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Gaming report 2020: Time spent on gaming globally and which games are the world's most played?

11th September 2020

If we add up how much time gamers have cumulatively spent playing Fortnite, FIFA or other games alike - how much time do you think has been ‘wasted’?

19.2 million years to be exact! That's the sum of years gamers have spent cumulatively playing on the top 10 games online. To put it into perspective - that’s three times the amount of time humans have even spent on the planet.

We’ve all been there. You sit down, turn on your Xbox One and the next thing you know it's dark outside and six hours have passed. Or maybe you come in from work, head straight for the PS4 and put in an extra eight hours on your latest campaign. For many gaming lovers it's part of our day to sit down and get engrossed in our favourite games, but have you ever thought about how much time you’ve spent in total in front of the screen?

Our new gaming report ranks the world's most played console games by straight days and years, and the numbers are staggering.

The Top Ten Most Played Games in the World

Time Spent Gaming

Fortnite tops the chart as the most played game worldwide - has been played for over 10.4 million years.


It’s no surprise that Fortnite sits at the top of our ranking. The game, which was launched in July 2017, has seen international success and has been played for 3.8 billion days! That's equal to over 10.4 million years - 52 times longer than humans have lived on the planet.

Time Spent Gaming Table

World of Warcraft makes second place

World of Warcraft comes in at second place on our ranking. The fantasy universe has been played in for 2.08 billion days according to the new data. 100,000,000 players have spent a cumulative total of 5.7 million years online making it the most played PC game on our list.

Overwatch clocks over 558 million days of playtime

The multiplayer game Overwatch has been played for 558 million days putting it in third place. Released initially in 2016, the game was launched on Nintendo Switch in October 2019 which has contributed to the immense total playtime of 1,529,148 years!

The Top Most Streamed Games on Twitch

Top Games Streamed on Twitch

Fortnite has been streamed for over 1.2 million hours in the last year

The data reveals that since August 2019, 1.289 billion hours of Fortnite gameplay have been streamed on Twitch, making it the most popular game on the platform.

League of Legends is the second most popular game on twitch

League of Legends boasts 80 million registered users and they love to watch the game just as much as they love playing. Twitch users have spent over 712 million hours watching gamers play League of Legends in the last year which is equal to 29.6 million consecutive days!

Time Spent Watching Twitch Table

GTA V has been streamed for 77 thousand years

Released in 2013, GTA V is still a fan favourite and has become one of the most popular games streamed on Twitch. In the last year, viewers have clocked up 681 million hours or 77 thousand years of streaming time.

Tips for Comfortable Gaming

If you’re looking to up your average hours or love your gaming marathons, we’ve got some tips for keeping it comfortable:

  • A gaming chair will keep you going for longer, and there’s plenty out there for you to choose from depending on your setup and your gaming style.
  • Good posture, this might sound boring but it's important. If you’re hunched over and putting strain on your back there's no chance you’ll make it through a marathon. Make sure you’ve got a good chair and your back is supported and you'll be able to go for hours.
  • If you’re gaming on a desktop make sure the screen is in the right position. Ensure the one you buy can be adjusted in height and the screen can be tilted. The monitor should be positioned to allow for your neck and head to stay straight.
  • Get everything you need prepared. If you’re setting yourself up for a marathon make sure you don't need to stretch or reach to grab things. This can cause strain on your back and neck and is also frustrating when you’re in the zone.
  • Try getting a wireless controller and a charging station so you don't need to worry about batteries running out. This can interrupt your gaming, while wires may affect how or where you sit.

    • Methodology

    Average hours spent gaming stat

    https://www.limelight.com/resources/white-paper/state-of-online-gaming-2020/#:~:text=GAMERS%20SPEND%20MORE%20THAN%20SIX,than%2012%20hours%20a%20week.

    Twitch streaming times

    https://twitchtracker.com/statistics

    Average days per player calculated using days of playtime / total number of players

    Cumulative time spent on A game

    World of Warcraft

    https://kotaku.com/nearly-6-million-years-of-world-of-warcraft-healthy-for-5891421#:~:text=By%20one%20analyst's%20calculation%2C%20the,up%20to%20about%205.9%20million

    Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019

    Statistics from Activision https://charlieintel.com/players-have-played-over-2-4-billion-hours-in-modern-warfare-and-warzone/60126/

    Rocket League

    Calculated using average length of match (5 mins), number of games played as released by RL and the total number of players

    FIFA 20

    Calculated using average game time (14 min 2 6 min halves and stoppage time ) x number of games played released by fifa (450,000,000)

    Fortnite, Overwatch, GTA 5, Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Assassin's Creed Odyssey

    Calculated using total number of players and average play time

    Total registered players using https://gamstat.com/games/

    Average playtime using https://howlongtobeat.com/