Steam has published its list of the 12 games that generated the most gross revenue in 2022. One MMORPG makes it to the list: the Asia import Lost Ark. New World, the top MMORPG from 2021, only ranks in the top 100 – just like Star Wars: The Old Republic. Final Fantasy XIV and The Elder Scrolls Online at least achieve silver.
What is this list? The list shows the 12 games on Steam that generated the most revenue in 2022. However, there are no exact revenue figures and no fine gradations. We cannot say who is in 1st place.
The 12 games therefore do not come in any specific ranking; they make up the “Platinum tier,” which consists of the bestsellers.
Shooters dominate the top 12 list on Steam
These are the 12 games: The games align with a few exceptions with the 12 most played titles on Steam 2022, which we presented yesterday on MeinMMO:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – The in-house shooter has been a long-time favorite on Steam for years.
- CoD: Modern Warfare 2: One of only three full-price titles on the list.
- Apex Legends: The free-to-play shooter apparently generates a lot of money for EA with its cash shop.
- Dying Light 2: A bit of a surprise on the list, released at full price, now reduced by half.
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel – Card games are still likely big money makers, especially when associated with a strong brand.
- Elden Ring – for many the game of the year 2022.
- Destiny 2 – often declared dead, but still rolling in the dough.
- Naraka: Bladepoint – The game from August 2022 isn’t really on the mainstream radar.
- Monster Hunter Rise: Monster Hunter is a phenomenon in the West; even after years without fresh content, Monster Hunter World still performs very well.
- Lost Ark – The only MMORPG on the list, makes its money with the cash shop.
- DOTA 2 – Like CS:GO, a long-time favorite at Steam.
- PUBG – Once the biggest game in the world, it still brings home the bacon.
5 MMORPGs in the top 100 on Steam – but Black Desert is missing
What about MMORPGs? In 2021, the then-new “New World” was the only MMORPG in the top list, even though it had only a few months to earn money. This year, it still reached the bronze level and is among the top 100 games on Steam. The category also includes “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” which surprisingly holds up well.
The Elder Scrolls Online with downward trend
Final Fantasy XIV and The Elder Scrolls Online both lie in the “Silver tier,” so somewhere between 25th and 50th place:
- Both MMORPGs were still in the “Gold tier” in 2021, among the top 24.
- ESO was even in the platinum tier in 2019, among the top 12.
Among the typical “big MMORPGs,” Black Desert is missing from the list of the top 100 games. It seems for some time now that Pearl Abyss is slowly phasing the game out, working with Crimson Desert on a successor.
Guild Wars 2 is also missing, but it only came to Steam in August 2022.
GTA 5 out of the top 12 – Warframe and War Thunder strong
What else is exciting about other multiplayer games? Warframe, War Thunder, Rainbow Six Siege, and Dead by Daylight make it to the top 25.
GTA 5 Online and FIFA 23, legendary money makers, are not among the top 12 games, but only among the top 25. GTA 5 was still in the platinum tier last year.
Perhaps we will see some of these games on the list in 2023:
5 extremely ambitious multiplayer games set to release in 2023
