The current state of core gaming and how its principles apply across genres

Core games are more than just pretty faces - beyond those Hollywood film-quality graphics are often deeply loyal player communities that are willing to spend thousands of dollars on downloadable content (DLC). And with new core releases like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Black Myth: Wukong shattering records, it’s clear these games are still going strong. 

So what can other types of games learn from this genre? Ahead, we're taking a deeper dive into the hardcore/core genre to:

• Define common features and determine what attracts players
• Explore how the APAC market, Gen Z, Gen Alpha are fueling the genre’s future
• Look at two core games (Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Black Myth: Wukong) and discuss their significance in today’s gaming industry
• Extract insights and best practices form the core genre that you can use for your own games

What are core games?

Let’s start by recognizing there’s no one definition that covers all hardcore and core games. This is a genre that’s regularly changing and evolving - it can include everything from the zen Unpacking game to the medieval action/strategy RPG epic, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. And like these two titles show, what we consider core or hardcore can feel paradoxical at times. A game like Farmville, for example, seems distinctly not hardcore. But users often spend 20+ hours/week playing - a session length that’s traditionally found among core and hardcore gamers.

But there are some features that players can usually find across the games in this genre:

• Require skill and usually have a very high difficulty curve - players need to practice and research more about the game to conquer certain skills
• Players must invest in a story/narrative
• Specific mechanics (Mario’s platforming, God of War’s fighting, Starcraft’s clicking)
• High-quality art/graphics

“The ‘core’ gamers group typically plays games with either a steep learning curve, some level of deep involvement, or a tactical challenge.” 

And generally speaking, a game that’s premium on PC or console is often defined as core/hardcore.

Monetization is another similarity that many hardcore and core games share: DLC is a popular strategy in these genres. Core/hardcore games keep expanding their brand universe by releasing expansion packs that build upon the original IP and players can download for a fee.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 was a popular video game by any standard. But it wasn’t until Activision released the DLC, Zombies Chronicles, in 2017 that it became an exponentially bigger hit. Zombies Chronicles turned into the best-selling DLC offering across Activision’s games (console + PC), earning the following revenue on each console within the first week of launch:

To date, its gross revenue on Steam is over $1.8 billion.

Another good example to look at of the DLC model in action is Warhammer II: Vermintide from Fat Shark. The base game sells on Steam for €27.99 - and then they released a ton of additional DLC from as little as €3.49 (and some for free). Each DLC offers players a unique way to improve their gameplay experience, whether that’s a set of cosmetic upgrades for a specific character or a more comprehensive expansion with new enemies, levels, and game modes.

Gamer behavior

The shared characteristics of these types of games then encourages certain behaviors in core and hardcore gamers.

“If you’re core, you probably try to get in as much gaming time as you can without it being the most important thing in your life, and you’re fairly serious about a few games, but quite casual about many more.” - G2A

Longer session length

The depth of narrative and high difficulty curve in many core and hardcore games leads to longer player sessions. In fact, female hardcore gamers play for 170 minutes on average in a single session, compared to an average 68.6 minutes in casual games  - which drops to just 10 minutes on mobile for over 78% of casual players.

Desire to master skills and excel

Casual gamers are motivated to play for a quick burst of entertainment or distraction - but the core and hardcore audiences are more interested in “learning how to do Bloodborne no-damage runs or figuring out the optimal path to victory in Europa Universalis even with the weakest country”. Even if you’re not familiar with these hardcore gaming references, they get the point across: core gamers play for more than just fun; they’re in it to learn new skills, formulate the best strategies under the toughest conditions, unlock new mechanic combos, and dive deep into the game’s universe. 

For example, one of the most popular esports clips in the world features hardcore gamers Justin Wong and Japanese player Daigo “The Beast” Umehara playing Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. Their deep understanding and mastery of the skills in the game led to a series of stunning maneuvers and an ultimate comeback from Daigo. What resulted was a clip that’s earned over 100 million views on YouTube and is considered by many to be the “greatest viral clip in esports history”.

