F2P Games on PC and Console in 2026

The free-to-play (F2P) gaming sector on PC and console is experiencing a period of stagnation and structural transition as of 2026. While total annual playtime for F2P titles remains stable at approximately 31 billion hours, the segment’s overall share of total gaming time has declined to 29.3%, down 2.9 percentage points since 2021. This contraction is largely attributed to increased competition from premium live-service titles and the rapid growth of platforms like Roblox, which now accounts for 7.9% of total playtime.

Market data indicates a significant slowdown in the launch of new F2P live-service games. The average number of annual releases dropped from 21.3 between 2020 and 2022 to 14.7 between 2023 and 2025, with only 13 titles launching in 2025. This decline is driven by rising development costs, increased market risk, and the difficulty new titles face when competing against established, long-running games. Revenue remains highly concentrated among a small group of top-performing titles, though PC platforms have shown resilience with a 10% year-over-year increase in revenue per hour played.

A notable shift within the F2P landscape is the rise of gacha-based RPGs, which have become a primary driver of growth on PC. The number of major gacha titles tracked across PC and console increased from three in 2021 to 17 in 2025. RPGs are the only F2P genre to see a share increase in playtime on both platforms, with PC gacha playtime growing 92% over the four-year period. The analysis covers 37 global markets, excluding China and India, utilizing data from PC, PlayStation, and Xbox to evaluate trends in engagement and monetization.