Open World Games Statistics 2026

Grand Theft Auto V has sold-in more than 230 million units, while Crimson Desert, a new IP, sold 6 million copies in 83 days. This page collects open world games statistics through October 2026: 2026 launch sales, Steam player retention, Take-Two and CD Projekt catalog totals, the GTA VI outlook, survival-craft hit rates and market-size estimates, each with its source and date.

Open World Games Statistics

How Fast Did 2026’s Open World Games Sell?

Crimson Desert sold 2 million copies on launch day, March 19, 2026, according to Pearl Abyss.

It passed 3 million by March 24, 4 million by March 31 and 5 million by April 15.

Pearl Abyss announced 6 million on June 11, 83 days after launch. It also cited Circana data ranking the game No. 2 in 2026 year-to-date US video game sales.

Source: Pearl Abyss sales announcements, March to June 2026

Crimson Desert vs Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II launched on February 4, 2025. Embracer Group reported in February 2026 that it had passed 5 million copies within its first year.

Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver announced 6 million copies on June 25, 2026, about 16 months after release.

That puts the two 6 million announcements at 83 days and about 16 months after their respective launches.

Source: Embracer Group interim report, February 2026; Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver, June 25, 2026

Open World Games on Steam: Average Concurrent Players Through September 2026

Source: SteamCharts, concurrent Steam players, all-time and September 2026 data, checked October 26, 2026

Crimson Desert averaged 20,075.83 concurrent Steam players in September 2026, up 74.37% from August.

Forza Horizon 6 averaged 14,757.72, down 22.42% month on month. Its 301,394 all-time peak is the highest of the three, and daily figures sit on our Forza Horizon 6 live player counter.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II averaged 11,176.36. Its July average rose 28.66%, after the June 25 sales milestone and a Steam Summer Sale promotion.

Steam data leaves out PlayStation and Xbox players, plus Game Pass and Microsoft Store players for Forza Horizon 6. Trackers also log different peaks: Pearl Abyss cites 276,261 for Crimson Desert, the SteamDB figure.

GTA V Passes 230 Million: Best-Selling Open World Games

Grand Theft Auto V had sold-in more than 230 million units by June 30, 2026. Take-Two says it is the best-selling title of the past decade by both units and dollar sales.

Rockstar Titles by Units Sold-In

Source: Take-Two Interactive, Q1 FY2027 results, as of June 30, 2026

Red Dead Redemption 2 makes up the bulk of its series total. For PC activity, see how many people still play Red Dead Redemption 2.

CD Projekt Titles by Copies Sold

Source: CD Projekt, H1 2026 results release, September 2, 2026

Cyberpunk 2077 crossed 40 million on July 3, 2026, counting copies sold separately and in the Ultimate Edition bundle. CD Projekt had reported 35 million in November 2025.

CD Projekt set The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered for September 29, 2026, free to base-game owners. Our video game remakes and remasters statistics track similar re-releases.

Hogwarts Legacy passed 40 million units in December 2025, Warner Bros. Games said, based on full game sales on consoles and PC.

Source: Warner Bros. Games, December 2025

Elden Ring reached 30 million shipments and digital sales in April 2025, per Bandai Namco and FromSoftware.

Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware, April 2025

Why These Totals Don’t Line Up

Take-Two reports units sold-in, covering physical units shipped to retail plus digital sales. Bandai Namco’s Elden Ring total also counts shipments.

CD Projekt and Warner Bros. report copies sold. Steam trackers count concurrent players, not buyers, so these figures do not belong in one ranking.

How Much Is Riding on GTA VI’s November 19 Launch?

Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Take-Two’s lineup lists no PC version, and our GTA 6 crossplay and cross-save guide covers what Rockstar has confirmed.

Recurrent consumer spending, which covers virtual currency, add-on content, in-game purchases and in-game advertising, made up 84% of Take-Two’s net bookings from April to June 2026.

Take-Two reiterated its fiscal 2027 net bookings outlook of $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion, covering April 2026 to March 2027.

Source: Take-Two Interactive, Q1 FY2027 results, August 7, 2026

Newzoo forecasts $213.9 billion in global games revenue for 2026, up 6.1% from $201.6 billion in 2025. It expects console full-game spending to grow 17.5%, naming GTA VI as the main driver.

Newzoo analyst Michiel Buijsman told Wccftech that without GTA VI, Newzoo would expect console revenue to decline year on year.

Source: Newzoo Global Games Market Report, 2026 edition, August to September 2026

Rockstar said GTA VI Trailer 2 drew more than 475 million views across platforms in its first 24 hours in May 2025.

Source: Rockstar Games, May 2025

Open World Survival Craft by the Numbers: 20.8% Steam Hit Rate

Open World Survival Craft had the highest share of 2025 releases reaching 1,000 Steam reviews in Chris Zukowski’s annual survey: 15 of 72 games, or 20.8%.

Across all 20,282 Steam games released in 2025, 608 reached 1,000 reviews, a 2.99% rate. Zukowski treats 1,000 reviews as a marker for about $150,000 or more in revenue.

Source: How To Market A Game (Chris Zukowski), 2025 Steam releases, sampled January 4, 2026

Hit rates fell for Open World Survival Craft and Farming between 2024 and 2025, and rose for Simulation and RPG.

Volume tells a different story. With 15 hits, the genre dropped out of Zukowski’s top 10 by count, replaced by Multiplayer Shooter, while Narrative led with 51.

He builds genre totals from Steam tags, so the 72 releases figure is an approximation.

Established survival-craft titles sit outside this 2025 cohort, among them Ark: Survival Ascended, whose crossplay and cross-save support we cover separately.

Grounded, a co-op survival game, is another example; see Grounded’s cross-platform support for its systems.

What Is the Open World Games Market Worth?

There is no agreed figure. Business Research Insights estimates the open world game market at $29.41 billion in 2025, projecting $31.91 billion in 2026 and $54.64 billion by 2034 at an 8.5% CAGR.

Verified Market Research values the category at $14.36 billion in 2025 and projects $23.59 billion by 2033 at a 6.4% CAGR.

Each firm sizes the category under its own scope definition. Newzoo does not publish an open world segment.

Source: Business Research Insights and Verified Market Research, 2025 report editions

FAQs

What is the best-selling open world game?

Grand Theft Auto V. Take-Two reported more than 230 million units sold-in as of June 30, 2026. Red Dead Redemption 2 stood at over 87 million in the same report.

How many copies has Crimson Desert sold?

More than 6 million. Pearl Abyss announced the milestone on June 11, 2026, 83 days after the March 19 launch, having sold 2 million copies on launch day.

When does GTA VI come out?

November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, according to Take-Two’s August 7, 2026 results. Take-Two’s release lineup does not list a PC version.

Is Crimson Desert dying, as some Reddit threads claim?

SteamCharts shows a September 2026 rise: Crimson Desert averaged 20,075.83 concurrent players, up 74.37% from August. That is still far below its 275,859 all-time peak, and Steam data excludes console players.

Which open world genre succeeds most often on Steam?

Open World Survival Craft. In Chris Zukowski’s 2025 survey, 15 of 72 releases, or 20.8%, reached 1,000 Steam reviews. Across all 20,282 Steam releases, the rate was 2.99%.

References