In 2025, new sports titles on PC platforms, particularly Steam, outshone many established franchises, altering the competitive landscape. EA's free-to-play skateboarding game, Skate, launched with a peak concurrent user (CCU) count of 134,901, making it the fourth most popular sports game ever on Steam.
Major PC Releases and User Metrics
EA Sports FC 26, despite reaching 100,283 CCU, performed below its predecessors but maintains 60,000 to 80,000 users on weekends. Meanwhile, the unexpected success of Rematch saw a peak of 92,841 CCU, although it now retains only 4,000 weekend players.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby achieved a global launch peak of 87,453 CCU, currently engaging 17,000 to 20,000 players on weekends. Football Manager 26 had an initial peak of 84,909 CCU and keeps strong numbers with weekend peaks around 60,000. Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road peaked at 52,795 CCU, with a 90% user rating.
Challenges for Traditional Franchises
Traditional sports franchises faced challenges as well. NBA 2K26 saw a diminished peak of 32,081 CCU compared to its predecessor. F1 25 reached a modest 22,595 CCU, and Madden NFL 26 hit about 6,600 CCU, while Madden NFL 24 still leads with a peak at 9,526 CCU.
This shift underscores a growing interest in new entries and the evolving preferences of PC sports gamers in 2025.
