Steam just dropped its list of top earners for 2025, and it’s not the usual AAA sweep.
- Top 12 Best-Selling Games on Steam in 2025
- AAA Resilience Despite Mixed Launches
- Arc Raiders and Late-Year Momentum
- The Rise of Steam Indie Success Stories
- Free-to-Play Powerhouses
- Critical Acclaim vs Revenue Reality
- New Releases Chart and Early Performance
- Another Record Year for Valve
- What This Says About the PC Market in 2025
- Steam Best Selling Games 2025
Big-budget titles still showed up, but so did a few unexpected indie games that held their ground. Schedule 1 is one of them, proving you don’t need a major publisher to land in the top twelve.
Top 12 Best-Selling Games on Steam in 2025
Valve ranked the top games based purely on revenue, counting base game sales, downloadable content, and microtransactions. The data covers January 1 through December 1, 2025, with December figures expected in the full report coming January 2026.
Steam organizes these results into revenue tiers rather than numbered rankings. The highest tier, Platinum, includes twelve titles that earned the most over the year, each a major financial success, though their exact order isn’t shown.
Counter-Strike 2
CS2 stayed strong all year. Its consistent player base and the nonstop action in the skin trading economy kept it near the top. Even without major new content, the game’s ecosystem continues to generate steady revenue.
Counter Strike 2
Release Date: August 21, 2012
Genres: Shooter, Tactical
Arc Raiders
It launched late in the year but made a big splash fast. Strong player peaks and attention-grabbing gameplay helped it break into the Platinum tier despite limited time on the market.
ARC Raiders
Release Date: October 30, 2025
Genres: Shooter
PUBG: Battlegrounds
Years in, PUBG still delivers. The free-to-play shift didn’t kill its momentum, in fact, it seems to have cemented its spot as a reliable earner thanks to a loyal base and regular updates.
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG)
Release Date: March 23, 2017
Genres: Shooter, Battle Royale
Borderlands 4
The launch had problems. Bugs, backlash, and loud complaints hit hard. But that didn’t stop people from buying it. The franchise power and co-op draw pushed it into the top twelve anyway.
Borderlands 4
Release Date: September 11, 2025
Genres: Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Marvel Rivals
This one managed to do what many hero shooters don’t: stay relevant. From launch to year-end, Marvel Rivals held its ground. It found its niche and kept players engaged.
Marvel Rivals
Release Date: December 6, 2024
Genres: Fighting, Shooter, Strategy, Adventure
R.E.P.O.
A surprise hit. This indie title exploded after a few big streamers picked it up, and the word spread fast. It didn’t have a marketing machine, just strong design and perfect timing.
R.E.P.O.
Release Date: February 26, 2025
Genres: Adventure
Monster Hunter Wilds
Performance hiccups didn’t stop the fans. Capcom’s next monster-slaying entry had enough pull to sell big right out of the gate, and that early momentum carried it all the way to Platinum.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Release Date: February 28, 2025
Genres: Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
Apex Legends
Still going strong. Apex continued to rake in cash with its regular seasons, rotating cosmetics, and battle pass structure. The formula hasn’t changed much, but it still works.
Apex Legends
Release Date: November 05, 2020
Genres: Shooter, Tactical
Dota 2
Valve’s flagship MOBA remains a moneymaker. The core player base isn’t what it used to be, but seasonal events and cosmetic bundles keep revenue flowing year after year.
Dota 2
Release Date: July 9, 2013
Genres: Strategy, MOBA
Schedule 1
Another indie breakout. It built buzz through social media, unconventional trailers, and a few viral moments. By the time it hit peak visibility, it was already pulling in serious numbers.
Schedule I
Release Date: March 24, 2025
Genres: Simulator, Strategy, Indie
Call of Duty
Multiple releases across the year meant a constant presence. Whether bundled, standalone, or pushed via cross-promotions, the brand power alone helped secure its spot on the list.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Release Date: November 08, 2010
Genres: Shooter
Battlefield 6
The launch didn’t go smoothly. Bugs, balance complaints, and server issues all made headlines. But Battlefield is still a blockbuster name, and enough people bought in to make the revenue cut.
Battlefield 6
Release Date: October 10, 2025
Genres: Shooter
AAA Resilience Despite Mixed Launches
Borderlands 4 took heat for its technical problems. Battlefield 6 was met with a lot of early backlash. Both games still earned enough to land among the best-selling titles of the year. Call of Duty relied on its volume of content and name recognition. Revenue stayed high, even if reviews didn’t.
Arc Raiders and Late-Year Momentum
Arc Raiders is one of the year’s biggest surprises. It launched late but shot up the charts quickly. At one point, it passed 250,000 concurrent players. That kind of momentum helped it compete with live-service games that have been around for years.
The Rise of Steam Indie Success Stories
Schedule 1 and R.E.P.O. are the kind of indie hits that show what’s possible with the right mix of timing, community support, and streamer exposure. These games didn’t have massive budgets, but they reached audiences that kept them relevant.
Free-to-Play Powerhouses
Free-to-play doesn’t mean free from profit. Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Apex Legends, and Marvel Rivals pulled huge numbers through cosmetics, battle passes, and paid content. Counter-Strike 2’s economy is still one of the biggest drivers on the platform.
Critical Acclaim vs Revenue Reality
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won over critics and got plenty of award nods, but it didn’t show up in the revenue charts. Steam continues to prove that critical praise and financial performance don’t always go hand in hand.
New Releases Chart and Early Performance
Some games didn’t make Platinum but still crushed their launches. Hollow Knight: Silksong made Silver overall, but its early sales were among the strongest. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Oblivion Remastered also saw big numbers in their first weeks.
Another Record Year for Valve
Steam set new records in 2025. Total platform revenue hit 17.7 billion dollars. Peak concurrent users crossed 41 million. It was the biggest year yet.
What This Says About the PC Market in 2025
Live-service games continue to lead. Indie titles can still break through. And what critics like often doesn’t match what people actually buy. Steam’s 2025 bestsellers show a market that rewards momentum, community, and repeat engagement.
Steam Best Selling Games 2025
Which game on the list surprised you most? Did you expect to see Schedule 1 or R.E.P.O. up there with the heavyweights? Or were you more shocked that games like Battlefield 6 still pulled it off?