Analytics: Only 13% of 2024 releases on Steam are made on proprietary engines
In recent years, the share of games on proprietary engines in Steam has significantly decreased, according to data from the analytics service VG Insights. While they were used in 71% of new releases on the platform in 2012, by 2024, this number had dropped to just 13%.
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Analysts attribute this partly to the fact that more and more large gaming companies are switching from their own engines to the Unreal Engine. For instance, CD PROJEKT and Respawn Entertainment have made this transition. Additionally, indie teams find it easier to work with engines that are already available on the market.
The share of new games on various engines in Steam from 2012 to 2024
What else does the VG Insights study reveal:
- In 2024, Unity was the most popular engine on Steam. It was used to develop 51% of last year's new releases. The second place went to Unreal Engine, with 28% of new titles. The top also included Godot (5%), GameMaker (4%), and the visual novel engine Ren’Py (2%);
The most popular engines on Steam among games released on the platform in 2024
- The share of Unreal Engine is steadily increasing. For example, it was used in 17% of releases in 2012, and 23% in 2021;
- Among smaller engines, the popularity of Godot is rapidly growing. In 2024, Steam saw 144% more new Godot games than in 2020;
- Nonetheless, games on proprietary engines had the best sales on Steam in 2024, responsible for 41% of all copies sold last year*. However, analysts noted this is the first time their sales share fell below 50%;
- The share of sales for Unreal Engine games in 2024 was 31%. For comparison: in 2023, it was 19%. The sales share of Unity games dropped from 27% in 2023 to 26% in 2024.
Sales share of new games on various engines in Steam from 2014 to 2024
- Analysts also explored sales of games in different genres in 2024. For example, Unity games accounted for 52% of city builder sales and 43% of turn-based project sales. Unreal Engine games stood out among soulslikes (67% of sales), open-world survival games with crafting elements (58% of sales), and action RPGs (54% of sales). Godot games succeeded among roguelikes (21% of sales), and games on proprietary engines performed best in the JRPG genre (66% of sales).
Sales share of new games of different genres on various engines in Steam in 2024
*In the sales statistics, analysts considered not only the 2024 releases but all games released on Steam that sold at least a thousand copies.