Third- and first-person shooters account for 40% of PlayStation's total playtime

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Shooters make up almost half of PlayStation's global playtime, according to a recent report. 

Earlier this month, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority published its provisional findings concerning Microsoft's bid to acquire Activision Blizzard. As spotted by ResterEra user Idas, and shared on Twitter by Idle Sloth, the report reveals that shooters represent a significant share of the publishing market and account for a whopping 40% of PlayStation's playtime globally. 

When it comes to specific details and figures, much of the information within the report is redacted, but when discussing shooters' popularity on consoles, the morsel of info regarding PlayStation fans' affinity for the genre appears to have gone under the radar. 

"We note that two of Activision's main games on console, CoD and Overwatch, belong to the shooter genre," reads the report. "The shooter genre constitutes a significant share of the publishing market, particularly on consoles.

It continues, "Evidence submitted by third parties also indicates that shooter is an important game category on consoles. For example, data from [Redacted] indicates that shooters constituted [Redacted] of PlayStation's revenue and 40% of PlayStation's playtime globally."

Given that Call of Duty is one of the most popular shooters on the planet, it's not surprising that Sony isn't keen on Microsoft's plans to acquire Activision Blizzard. Sony claims that should the deal go through, it would have "major negative implications for gamers". It also supports the CMA's investigation, which has provisionally concluded that the acquisition deal "could result in higher prices, fewer choices, and less innovation."

While the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation is somewhat uncertain, Microsoft has signed a 10-year deal to put Call of Duty games on Nintendo Switch if its acquisition of Activision goes ahead.

From single-player shootouts to battle royale action, here are the best shooters to play right now.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.

Read more
A group of space marines in a shootout in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, one of 2024's best shooters along with Stalker 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops 6
2024 was the year I rekindled my love of shooters – and it's all thanks to Stalker 2, Black Ops 6, and Space Marine 2
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
10 Games like Call of Duty that you should play now
Best FPS games: A screenshot of the Doom Slayer shooting a Cyberdemon in the game Doom Eternal.
The 25 best FPS games to play in 2025
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 screenshot
I swore I'd never even look at a Call of Duty game, but then I started falling asleep to the sound of Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War reportedly surpasses Red Dead Redemption 2's huge development costs, with a massive $700 million budget
Screenshot from Spectre Divide, showing a character in a purple jumpsuit and full face mask aiming their gun.
Despite more than $60 million in investments, Shroud-backed FPS Spectre Divide and its dev are shutting down after the first season failed "to cover day-to-day costs"
Latest in Call of Duty
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty season 2 brings back Gun Game and a fan-favorite Zombies weapon we haven't seen in 10 years
A player wearing a gasmask and holding a gun during the shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
136,000 Call of Duty accounts have gotten banned since ranked launched for Black Ops 6: "We’re not slowing down in our mission to shut down cheaters"
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War reportedly surpasses Red Dead Redemption 2's huge development costs, with a massive $700 million budget
Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 makes headshots deadlier while cutting back on weapon sway and recoil: "We will be keeping a close eye on sniper balance after this change"
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 movement.
Black Ops 6 player spent nearly 20 hours grinding to Prestige without getting a single kill, all by spamming Spy Cams
Black Ops 6 Zombies
Call of Duty hacker says "I had my fun" after reportedly getting thousands of Warzone and Modern Warfare 3 players falsely banned
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2, dock and TV
Report: Nintendo analysts expect Switch 2 to cost at least $400, have a great launch lineup with new 3D Mario and Metroid Prime 4, and be the biggest console launch in history
Silent Hill f
Famed Higurashi When They Cry creator Ryukishi07 says he worked so hard on the Silent Hill f story that "I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing I ever wrote"
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors devs launch official wiki "free of ads, banners, and all of the junk that gets in your way," joining Stardew Valley and Terraria in community wikis with minimal intrusions
Gachiakuta season 1 promo art featuring Rudo
The anime for stylish action manga Gachiakuta will be a Crunchyroll exclusive, and the hit series could be the next big shonen star
WalkScape
"Staying MTX and advertisement free is absolutely key": Almost 20 years later, RuneScape fan turns his MMO love into an old-school RPG where fitness is the grind
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition Magellan Man
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding 2's Collector's Edition 15-inch Magellan Man is part of his studio's "spirit and soul," so the crew went to China to make sure it's good enough