As a gamer, I’ve definitely noticed that we’re seeing a lot of older games get updated and re-released lately! It feels like every week there’s a new remaster or remake hitting the shelves. We all know why – it’s great to revisit games we already love – but now there’s actual research showing just how much people are willing to spend on these nostalgic experiences. It’s interesting to see the numbers back up what we’ve all suspected for a while now!
According to a new report from Ampere Analysis, remasters and remakes of video games are proving popular with players. Their research, covering January 2024 to September 2025 across Xbox, Steam, and PlayStation, shows these updated titles attracted 72.4 million players and generated $1.4 billion in revenue, including full game sales and in-game purchases. Video Games Chronicle first reported the findings.
Video Game Remakes Generate More Hype
A recent study of 42 game releases found that, on average, remakes cost 2.2 times more to produce than remasters. The study, conducted by Ampere, used a graph to compare peak player numbers with revenue generated. The graph showed that remakes like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Silent Hill 2 were both financially successful and attracted large player bases. Gears of War: Reloaded had a similar number of players at its peak, but earned less money. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered stood out significantly, achieving both the highest peak monthly player count (around 7 million) and the most revenue (approximately $180 million).
According to data from Ampere, remakes tend to be more expensive than remasters, but they often generate more player interest. Remasters are cheaper to produce, but don’t typically create the same level of excitement. Katie Holt, a senior analyst at Ampere, explains that publishers need to carefully consider these factors when deciding which older games to revisit.
Because the full report isn’t public, it’s hard to know what the small markings on the graph represent. We also don’t have a clear picture of how much revenue each game generated compared to its development costs. Square Enix has mentioned that sales for Rebirth were lower than they hoped, even though it performed better than many of the other games listed. This is likely because Rebirth had a much larger budget than most of those other titles.
We can expect to see more of this trend continue, as game publishers are increasingly looking to older titles to generate revenue, especially now that players are being more careful with their spending. We’ve already seen a surge in remakes and remasters in 2025, and here are some examples:
- Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
- Tales of Graces f Remastered
- Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
- Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage
- Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
- Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered
- Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars
- Saga Frontier 2 Remastered
- Croc Legend of the Gobbos
- The Talos Principle: Reawakened
- Lunar Remastered Collection
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Days Gone Remastered
- The Sinking City Remastered
- Capcom Fighting Collection 2
- Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny
- Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
- Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
- Alien Hominid Invasion
- Warhammer 40:000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition
- Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army
- System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
- Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
- Patapon 1+2 Replay
- Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
- Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection
- Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac
- Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
- Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Yooka-Replaylee
- Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition
- The House of the Dead 2: Remake
- Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
- Tales of Xillia Remastered
The actual number of remasters and ports could be even higher, as it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between the two. This list doesn’t include several upcoming releases planned for 2025, such as Syberia Remastered, Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, Surviving Mars: Relaunched, and Sacred 2 Remaster. Interestingly, 2025 also features a joke remaster – Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1: Re-Raptored – a parody of a game that was never actually made.
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2025-11-04 03:41