Many hardcore and core games end up integrating these player motivations into gameplay by offering multiple avenues for gaining skills, excelling, and progressing. So in Street Fighter 4, for example, players can start as Ryu. But over time, users experience diminishing returns as they master Ryu’s skills and have fewer opportunities for learning a new combo, advancing, and achieving different goals. At this point, players can switch characters and start exploring the game as Chun Li - they encounter an entirely new set of skills to master and objectives to achieve. Then if players ever want to switch back to Ryu, the skills they learned while playing as Chun-Li can come in handy. The make-your-own-adventure style of gameplay and unique difficulty curves for each character keep players invested and tap into their motivation for continuous achievement and skill upgrades.

Greater engagement 

Longer sessions tend to lead to greater engagement. Many core and hardcore games capitalize on this engagement and bring more depth to their game’s universe by featuring immersive lore, narratives, and/or community features - like Apex Legends’ lore page and Final Fantasy’s companion Lodestone page devoted to guides, forums, updates, etc. Engagement features like these can foster loyalty, leading to higher retention and LTV.

Factors fueling hardcore and core game growth

There are two major influences spurring growth in the core and hardcore gaming market today:

• The rise of APAC market
• Adoption by Gen Z and Gen Alpha

APAC as a growing core/hardcore games market

APAC is already known as a mobile gaming hub: it holds the largest share of mobile gaming revenue (64% in 2023) in the world. And China alone makes up 31% of total consumer spend on mobile games, in large part due to its 1.5 billion gamers.

But we’re keeping a closer eye on the PC and console markets in APAC because these are directly contributing to higher demand for core and hardcore games. China’s video game sales reached almost $42 billion in 2023 (13.95% YoY increase) - and just looking at console, APAC is the fastest-growing market in the world, expecting to reach $2.4 billion by 2027.

And on PC, 54% of gamers in China play weekly on PC/desktop.

The region is getting an additional boost from companies like Playstation and their China Hero Project that’s helping to nurture game development talent and publish games from local studios.

The popularity of PC/console gaming in APAC is only going to grow as China ramps up federal regulations against mobile games. In 2023, the Chinese government passed a law that banned the use of gacha (loot boxes) and imposed spend limits for players on mobile. As a result, Tencent share value decreased as much as 16%.

But these regulations are creating opportunities for core/hardcore games as players look outside of F2P mobile games for entertainment. And as the government deliberately penalizes mobile, they’re actually tacitly supporting AAA studios that produce these core and hardcore games. For example, the Chinese government caps the number of game licenses it grants to studios (developers need these licenses to publish domestically). In 2023, it was 1,076 - a notable increase from the 468 approved in 2022. And in 2024, there are already many examples of AAA games under development - or already published - that were granted this license, like:

• Daba: Land of Water Scar by Dark Star
• The Wind Rises in Luoyang by Keyframe Studio
• Where Winds Meet by Everstone Studio

Each of these core/hardcore games is carving out space in the domestic video game market. And the Chinese government is enabling this to happen because “video games have been a major boost for China’s soft power…Whereas China’s animation is often overshadowed by Japan’s and its music is upstaged by South Korea’s, China has experienced greater success with its exports of video games.” - Brandon Zheng, Research Associate at Baker Institute for Public Policy

We’ll get into this further when we look at Black Myth: Wukong - how it’s an example of this soft power and got explicit support from local government. But essentially, it’s another example of China’s incentive to keep fostering AAA video game growth. And with China’s population of over 1.4 billion people, core/hardcore game growth in this market is likely to lead to a boost overall in the APAC region.

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are gamers

Generation Z (born between 1995-2009) and Generation Alpha (2010-2025) aren’t just the future of gaming - they’re avid gamers right now. In fact, 96% of Gen Alpha considers themselves game enthusiasts - and the same can be said for 92% of Gen Z.

And with Gen Alpha set to become the largest generation in the world - exceeding 2.2 billion by the end of 2024 - they (combined with Gen Z) represent a truly massive market for video games.

