GAMIVO Unveils Analysis on 2026's Most Popular Video Game Genres
GAMIVO,
a popular platform with discounted video games, published its latest research.
It shows that gamers in 2026 most frequently choose action-adventure games.
RPGs came second, and survival games took third place.
GAMIVO
published its study on the most popular video game genres. The company analysed
about 1,000 best-selling titles on its platform during the first quarter of
2026. According to the data, action-adventure games led the way, accounting for
22.7% of all copies sold. Role-playing games followed closely at 19.5%,
narrowly outperforming survival games, which secured an 18.2% share. Shooters
were the final genre to exceed the 10% threshold, coming in at 14.5%. The
remaining market share was split between simulation (8.6%), strategy (6.7%),
sports (6.2%), puzzle (2%), and fighting games (1.6%).
These
figures align with the research from last year, which focused on the 100 most
popular titles on GAMIVO. However, while action-adventure and role-playing
games previously shared the top spot, the increase in analysed titles has
allowed action-adventure to emerge as the clear frontrunner.
"Analysing
a larger data sample, the action-adventure genre surpassed RPG in both volume
and market share. This trend was largely driven by a high volume of successful
mid and small-sized releases," explains Andrzej Bazylczuk from GAMIVO.
An interesting thing
can be observed after a closer investigation of the genres from the third and
fourth places. While survival games significantly outperformed shooters in terms
of total copies sold, the hierarchy reverses when analysing the number of
individual titles that make up those figures. This suggests that the survival
genre's success is concentrated within a smaller group of high-performing hits,
whereas the shooter category maintains its market share through a broader, more
diverse catalogue of available games.
"Simulation fans are more willing to dedicate
hundreds of hours to a single title rather than moving quickly between
releases," notes Bazylczuk. "In contrast, fans of single-player
shooters are more likely to seek out a new experience immediately after
finishing a campaign, leading to a higher volume of moderately popular titles
within the FPS genre."
When it comes to simulation and strategy, the lines
between those genres are often blurred. Many high-performing titles utilize
deep strategy mechanics but replicate complex systems so faithfully that they
are classified as simulations. This suggests that the lower ranking of
pure strategy games does
not indicate a decline in interest for management or tactical gameplay.
Notably, the list features a significant number of both new and classic
Real-Time Strategy (RTS) releases, proving the subgenre remains resilient and
relevant.
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