Single-player PlayStation first-party games have had underwhelming sales on PC, while multiplayer titles have performed well on the platform.
In an article on whether PlayStation and Xbox should change their plans regarding exclusive games, The Game Business’ Christopher Dring highlighted a growing divide in how PlayStation’s first-party games perform on PC, raising questions about the long-term viability of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s multiplatform strategy and the potential return of exclusivity.
PlayStation’s push into PC has delivered mixed results, with a clear pattern emerging between multiplayer and single-player titles. Live-service games have performed well within the PC ecosystem. For instance, Helldivers 2 reached 7.9 million players in March 2024, with 4.6 million on PC. Similarly, Marathon attracted over 2.2 million players during its launch month, out of which 1.1 million were on PC.
On the other hand, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s critically acclaimed single-player titles have struggled to gain traction on the platform. God of War Ragnarok managed just 300,000 PC players during its launch month, a stark contrast to the 6.9 million players it drew on PlayStation at launch. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Horizon: Forbidden West yielded similarly modest figures, with 260,000 and 230,000 players respectively. One exception was Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, which achieved 710,000 monthly players at launch, though it remains an outlier, possibly in part due to its included Legends multiplayer mode.
“PS5 games on Steam, outside of live-service shooters, simply aren’t selling in high numbers,” said Dring, suggesting that the PC audience may be less interested in premium, story-driven experiences, especially when those games arrive years after their original release. There is a fundamental difference in player behavior between PC and console ecosystems. Console players tend to favor high-priced AAA titles, with 75% of revenue coming from games priced above $50. PC players, however, lean toward lower-priced titles, indie games, and microtransactions, which account for nearly half of all spending on the platform. This limits the upside for certain types of games, particularly cinematic, single-player experiences that rely on full-price purchases.
Despite the industry’s shift toward multiplatform releases, exclusives remain a key driver of console adoption. According to Circana data, 41% of players choose consoles specifically for exclusive titles, making it the top reason for platform preference. Sony Interactive Entertainment has historically leveraged exclusives to boost hardware sales, as seen with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok, which drove significant PS5 sales spikes at launch. That said, third-party franchises like Call of Duty and FIFA still dominate engagement and hardware bundles.