There are a few features and gaming habits that define these two groups and make them the ideal core/hardcore gamers:

• Rapid tech adoption: Gen Alpha, in particular, is a tech-enabled generation that has grown up with tablets and other devices in-hand: 54% of Gen Alpha have their own tablets and 63% value owning the latest tech. As a result, they’re able to quickly adopt core games - everything from the actual equipment they use to play these titles (e.g. the latest gaming PCs) to being able to tackle their complicated mechanics and skills 
• Interested in a range of game genres: Gen Z and Gen Alpha are interested in a wide variety of gaming genres - which means it’s likely they’ll try playing core and hardcore games, too. Gen Z gamers average 5.7 game genres over a 6-month period, and Gen Alpha exceeds this at 6.0. Compare this to previous generations like Baby Boomers that average just 2.8 genres. 

• Player motivations align with core/hardcore gameplay: Core and hardcore games are often defined by their multiplayer/PvP capabilities, high-quality graphics and expansive game environments, and social aspects (e.g. community both in and out of the game, sharing lore, in-game messaging). These are all in line with what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are seeking while playing PC and console games. For example, both generations (73% of Gen Alpha, 68% of Gen Z) share the desire for “a vast open world or universe to explore”

Recent core success stories

All the right factors are in place for core and hardcore games to continue their growth trajectory. We can already see what the future may hold by looking at some recent titles in this genre that have experienced immense success.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the recent Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree by FromSoftware and Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science.

Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong is an action-adventure RPG developed by Chinese studio, Game Science, that’s based on the extremely popular classic Chinese novel, “Journey to the West”. This is a story that’s familiar to pretty much everyone in China - and beyond, thanks to characters like The Monkey King that appeared in popular culture around the globe, like Dragon Ball Z and The Last Airbender.

Game Science aimed to create a video game IP, so what better place to start than one of the most recognizable literary tales of all time. They spent 6 years developing the game before finally releasing it in August 2024 on PC and PS5. 

“We always believe that creating IP is the ultimate mission of all content companies.” - Game Science

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Even 4 years before launch, the game’s teaser trailer racked up over 1 million views. Then when the release date came, the game lived up to the hype: Black Myth: Wukong had 2.1 million concurrent players on Steam and 132,000 viewers on Twitch within weeks of going live. It then went on to become the most played single-player game on Steam ever. 

The title shattered domestic Chinese video game sales records, too: it earned 400 million yuan in pre-sale revenue.

Besides its familiar narrative, what else is behind the popularity of the game? A lot of it has to with the fact that It’s a core game at its…core 😉 For example, the features mentioned on the official website tap into the main hardcore and core player motivations:

• Lots of content (“Diverse Levels”)
• Challenging gameplay (“Tough Yaoguais”)
• Customization/crafting (“Vast Variations”)
• Lore/mythology (“A Tale Retold”)

Wukong isn’t just notable for its record-shattering numbers - it’s also considered China’s first AAA title and speaks to the rise of core gaming in this market. Within China, the launch was considered so important that some Chinese employers gave the game as a gift to employees and gave them time off to play.

This brings us back to that idea of soft power: the game is often discussed as a tool for extending Chinese culture and influence because it’s based on a piece of domestic literature:

“It’s exporting authentic Chinese culture by introducing Monkey King to the world.” - Feng Xu, secretary of the Chengdu Cyber Game Industry Association

Other types of media - like movies and music - present a barrier to entry for the rest of the world to enjoy, but video games can be universally enjoyed. And even if players aren’t familiar with the tale of the Monkey King or “Journey to the West”, they become more immersed each time they play Wukong.

“Video games, using the universal language of gameplay mechanics, could fill a void that China’s film industry has left open.” - New Lines Magazine

The studio even partnered with the local government of the Shanxi province (where much of the game’s cultural and historical landmarks are located) to promote tourism in the region while giving players an additional, real-life way to engage with the game - like visiting the colorful sculptures in the Yuhuang Temple. The agreement between the Culture and Tourism Department of Shanxi Province and Game Science has led to a major uptick in Shanxi tourism.

