Remasters and remakes continue to attract players, even years after the release of the originals. Despite the emergence of new games and sequels, the audience willingly returns to proven projects.
According to a Sensor Tower report, old games and brands generated 138 million downloads worldwide in 2025. Of these, remasters were downloaded 78 million times. Among the leaders:
- Grand Theft Auto V: Enhanced Edition — 13.1 million
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered — 8.03 million
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered — 3.82 million
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 — 2.72 million
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition — 2.49 million
- Gears of War: Reloaded — 2.48 million
- The Last of Us Part 2 — 2.34 million
- Ninja Gaiden 2 Black — 2.13 million
- Grand Theft Auto 3: The Definitive Edition — 1.91 million
- Sonic Colors: Ultimate — 1.69 million
Remakes were downloaded 60 million times. In the top:
- Delta Force — 14.5 million
- Ark Survival Ascended — 4.35 million
- Metro 2023 Redux — 3.89 million
- The Last of Us Part 1 — 3.02 million
- Resident Evil 4 — 2.70 million
- Silent Hill 2 — 2.62 million
- Mafia: Definitive Edition — 2.12 million
- Resident Evil 2 — 1.73 million
- Pac-Man World; Re-Pac — 1.52 million
- Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater — 1.39 million
The conclusion is simple: players prefer to return to classics that are updated, not radically reworked. New versions should preserve the spirit of the original, and the changes –
be careful not to upset fans. That's why publishers like Konami and Bethesda release "safe", conservative remasters that preserve the atmosphere of the original games.
