Free-to-play (FtP) games dominate Steam engagement, accounting for 51% of total hours played in 2023 despite being outnumbered by premium releases.
Market engagement is highly concentrated, with the top 25 FtP titles capturing 88% of all FtP activity and the top five titles holding nearly 60% of concurrent users.
The FtP sector is stagnant for new entrants, as the top ten FtP games have a mean age of seven years and only two new titles have broken into that tier since 2021.
FtP titles maintain a massive presence in the top-tier charts, occupying eight of the ten highest concurrent-user spots in 2023, with Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 leading the segment.
Premium titles are successfully eroding FtP market share, with games priced between $10 and $50 increasing their share of total playtime from 31% to 37% between 2021 and 2024.
High-budget premium releases priced over $50, such as Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy, are contributing to the compression of the FtP segment's dominance on the platform.
That's the gist.
Dive into the full report for the data, charts, and sources behind these takeaways.
Read the full report