Survey reveals more players in the US and UK prefer single-player games over multiplayer

[midian182]

In a nutshell: Are you someone who believes they're the last of a dying breed: a gamer who prefers single-player titles over the tidal wave of multiplayer games being released these days? According to a survey, you're not actually in the minority if you live in the US, UK, and Japan.

Ampere Analysis, a UK-based research and analytics firm, surveyed 34,428 people across 22 markets about their gaming habits and preferences.

One of the questions was whether participants prefer single-player experiences over multiplayer. In the US, 65% said they would opt for a solo game. Single-player lovers were also the majority in Japan, Thailand, Germany, the UK, and Mexico.

Unsurprisingly, the survey results suggest that the older you are, the more likely you are to prefer single-player games. 49% of people aged 16-24 said they would rather play alone. The figure grows to 56% for those aged 25-34 and to a massive 64% for those between 55 and 64. Ampere said this highlights a clear divide between Gen Z and Millennial gamers.

The results also show that 24% of participants would buy or download a game if their friends are also playing it.

This generational gap has been highlighted in similar previous surveys. MIDiA Research questioned 9,000 gamers across several countries in 2024, finding that most players (53% overall) preferred single-player experiences. The age-gap differences in preference are plain to see in the chart below.

Few things in gaming spark as much debate as the single-player vs. multiplayer argument. Most companies prioritize multiplayer/live-service titles for the simple reason that they act as a constant, lucrative source of income – just look at the likes of Diablo IV, Destiny 2, Roblox, Minecraft, etc.

You might remember EA's ill-advised tweet in 2022 that read "They're a 10 but they only like playing single-player games," which received the sort of response one would expect. EA was one of loudest companies to claim single-player games were dead, going all the way back to 2020 when an exec made the bold statement.

They're a 10 but they only like playing single-player games

– Electronic Arts (@EA) June 30, 2022

There has been a slew of excellent single-player games this year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, Doom: The Dark Ages, The Outer Worlds 2 (IMO), Blue Prince, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and plenty more. As the survey proves, demand for these games is still there, especially among the over 30s.

Ultimately, single-player games are no more dead than the PC platform itself; remember when people constantly said PC gaming was finished – which happened a lot between 1995 and around 2013 – because of consoles/piracy/mobile gaming?

Image credit: Jordan González

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Survey reveals more players in the US and UK prefer single-player games over multiplayer

 

[TheBigT42]

"Unsurprisingly, the survey results suggest that the older you are, the more likely you are to prefer single-player games."

The reason for this is older people (at least in my case) are more busy, and need a game that they can almost immediately (pause / quit) and come back to later.

 

[bviktor]

In other words, gamers are becoming older.

 

[MasterAce]

The older you are, the less friends you have (to play with)

 

[Anton Longshot]

I see Techspot's Which do you prefer? poll scores 100% single and 0% multi.
Does that mean all Techspot commenters are OLD like me?
*GASP*

 

[Neatfeatguy]

I've been tired of MP games for years (got tired of of it during the original Counter Strike days). Tired of the cheaters and babies that cry/piss/moan/cuss..... My time is more important doing something that I enjoy over having to deal with them.

I enjoy solid coop games (not a couch coop, I hate split screen) and/or games single player games that can be played coop where I can play with one, two or three people that I want to play with. Or I can play the game by myself.

Also, gaming is a time for me to relax. It's not relaxing if you're forced to listen to pubescent whelps acting tough while their voice cracks and they're still years away from their balls dropping.

 

[TheBigT42]

I've been tired of MP games for years (got tired of of it during the original Counter Strike days). Tired of the cheaters and babies that cry/piss/moan/cuss..... My time is more important doing something that I enjoy over having to deal with them.

I enjoy solid coop games (not a couch coop, I hate split screen) and/or games single player games that can be played coop where I can play with one, two or three people that I want to play with. Or I can play the game by myself.

Also, gaming is a time for me to relax. It's not relaxing if you're forced to listen to pubescent whelps acting tough while their voice cracks and they're still years away from their balls dropping.

Exactly,

I do enjoy playing with people I KNOW in a co-op games like Valheim

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I love multiplayer, but on games where you host servers, can ban bad players, and can host custom games. Chivalry was a boatload of fun.

Most modern multiplayer games are just pure rubbish.

And we need more coop games. DRG is a great game for example.

 

[PaladinNH]

So, yeah, I've been doing this for awhile (45), but I don't think MP has ever been able to compete with SP experiences. I got big into Jedi Knight/Academy in the past, so I think there was a point where these could be made into quality experiences. Even with ~1000 hours in Guild Wars 2, it's all very contrived when you show up to the major battle and it really doesn't matter if you're participating, like, how is that immersive? In our JK/JA group, we organized duels, FFAs, CTFs, and everyone playing in that match was THERE and relevant. In GW1 (co-op), you were party limited somewhere between 4 and 8, so you really mattered as a major piece of the action.

