of crazy virtual lego buildings, and consistent new content drops kept the experience fresh across several different gameplay modes. It might be approaching a decade old, but it’s still among the most played games in the world. In an interview with Microsoft’s Helen Chiang, it was revealed the game still 74 million monthly players.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – 3) Fortnite – 78 Million

Fortnite has turned the multiplayer gaming scene upside down over the past 12 months. It took an established genre and injected its own unique flair to produce a free-to-play battle royale experience that has steamrolled its competition. It still isn’t quite the most played game in the world, but it’s important to note the game hasn’t yet been released in China, where it’s anticipated the market for the game will be enormous. Still, the recently announced 78 million monthly players is still remarkable. It’s easily one of the most played games, ranked by monthly players.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – League of Legends

League of Legends remains one of the world’s most played games, despite the rise of the battle royale genre understandably leading many to believe the MOBA genre had run its course. But a hugely popular esports scene and a massive following in the Asian market continues to keep this iconic game neck and neck with the latest titles. A 100 million strong monthly player base would suggest League of Legends isn’t going to get shifted from its perch anytime soon. League of Legends is still comfortably one of the most played games, ranked by monthly players.

Most Played Games, Ranked by Monthly Players – PUBG

PUBG kicked-off what has become the hottest trend in multiplayer gaming we’ve seen in years. The battle royale scene has given a new lease of life to first and third-person shooters, and it shows no signs of slowing. Sure, PUBG’s player base has started to decline as a result of intense competition, but it’s still the undisputed most played game in the world. Its success in the Chinese Market has boosted numbers to astronomical levels.

Note that this number includes players across all devices, including mobile. Still, even without that PUBG would easily be one of the world’s most played games, ranked by monthly players.