Market (PC & Console)ยทUpdated Mar 17, 2026 by Newzoo
DLC releases drive an average 11% increase in monthly active users (MAU), with medium-sized games (250,000 to 2 million MAU) seeing the highest impact at 22% growth.
Strategy games benefit most from the DLC model, recording a 30.5% average increase in MAU, followed by role-playing and adventure titles.
DLC is a significant revenue driver, accounting for 13% of PC revenue and 7% of console revenue in the U.S. during 2022.
High-profile collaborations can trigger massive short-term spikes, evidenced by the Dead Cells 'Castlevania' DLC which drove a 225% increase in MAU.
Strategic content delivery, such as Electronic Arts' combination of a free-to-play transition and base-game updates for The Sims 4, can achieve record-breaking expansion launches.
Despite the effectiveness of DLC for re-acquisition, most players do not remain active during non-update months, necessitating a consistent content pipeline to combat retention challenges.
DLC releases drive an average 11% increase in monthly active users (MAU), with medium-sized games (250,000 to 2 million MAU) seeing the highest impact at 22% growth.
Strategy games benefit most from the DLC model, recording a 30.5% average increase in MAU, followed by role-playing and adventure titles.
DLC is a significant revenue driver, accounting for 13% of PC revenue and 7% of console revenue in the U.S. during 2022.
High-profile collaborations can trigger massive short-term spikes, evidenced by the Dead Cells 'Castlevania' DLC which drove a 225% increase in MAU.
Strategic content delivery, such as Electronic Arts' combination of a free-to-play transition and base-game updates for The Sims 4, can achieve record-breaking expansion launches.
Despite the effectiveness of DLC for re-acquisition, most players do not remain active during non-update months, necessitating a consistent content pipeline to combat retention challenges.