What Gamers Actually Played Over the Holidays, According to Recent Community Polls
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
A recent Game Rant reader poll reveals what games players spent their holiday downtime on, with write-in titles taking the top spot over heavy hitters like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and ARC Raiders.
The end of the year always brings a mix of holiday downtime and a massive backlog of titles to dive into across PC, console, and mobile. To find out what was actually gripping the community during the break, a recent poll by Game Rant asked players which games they were firing up most. With 2025 delivering a stacked lineup of releases, the results offered a fascinating look at where player attention really went when the daily grind paused.
Interestingly, the top spot in the poll did not go to any single nominated title. Instead, a massive forty percent of respondents selected the write-in option. This broad category captured a diverse range of massive hits from the year that missed the specific poll slots, including major sequels and surprise breakout titles that dominated streaming platforms and group chats alike. It is a great reminder of just how wide and varied modern gaming tastes are, and how difficult it is to corral players into a few predictable choices.
Among the specific titles listed, the recent award darling Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took twenty percent of the vote, proving that its post-GOTY momentum is still rolling strong. Close behind it was ARC Raiders at eighteen percent, showing the enduring grip of the extraction shooter genre over dedicated communities. Titles like Battlefield 6 and Hades 2 also rounded out the numbers, alongside a small percentage of players who unfortunately found themselves with zero free time for the hobby. It all points to a healthy, crowded ecosystem where players are spoiled for choice no matter what platform they call home.
Tags: Gaming News, Community, Game Rant, Holiday Gaming, Industry Trends
Original article: Game Rant