2022's Most-Played Games Are Over 10-Years-Old (And That's Great)

The charts for the most-played games in the first quarter of 2022 are out, and the numbers bring many surprises (for anyone who doesn't look at these every year). Even though Elden Ring calmly rests on the throne of “most popular game of the year”, it's merely the 20th in line to become the most-played game of the year. Even though mega-corps like EA and Activision continually push for games that last just a year before they get unnecessarily replaced by what's essentially the same game under an edgier name, gamers remain faithful to a handful of awesome titles. At the top of the list, we can find Minecraft, a game so old that its creator is now a bitter old crazy hermit. In the second place, we have GTA V, a game that many complain about because it's seemingly so profitable it prevents Rockstar from wanting to make GTA VI. We get why many want GTA VI, but the numbers show that people are still pretty goddamn happy with the three-generation-spanning mega-hit, and there's nothing wrong with that. The third and fourth spots belong to The Sims 4 and Fortnite, respectively. That's a game from 2014, and a game that seems like it has always existed and will forever plague bless our lives. The only technically recent title on the list is Among Us, a game that came out in 2018 but only exploded in late 2019 because of something that took place back then. One thing the games in the Top 5 all have in common is that they've kept on delivering quality updates for their communities.

Another thing is the fact that they're cheap. So many people just can't afford to buy new games and the ever-more-expensive systems to run them just because most companies put releases ahead of actual game quality. It's actually pretty cool that Rockstar is taking its sweet time with Grand Theft Auto VI and just letting people enjoy stuff. Nobody has ever asked for Basketball 2, there's no reason why a video game can't just last forever.

PS: Doesn't apply to Half-Life 2.

Top Image: Microsoft