Video game remakes and remasters have attracted impressive player numbers and generated substantial consumer spending, research shows, although full-on remakes may have a slight edge.
Research firm Ampere Analysis tracked data from January 2024 to September 2025, looking at 42 re-releases (specifically, 15 remakes and 27 remasters). These releases accumulated 72.4 million players across Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam, with consumers spending $1.4 billion from purchasing these games and related in-game monetisation.
Overall, the average remake produced 2.2 times the amount of consumer spending as remasters did during that time frame. For instance, while the Gears of War: Reloaded remaster had a similar peak monthly active user count as the Silent Hill 2 remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the latter two titles far surpassed Gears of War in consumer spending.
