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As of the second quarter of 2025, shooter and action-adventure games were the two most popular video game genres worldwide. Across all age groups between 16 and 64 years, these genres ranked as the most played. Among users aged 65 and older, however, puzzle games -including online board games- were the most popular.

Shooter games – most-played across all age groups

Shooter video games are a type of action video game where the goal is almost entirely on defeating the character's enemies using firearms or other long-range weapons given to the player. Players can usually find in-game items such as ammunition and health packs or weapon upgrades during their session. Shooters are available on virtually all gaming platforms and can be played individually as a single-player, or in a multiplayer environment. Many shooter games are played competitively. A very popular type of shooter game are first-person shooters (FPS), where players experience everything through their character’s eyes in a first-person perspective while moving through a 3D space. Popular first-person shooters include the best-selling Call of Duty series, as well as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Doom, Quake, Team Fortress 2, and Halo.

Action adventures – a wide-ranging genre

Action adventures are also one of the most popular game genres, and players have a large variety of games to choose from. An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from action games (real-time interactions with the environment, physical and conceptual challenges) and adventure games (puzzles). The story that the player experiences is enacted rather than narrated. Popular action adventure games include The Legend of Zelda series, the Grand Theft Auto franchise, God of War, the Tom Raider series, as well as survival horror games like the Resident Evil series, or Metroidvania games.