“During the summer vacation this year, the number of visitors to Yuhuang Temple reached a record high, with over 50,000 visits in six months, and about 40 percent of them learned about the scenic area through the game” - Yin Zhenxing, curator of the Yuhuang Temple museum of colored sculptures and murals

Time will tell if the other Chinese AAA titles under development can achieve similar success to Black Myth: Wukong  - and continue to disseminate the country’s popular culture (and soft power). But just looking at Wukong as an example, it’s clear that core gaming has a home in China and the rest of the world. Let’s wait and see what DLC they release and how it performs to keep the IP’s momentum going.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

The original Elden Ring is one of the most popular core/hardcore games ever released. FromSoftware, the studio behind the title, first launched it in 2022 - it went on to become the second best-selling game of that year, selling 13.4 million copies within 1 month of launch.

Elden Ring is an open-world RPG game that falls into the Soulslike subgenre (fun fact: this genre began with another FromSoftware title, Demon’s Souls, which launched the Soulsborne series and Souls style of gameplay), which is defined by its high difficulty curve and dystopian environment that propels the narrative forward.

“By conquering a lot of those challenges, players will be able to call that place, that world, their home like, ‘I've conquered it.’...One of the core themes of Elden Ring is this sense of achievement and…when these worlds start to feel like your home.” - Hidetaka Miyazaki, FromSoftware president

In June 2024, FromSoftware released a long-anticipated DLC expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. The result? 5 million copies sold within 3 days of launch and over 766,000 concurrent Steam players by the end of the month.

What Elden Ring and the Erdtree expansion accomplished was tapping into the motivations of their audience in a particularly effective way. Some of the features that define the game as core/hardcore:

• Highly challenging gameplay
• Crafting and upgrading system for players to forge new weapons and upgrade their skills
• High-quality design/art
• Story-driven with many unique characters and lore
• PvP gameplay, ability to play co-op (multiplayer), and in-game messaging

The player it really goes after and resonates with is often termed the “Gladiator”: 

“Gladiators are much more likely to identify as hardcore gamers, and they want games to engage them using a broad spectrum of features. They are looking for an epic experience that provides team arenas, fast-paced explosive gameplay, power progression mechanics, challenging gameplay that requires strategic thinking, and a rich world setting with lots to explore and customize.” - Nat Rowley

Based on this breakdown of the gladiator players, we can also see they share some features with the Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers - like the emphasis on community/social, and the desire for a sense of discovery. 

As proof of the highly engaged and dedicated player base, Elden Ring users averaged a daily playtime of 188 minutes after the release of the Erdtree DLC. Also notable is the collaboration the game had with George R.R. Martin to enhance its lore and mythology. It brings to mind the Unpacking core game we previously mentioned, which included a collab with BAFTA award-winning composer and audio director Jeff van Dyck. That depth of narrative and creation of an entire IP universe often sets apart hardcore and core games from other genres. And it was especially effective for the Elden Ring series and its massive amount of lore. 

Apply core principles to your game

The loyal following of high-value players that core and hardcore games have fostered so well can translate to other genres, too. Ahead, we’re exploring a few aspects at the foundation of the core genre that you can apply to your own title:

Value-based monetization

In the world right now, countries are cracking down on gambling-like monetization strategies, like loot boxes:

• Belgium: In 2018, the Belgium Gaming Commission banned the use of loot boxes in video games, claiming they violated the laws against gambling in the country
• The Netherlands: Though still not officially enacted, the Netherlands looks likely to declare loot boxes illegal in gaming - the bill from 2022 has bipartisan support

“In video games, children are manipulated into making microtransactions and that loot boxes are also a form of gambling” - Motion from the Dutch Parliament

• Austria: An Austrian court ruled that the Fifa Ultimate Team packs (a type of loot box) in EA’s FIFA titles were a form of illegal gambling. Since Austria and Germany share very similar gambling law, this could indicate that Germany will crack down on loot boxes in the future, too
• Australia: Australia’s government updated their Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games in 2023 to force games to have an M rating (not suitable for individuals under 15 years old) if they included loot boxes

With these restrictions becoming more common around the world, games like core and hardcore that monetize in a more balanced way show how you can keep earning a profit while remaining compliant. 

