Top game releases of Q1 2025

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The start of 2025 was packed with various new game releases: gamers dove into horror puzzle games from indie studios, a new team-based shooter similar to Valorant, several vibrant RPGs, and even a drug dealer simulator. In this article, Streams Charts highlights the most popular game releases that generated the most watch hours across streaming platforms in the first quarter of 2025. 

#10 R.E.P.O. (3.1 million HW)

R.E.P.O. is a cooperative horror game where teams of up to six players explore creepy, abandoned locations to collect valuable items. Released at the end of February, the title quickly went viral in mid-March thanks to its unique mix of terrifying and humorous graphics. Many streamers jumped on the bandwagon during the peak of R.E.P.O.’s popularity, but most didn’t stick with it for long.

On average, most top streamers played R.E.P.O. for just 2 to 4 hours. Overall, the game’s sections on streaming platforms generated just over 3.1 million watch hours during its first week.

#9 Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 (3.65 million HW)

Horror-puzzle games hold a special place in the livestreaming industry, as they evoke strong emotions and attract large audiences. Not all streamers are fans of horror games, but many are willing to push their limits for the sake of top-tier content.

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 was the first major horror release of 2025 to capture significant attention in the livestreaming world, particularly among YouTube streamers and VTubers. In its debut week, the game amassed 3.6 million hours of watch time, with the channel Omenasito contributing the most to this impressive figure.

#8 The First Berserker: Khazan (3.93 million HW)

The First Berserker: Khazan is an action RPG developed by the South Korean company Neople. Set in the world of the popular MMORPG Dungeon Fighter Online, the game follows the story of Khazan, the main character, as he battles a variety of monsters, demons, and powerful bosses.

The First Berserker: Khazan immerses players in a familiar dark fantasy world, evoking comparisons to the Dark Souls series. While it has received solid reviews, it has yet to reach the level of the genre's top contenders. In its first week after release, The First Berserker: Khazan streams accumulated 3.9 million hours of viewing time.

#7 Avowed (4.62 million HW)

Avowed quickly became one of the most highly anticipated RPG releases. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind beloved titles like Neverwinter Nights 2, Dungeon Siege III, and the Pillars of Eternity series, it has captured the attention of RPG fans everywhere.

In its debut week, Avowed streams across various platforms racked up over 4.6 million hours of watch time. The game received special attention from Canadian streamer Michael ‘’shroud’’ Grzesiek, who, in addition to his love for shooters, is also a big fan of MMORPGs. He ended up leading in watch hours, with his total Airtime in Avowed for the week surpassing 42 hours.

#6 FragPunk (5.55 million HW)

Every year, the gaming industry sees the release of titles that are eyed as potential new esports hits. In March 2025, one such game was FragPunk, a new team-based shooter from Bad Guitar Studio and NetEase, which shares a style very similar to Valorant. 

Many top-tier streamers who specialize in shooters, including Dmitrii ‘’Recrent’’ Osintsev, Tyson ‘’TenZ’’ Ngo, and other content creators, gave FragPunk a try. However, not many of them stuck around for more than a few hours. 

In its first week after release, FragPunk streams generated over 5.5 million hours of viewing. However, by the second week, metrics like watch hours, average viewers, and peak concurrent viewers dropped by about 60%. While the future of FragPunk in esports is still uncertain, if you're a fan of team-based shooters, it's a game to keep an eye on.

#5 Split Fiction (8.73 million HW)

The gaming community is still buzzing about Split Fiction, the new action-adventure game from Swedish studio Hazelight. In its first week, the game quickly grabbed the spotlight on Twitch, becoming one of the most-watched titles. It broke several viewership records and even outpaced the legendary It Takes Two in the number of unique channels streaming it.

In the first week after its release, Split Fiction streams accumulated over 8.7 million Hours Watched across all streaming platforms. Nearly 66% of that total came from Twitch broadcasts. The most popular Split Fiction streamer on the purple platform was Erik ‘’GRONKH’’ Range, a well-known content creator from Germany. He played in a duo with Max ‘’PhunkRoyal’’.

