Consumers spend twice as much on video game remakes than remasters, according to research

Video game consumers spent twice as much on remakes as remasters in the last two years, according to new research by Ampere Analysis.

According to research, video game remakes and remasters released across 2024 and 2025 attracted 72.4 million players across Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam, with these consumers spending some $1.4bn on premium full games and microtransactions.

Notably, Ampere found that across 42 titles examined (15 remakes and 27 remasters released between January 2024 and September 2025), global spending on an average remake was more than twice that of the average remaster at 2.2x.

However, Ampere acknowledges that while the data suggests remakes can rejuvenate classic IP and attract new audiences, “they require substantially higher investment in development, marketing, and time.”

Remasters, by contrast, “offer faster turnaround and lower cost — but generally deliver less engagement,” it says.

There are some notable exceptions, according to the research, such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which reached a peak of $180 million in consumer spending, and 7 million monthly active users across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.

Katie Holt, Senior Analyst at Ampere Analysis, said: “As games and IP development costs escalate, publishers are increasingly raiding their back catalogues for cost-effective remakes and remasters.

“Publishers deciding between a full remake versus a remaster have to balance franchise planning, investment risk, age of content, platform support, and more when choosing which route to take.”