Despite so many quality video game releases catching players' imagination over the first three months of 2025, one title has recently caught the attention of gamers and streamers alike. R.E.P.O., a month into its early access on PC, has capitalised on the dearth of options in the patty games space, once dominated by names like Fall Guys add Among Us, to pull in some absurd livestreaming numbers on Twitch.
R.E.P.O. is an online co-op horror game where up to six players band together to 'locate valuable, fully physics-based objects and handle them with care as they retrieve and extract to satisfy their creator's desires.' The response has been so favourable that it has gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, with many content creators already pitching it as a Game of the Year candidate.
"This new multiplayer extraction game is so much fun. I know what you're thinking, it's just a Lethal Company clone, and while it has some similarities, it does a great job of making sure it stands out as its own little experiment. I had so much fun playing this game; just check those Steam reviews, like this game is doing something really good."
8-BitRyan, a popular indie YouTuber from the United Kingdom
The game came out in early access on February 26, and it immediately grabbed the community's attention, finishing within Twitch’s ten most popular games over the next week. This momentum has stayed strong over the past month, as it continues to find a place in the purple platform's top 15 rankings by peak concurrent viewership and top ten by watch time.
More impressive is the fact that R.E.P.O. has built massive equity among influencers, as seen by the fact that it is one of the top games for March by peak streamer activity. Only Fortnite, perhaps the definition of a legacy game on the Amazon-owned livestreaming service, and Monster Hunter Wilds, another title poised to be a strong contender for Game of the Year in 2025 per critics, are ahead.
When looking at other lauded party games, the peak channels figure of R.E.P.O. stands up pretty well. Only Phasmophobia, which benefitted from releasing during the peak of the first lockdown era, boasts a higher number. This is no mean feat, considering the competition in the genre, which also boasts other quality titles like Fall Guys, Party Animals, and Lethal Company.
The sheer number of top-tier streamers playing the game has also played a big role in the game continuing to do so well a month into its early access. When looking at the numbers for March, the likes of Rachell "Valkyrae" Hofstetter, ironmouse, Thomas "Sykkuno", and Raúl "auronplay" Álvarez have emerged as its most-watched online personalities, with a few of them often banding up to play and livestream the game together.
In fact, their discovery and subsequent obsession with R.E.P.O. has meant that the game has enjoyed stable viewership this month. After a few days of word-of-mouth working its magic, it witnessed a spike in early March as more renowned creators began playing it, and the title has been maintaining that level ever since.
This rise in fame has also affected the audience dynamics of another legendary party game. If we look closely at the watch time break up of a few beloved titles from the genre in March, Fall Guys' viewership has almost completely fallen off a cliff, especially over the past fortnight, signalling that most of its player base has shifted to the fresher and more entertaining R.E.P.O.
Of course, it would do the game a disservice if we did not mention the features that have made it so popular. Developer cum publisher Semiwork Studios has done a great job in making it feel polished despite all the chaos surrounding the players.
Moreover, most players have said that it feels unique enough to feel like a different game from its competition, which might perhaps be the biggest compliment to how well Semiwork has done. Many also feel it's funnier than other co-op horror titles, praising the way it has combined the best features from genre peers Lethal Company and Content Warning.
Amidst a tremendous spell for new video games, a list that also includes titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Split Fiction, R.E.P.O has seemingly emerged as a breath of fresh air for content creators and casual players alike. With the crucial multiplayer element attracting all the attention, it wouldn't be a surprise if the game becomes a smash hit and ends among the year's best pieces of business in terms of new releases.
