Introduction
Gaming today isn’t just a hobby—it’s a full-fledged cultural and economic force. Some titles attract tens of millions of players and shape trends in streaming, esports, content creation and more. In this blog we’ll look at four major games—Grand The ft Auto V (GTA V), Call of Duty (CoD) franchise, Garena Free Fire, and India’s giant Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) / PUBG Mobile ecosystem—examining what’s driving their popularity, how they fare today, and what they tell us about games that are played by more people.
1. GTA V – The evergreen open-world giant6
Why it remains massive
GTA V has sold over 215 million units globally as of May 2025.
Statista
On PC & consoles it had about 25.11 million monthly active users (MAU) in June 2024.
Statista
It was the most-watched game on Twitch in 2024, with over 1.4 billion hours watched.
What drives its staying power
A rich open-world sandbox experience with freedom, role-playing mods and the online “GTA Online” ecosystem.
Regular updates & DLCs keep the game fresh despite its age.
Strong streaming presence and content creation: even players who don’t play may still watch.
Broad platform support: consoles, PC, mobile spin-offs (in some cases) → wider reach.
Trends & implications
The massive numbers show that major titles don’t need to be new to dominate—they just need strong engagement loops and community.
For content creators (like you might be thinking of reels / YouTube channels), this suggests older blockbuster titles still offer big audiences.
Because GTA V's model is more open‐ended, it supports varied content (gameplay, role-play, streaming highlights) rather than only competitive brackets.
2. Call of Duty Franchise – Competitive shooter with global reach
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Key statistics
On Steam, the CoD “HQ” launcher peaked at about 90,230 concurrent PC players in July 2025.
Statista
For the mobile version, Call of Duty Mobile had ~6.7 million monthly active players as of October 2025.
ActivePlayer
On Steam charts the peak concurrent players for CoD ranged around ~491,670 in November 2024.
Elocarry
Why it remains relevant
Strong brand recognition: one of the longest‐running shooter franchises.
Free-to-play models and mobile spin-offs widen accessibility (especially in Asia & India).
Huge esports / competitive scene plus frequent seasonal content updates.
Because shooters tend to have shorter match times and high replayability, they appeal to casual + hardcore players alike.
Observations & caveats
While CoD continues to have large numbers, its PC/concurrent counts are smaller relative to its peak years—indicating some decline in PC engagement though still significant.
Regional differences are huge: mobile versions dominate in many markets; console/PC in others.
For someone wanting to build a channel or content stream: CoD offers stable demand (gameplay, tips, updates, mobile versions) but competition is very high.
3. Free Fire – Mobile-first battle-royale powerhouse
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Statistics & scope
Garena Free Fire Max has maintained around 33 million daily active users (DAUs) in early-mid 2025.
Udonis Mobile Marketing Agency
In January 2024 the monthly active users for Free Fire were around 125 million.
Udonis Mobile Marketing Agency
Its positioning as a mobile-friendly battle-royale makes it extremely accessible in markets like India, Southeast Asia, Latin America etc.
Why it works
Low hardware requirement makes it usable on budget smartphones—this matters enormously in markets like India and Southeast Asia.
Battle-royale format is massively popular: quick matches, social play, mobile convenience.
Strong localisation and marketing: Free Fire often emphasises regional events, in-game collaborations, regional influencers.
For creators: Free Fire content lends well to highlights, mobile gameplay, social media snippets (very aligned with your interest in reels etc).
Implications
If you’re targeting Indian / emerging markets, mobile games like Free Fire may give you larger audiences compared to high-end PC/console titles.
Short mobile matches mean more content opportunities (snippets, reels) and frequent updates keep content fresh.
4. BGMI & PUBG Ecosystem – India / global battle-royale strongholds
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Key numbers
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) passed 100 million registered users in India one year after launch.
The Indian Express
For PUBG Mobile (global version): As of 2025 it has ~30 million daily active users globally.
Esports.net
The PC/console version PUBG: Battlegrounds logged peaks of ~1.3 million concurrent users on Steam in March 2025.
Live Player Count
Why this ecosystem is huge
India is a massive market in mobile gaming: low cost smartphones + more data access = big audience potential. (For example: India expected to have 630 million gamers by 2026.)
Battle-royale format remains extremely popular, and these titles deliver that with massive scale.
Strong esports ecosystem and localised content: tournaments, collaborations, regional influencers amplify reach (especially BGMI in India).
For creators targeting Indian audience or Asian mobile gaming niches, BGMI/PUBG are strong content choices.
Trends & considerations
While registered users can exceed 100 million, active users and market saturation matter more for content viability.
Mobile titles might have intense competition and shorter content novelty; you’ll need to find unique angles (e.g., Indian tournaments, tips for mobile, beginner guides, etc).
5. What Makes a Game “Played by More People”? Key Takeaways
From the above four examples, we can draw general principles of what tends to make a video game widely played:
✅ Broad accessibility
Works on multiple platforms (mobile, PC, console) or at least the dominant platform in the region.
Acceptable hardware demands (especially important in emerging markets).
Free-to-play or low barrier to entry.
✅ Strong engagement and community
Multiplayer (social) features: allowing players to invite friends, join squads, battle together.
Localised content & marketing—regional events, tournaments, in-game collaborations.
✅ Content and streaming friendly
Titles that lend themselves to highlights, streaming, short clips (which feed creators).
Ecosystem supports content creation (e.g., role-play in GTA, high-skill clips in shooters, mobile quick kills in Free Fire/BGMI).
✅ Strong regional market fit
In India and Asia, mobile dominance means mobile-friendly titles thrive.
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