Other notable duos for Split Fiction include Rachell ‘’Valkyrae’’ Hofstetter and Miyoung ‘’kkatamina’’ Kim, Lucas ‘’Squeezie’’ Hauchard and Locklear, as well as ironmouse and Connor ‘’CDawgVA’’ Colquhoun. Notably, female streamers made up a significant portion of the viewership, accounting for around 41% of all Twitch channels broadcasting the game.

#4 Schedule I (9.19 million HW)

The first quarter of 2025 saw several AAA releases, which naturally made their way to the top of the most popular games. However, the unexpected success of Schedule I took many by surprise. This drug-dealing simulator doesn’t boast cutting-edge graphics or a deep storyline, but it captured the livestreaming community with its absurdly entertaining atmosphere. Additionally, Schedule I is a co-op game, and the collaborations between streamers provided viewers with plenty of fun moments and memes.

Schedule I was streamed by hundreds of top content creators, including Case ‘’Caseoh’’ Baker, Rubén ‘’Rubius’’ Doblas, Kevin ‘’Papaplatte’’ Teller, Elias ‘’eliasn97’’ Nerlich, and even the VTuber ironmouse. Each of them took a shot at being a budding drug lord in a small town, where they had to evade the police, battle cartels, rob unsuspecting passersby, and of course, deal in illegal substances (definitely don't try this in real life!).

#3 Assassin’s Creed Shadows (10.97 million HW)

The global release of Assassin's Creed Shadows became one of the most talked-about gaming events of this spring, especially due to the controversies surrounding the portrayal of Japanese culture. In addition, Ubisoft, the studio behind the game, is currently facing financial difficulties and undergoing restructuring.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is under close watch from the community and is currently living up to the high expectations set for it. In its first week after release, the game’s streams accumulated nearly 11 million hours of viewing across all platforms, making it the third most-watched new game release of 2025.

Assassin's Creed Shadows streams were hosted by nearly all of Twitch's top streamers, including Zack ‘’zackrawrr’’ Hoyt, Roberto ‘’Fanum’’ Pena, and others. Some content creators even held 24-hour marathon streams, playing the game nonstop until they finished it.

#2 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (20.67 million HW)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, developed by the Czech studio Warhorse Studios, has received rave reviews from the gaming media. The sequel to the popular medieval RPG has proven to be a worthy follow-up, earning high praise from critics. In the world of livestreaming, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is also performing well — it racked up over 20 million hours of viewing in its first week after release, holding the top spot for new game releases until Monster Hunter Wilds came out.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II received the most attention from American and European streamers. The leader in viewing hours was old-school gamer Ben ‘’CohhCarnage’’ Cassell — his streams on Twitch racked up over 852,000 HW in the first week after the game’s release. Other notable streamers include zackrawrr, Alan ‘’alanzoka’’ Ferreira, Vojtěch ‘’Agraelus’’ Fišar, and Elias ‘’Elajjaz’’ Lönn. Most of them participated in the Twitch Drops program, which rewarded viewers with cosmetic items for watching Kingdom Come: Deliverance II streams.

#1 Monster Hunter Wilds (34.05 million HW)

The most-watched game release of the first quarter of 2025 was Monster Hunter Wilds from the Japanese studio Capcom. The successor to Monster Hunter: World launched at the end of February and was met with great enthusiasm, not only by series fans but also by the gaming community as a whole.

In its first week after release, Monster Hunter Wilds streams generated over 34 million hours of watch time across various platforms. This is 40% more than the next closest game in the new release rankings.

The release of Monster Hunter Wilds caught the attention of many top streamers and VTubers, especially from Japan, including Chikara ‘’fps_shaka’’ Kawakami, Pekora Ch., Kuzuha, and other content creators. Among Western streamers, the game was streamed by Zackrawrr, Emily ‘’Emiru’’ Schunk, Maximilian ‘’HandOfBlood’’ Knabe, and Jason ‘’PirateSoftware’’ Hall. On Twitch alone, the number of channels in the Monster Hunter Wilds section peaked at nearly 20,000 channels during its first week.

Twitch became the primary streaming platform for Monster Hunter Wilds broadcasts. This isn't surprising, as viewers could earn Twitch Drops (Assistance Pack), which included useful in-game items like Barrel Bombs, Shock Traps, Demon Powder, and more by watching streams. 

Most watched new game releases of Q1 2025 (by release week Hours Watched)