RPGs and ‘Friendslop’ Lead Steam’s Best-Selling Games of 2025

What were the standout Steam games of 2025? While players have a general idea based on Steam charts and community buzz, analyst Simon Carless recently shared estimates from GameDiscoverCo that highlight the dominance of RPGs and multiplayer titles this year.

In his latest newsletter, Carless provided estimates for the top 20 new games on Steam for 2025, ranked by total sales and revenue. Here’s the rundown of the games that sold the most copies:

20. Revenge on Gold Diggers
19. Borderlands 4
18. Dispatch
17. Mage Arena
16. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
15. Split Fiction
14. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
13. Stellar Blade
12. Megabonk
11. Elden Ring Nightreign
10. Clair Obscur: Expedition 3
9. RV There Yet?
8. Escape From Duckov
7. Hollow Knight: Silksong
6. Arc Raiders
5. Monster Hunter Wilds
4. Schedule I
3. Battlefield 6
2. Peak
1. R.E.P.O.

What’s particularly interesting? As Carless points out, games like Peak and R.E.P.O. thrived, indicating that many players are drawn to co-op experiences that encourage fun interactions with friends. Multiplayer games dominated the top spots, while fantasy RPGs also made a strong showing, with Oblivion, Deliverance 2, and Clair Obscur performing well. It’s also worth noting Borderlands 4 and Monster Hunter Wilds; despite facing challenges with PC optimization and mixed word-of-mouth, they still made the list. However, it’s surprising to see Borderlands 4 ranked lower than a narrative-driven game like Dispatch.

This ranking is based on total sales, and Borderlands 4 launched at $70. When looking at revenue instead, Borderlands 4 climbs into the top 10, while Dispatch, priced at $30, drops to 19th. The revenue list still leans heavily toward 2025’s major blockbusters, with Battlefield 6 taking the top spot. It’s clear that a lower price point can significantly impact a game’s success on Steam; Schedule I is just $20, R.E.P.O. is $10, and Peak is only $8.

Are games that create viral moments and encourage friends to join in the fun the secret to success on Steam, or is the trend of “friendslop” starting to fade? At the very least, these titles are generally cheaper and quicker to develop than MMOs, MOBAs, and RPGs, so we likely won’t see a flood of knock-offs trying to capitalize on this trend in 2028.