 

[Skully]

"Unsurprisingly, the survey results suggest that the older you are, the more likely you are to prefer single-player games."

The reason for this is older people (at least in my case) are more busy, and need a game that they can almost immediately (pause / quit) and come back to later.

Fully agree. The only multiplayer game I ever put a lot of time into was WoW (years ago). And that is a game you can play solo for the most part until endgame.

 

[Eldrach]

I’m just too old to be yelled at by 15 year olds. I enjoy games with substance, luckily we’ve seen quite a few good ones the recent years. Enjoying Avowed now - will then move on to The outer worlds 2, then most likely indiana jones..Good times

Baldurs gate 3 was maybe the highlight last year, though after 100 hours I feel I need a break from it

 

[Dr Roboto]

It's not that the single player preference has followed the older demographic, its just that as you get older you don't have the same level of time, desire, or "friends that game" as you once did. I also think that multiplayer games tend towards pwning people and immature behavior, which loses its attraction as you get older.

As one who leans towards the older end, I just enjoy sitting down for an hour or two, once or twice a week, to get lost in the fun and fantasy of a single player game. Where I can focus on enjoying the game, story, and graphics. I don't want to care about my KD Ratio. I don't want to get frustrated by being sniped or outmatched by someone who has 100's of hours in a game. I got back into playing some of the Battlefield games the last few months, but I end up more frustrated than satisfied. I enjoyed the single player campaign way more than the multi player. So, instead, I bought a bunch of cheap single player games on sale from Steam and I've had a lot more fun and enjoyment.

 

[AnilD]

That age split makes perfect sense. When you’re 20, multiplayer means hanging out with friends. When you’re 35, single-player means not having to schedule your fun two weeks in advance like a dentist appointment.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

I see Techspot's Which do you prefer? poll scores 100% single and 0% multi.
Does that mean all Techspot commenters are OLD like me?
*GASP*

Young people don't read articles, they watch videos - preferably ones no longer than 60 seconds (only 12% of TikTok are >60).

 

[ScottSoapbox]

I've always like single player better, but local coop is great too. An advantage of SP is that you can still play it years later while MP games sometimes don't last a single year.
Couch coop games are a different kind of fun than SP but great.

I miss LAN coop games like Starcraft because while you had to do work to get people together you were playing against friends not randos that usually suck or dominate.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

I played a lot of single player games in those days. Enjoyed going down to the store to read the box that the game dvds came in. I remembered this guy had like 6 or 8 games and I was deciding between 2 games. When he passed me he said buy 'em both and I did. Lan parties were great too. Get to socialize, see and talk about their rigs, hardware, etc. Even learned a few things.

 

[OortCloud]

I used to love multiplayer games. As I get older (50s) I find I don't have the energy for them nor the patience to interact with obnoxious, insecure teenagers so move away from them. If there were servers for older people only I might still have a go but not sure I could be bothered. I find gaming a form of relaxation now rather than an adrenaline rush - although I love a hard game like a SoulsBorne so who can explain it. Talking to my friends I find we are all pretty similar in this regard.

 

[LimyG]

Only Halo 2 I found fun in MP, and that wasn't even on my PC. Too much hassle, too many kids.

Hearing a boy who's voice hasn't even broken yet, swearing and full of mindless swagger doesn't really help much either.

 

[TechnikL]

I love both. But if I had to only choose one, multiplayer is where its at. Coming from a dedicated PC player since the 90's

I must say many comments talk about getting yelled at by young gamers who talk trash... yes that is so true. But I enjoy stomping them into the ground and hearing them tell me how they *%$# my mom. Makes it more fun to beat them when they talk so much trash.

 

[Shaitan]

Bwahaha, it's "AMAAAAAAZING" that instead of paying tons of money for DLC, cosmetics, DRM-infested multiplayer AI slop or forced always-online single player (CoD7 is a great example on that) people now choose to play indie/small companies single player games?! WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED that people are choosing to focus on nice campaigns? Amazing!!!
Why shouldn't I play Cyberpunk 2077 or the great Warcraft III old campaign instead of these new PoS games of today?
Why shouldn't I go play Splinter Cell, Mass Effect or Metro 2033 instead of paying for ANYTHING in the next GTA? No, thanks, I'm not going to get that crap.

 

[TomSEA]

I've been tired of MP games for years (got tired of of it during the original Counter Strike days). Tired of the cheaters and babies that cry/piss/moan/cuss..... My time is more important doing something that I enjoy over having to deal with them.

I enjoy solid coop games (not a couch coop, I hate split screen) and/or games single player games that can be played coop where I can play with one, two or three people that I want to play with. Or I can play the game by myself.

Also, gaming is a time for me to relax. It's not relaxing if you're forced to listen to pubescent whelps acting tough while their voice cracks and they're still years away from their balls dropping.

Exactly the same reason I stopped playing MP games. After investing $60-70 in a game, and with my personal recreation time limited, the last thing I want to do deal with is foul-mouthed, cheating 13 year olds.