Most Played Gaming Genres
3) Survival
What initially started as a niche genre in gaming has developed into one of the most active player bases in the gaming landscape today. The survival genre’s popularity is due mostly to the innovative creativity of Minecraft. But the large player base hasn’t deterred a slew of new takes from other developers.
Similarly, with popular titles like ARK: Survival Evolved and the recently released SCUM taking the world by storm, survival games have gained a lot of traction in recent years.
With their focus on crafting, exploring, and eventually conquering a hostile world, the draw is there for the hardcore, masochistic gamer. The final release of Conan Exiles proved the enduring popularity of the survival genre.
Though these hardcore experiences maintain more presence among players, sub-genre horde-survival titles like Warhammer: Vermintide 2 also contribute heavily to the overall popularity of the survival genre.
And with high-profile releases like Fallout 76 coming later this year, survival games look like they’ll be making an even bigger splash in the future.
Estimated Monthly Players: 76 Million
Top 5 Most Played Survival Games, Ranked By Active Players:
- Minecraft – Est. 74 Million
- SCUM – Est. 1 Million (based upon first-month sales figures)
- Rust – Est. 400,000
- ARK: Survival Evolved – Est. 300,000
- Conan Exiles – Est. 100,000
