Free-to-play titles still as lucrative
It's a tradition at the end of the year, Steam, the Valve platform that continues to break its attendance records (set at just over 39 million since December 8), takes stock of the games that have been the most successful over the last twelve months. An opportunity to see the new headliners - and those on which time has almost no influence.
It's logical, but the Platinum list bringing together the titles that have generated the most turnover brings together productions that will be familiar to you. We find a good number of classics that immutably squat this section. Among them, in 2024 as in 2023, are Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, PUBG and Destiny 2. Let's also note the retention of Baldur's Gate 3 in this very exclusive club (limited to twelve productions), as well as the return of Elden Ring (no doubt helped by the release of its expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree) in this division.
Fortunately, there are a few games released this year in this top; if you follow the twists and turns of the video game sphere, you should be able to guess which ones quite easily.
The time for reflection is over, here are the new entrants: Palword, Black Myth Wukong, Helldivers 2, Space Marine 2 and of course, COD Black Ops 6. They notably eject Cyberpunk 2077, Sons of the Forest, Starfield and Hogwarts Legacy from this Platinum category.
Concretely, five of the twelve productions that generated the most revenue in 2024 are free-to-play. They are also five out of twelve in the Gold category (we could however add FC 25 and FC 24, two titles that give pride of place to microtransactions within their Ultimate Team mode). To stay in this Gold category, let us highlight the success encountered by Path of Exile 2. Grinding Gear Games' software, available in early access since December 6th only, and set to become free-to-play in a few months, is one of the 24 games that will generate the most money in 2024.
Black Myth Wukong also deserves a few words. Game Science's title remains the single-player game that has gathered the most players simultaneously: 2,415,714. It ranks behind PUBG and its record of 3,257,248, but ahead of Palworld and its 2,101,867.
What's the outlook on Steam Deck and VR devices?
On Steam Deck – Valve's portable console – the most popular games of 2024 are a little different. The Platinum category includes juggernauts like Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Palworld. But it also includes less mainstream titles like Balatro and DAVE THE DIVER, and a few oldies (or timeless ones, depending on your point of view), namely Fallout 4 (2015) and Stardew Valley (2016).
The last interesting category is VR games. However, there isn’t much change in the Platinum division compared to 2023. Half-Life Alyx, Skyrim VR, and Beat Saber, to name a few, remain timeless. Into the Radius 2's Early Access has pushed Into the Radius first of the name into the Gold compartment. Otherwise, Arizona Sunshine 2 has taken the place of Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2.
Don't forget that if some of these titles catch your eye, they may be on sale during the winter sales. They run until January 2, 7 p.m.
Source: Steam
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