A gaming news report has revealed that in the last 12 months, 90% of console and PC players played a remake or remaster, with 85% of those having not played the original game.
The report speaks to how popular remakes have become as players attempt to tap into nostalgia, and helps to explain why they continue to be hugely successful methods of getting new, and returning audiences on-board.
The Appetite For Remakes and Remasters
It’s easy to be cynical about the number of remakes/remasters that come out year after year, but unlike an industry like film, there is a genuine appetite for them in gaming.
A lot of this has to do with accessibility. If there’s a title that’s locked to PC and older consoles, someone who only has a PlayStation 5 might not be able to play the game at all.
Similarly, if there’s an old game which was very celebrated, it might be that time has rendered it much harder to play compared to its contemporaries, which makes remakes crucial to their legacies.
The gaming news report, by MTM, found that 76% respondents described remakes and remasters as “appealing”.
The Remakes and Remasters in 2024 and 2025
Two prominent examples released in the last 12 months (which each fit one category) are The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion: Remastered and Silent Hill 2: Remake.
The fact that you could also apply Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater to the example of critically and commercially successful remakes released in the last year tells you something about the demand for older titles.
There were also remasters of Tomb Raider 4-6 that were bundled together, as well as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4.
Upcoming Remasters
Bloober Team recently announced that after the success of their last revival, a remake of the first Silent Hill game was in development.
CD Projekt Red have grown their development team as they prepare for Witcher 4, but there is also a remake of the first game in the series on the horizon.
A first glimpse at Persona 4: Revival was also recently shown, though with no details on when that can be expected to release.