The key to achieving balance with IAP monetization: you need to create offers that feel valuable and tap into player motivations without tilting the scales unfairly or reducing the sense of achievement. For social core games like Roblox, users play to engage with others, build their communities, and establish a unique identity. So in-app purchases like avatar items are a way for players to express themselves and tap into this mindset without giving them an unfair advantage. 

Non-core games can benefit from this type of monetization strategy, too - and ensure they remain compliant. For example, a puzzle game like Royal Match from Dream Games taps into their player motivations with a monetization strategy that never feels play-to-win or overly aggressive. Players want the feelings of satisfaction and achievement from solving the puzzle - and the game addresses that with IAPs like a Battle Pass that offers additional lives and boosters to help users avoid getting stuck and solve the puzzle more quickly. This balanced approach to monetization that successfully addresses why people play the game has helped Royal Match achieve over $3 billion in lifetime revenue so far.

Community features 

There’s a shift happening in the gaming industry: casual games are consistently remaining in the top in terms of overall downloads, but they’re losing their share of under-25 gamers. Looking at the top three games (in terms of downloads) from Q1 2024, for example, we can see that the average user is in their mid-late 30s - and Royal Match users are on average 41 years old. This means these younger players are looking to other genres for something they’re missing from casual games. 

Since we know that Gen Z and Gen Alpha players appreciate the social aspects of gaming, you can incorporate community and/or interactive features to tap into this desire for deeper engagement and foster communities beyond the game itself. In the core/hardcore world, games like Apex Legends with their Lore Hub and the God of War Cosplay Guide give players an additional way to engage with the game and deepen their loyalty to the IPs. 

Take a page out of their books to design your own out-of-game features. For example, Tiki Solitaire TriPeaks from Scopely has a winners section on their web shop devoted to the top clubs of the week. It’s a simple yet effective engagement tool for providing recognition to players and encouraging the social side of the game (the clubs give extra prizes and rewards for players who work together).

Cross-platform compatibility

Titles like Genshin Impact from miHoYo, Call of Duty: Mobile from Activision, Honor of Kings from Tencent, and Balatro from Playstack have all achieved success on mobile. CoD:Mobile, for example, achieved over 2.2 million installs in Q2 2024. These hardcore and core prove that mobile is now an essential gaming platform for all genres. 

It’s the younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha that are the catalysts for this growth on mobile, since they’re used to doing pretty much everything from their phones. Tap into this growing audience of mobile-first players by designing your games to have cross-platform and cross progression capabilities. Giving players the ability to play your game across multiple devices - and pick up where they left off, regardless of the platform - encourages longer session lengths and deeper engagement and loyalty. 

Deep player engagement 

Giving players an immersive experience and creating avenues for deeper engagement are telltale signs of a core or hardcore game. As a result, these games often have longer session lengths and a loyal following of high-LTV players. 

Beyond adding community and social features like we mentioned earlier, many core games expand their engagement by going direct-to-consumer. For example, studios like Riot, Rockstar, and Plarium all have proprietary launchers that let players easily access all of their titles and play directly from their desktops. D2C channels like a web shop or game launcher enable core studios to establish a direct relationship with their players, expand their IP universe, and improve the player experience. 

And core games like Call of Duty from Activision, Game of War from Machine Zone, and Kingdoms at War from A Thinking Ape all have web shops. With this D2C channel, they earn direct revenue that’s free from the 30% commission fees of Steam, Apple, and Google. 

D2C channels aren’t just for core games. You can establish a direct channel with your players, too, and build stronger relationships with them. In fact it’s much easier to add this sort of engagement functionality to the web than it is to completely overhaul your game. 

• Community: You can add community and social features to bring your players together and increase retention. Whether it’s matchmaking, player livestreams, or UGC, this is an additional space to bring players together and increase retention  - and it doesn’t take any additional product resources or adjustments to your in-game experience
• Monetization: A web shop and launcher bypasses the 30% commission fees of platforms like Steam, Apple, and Google. Since you’re driving more direct revenue, you can pass on these savings to your players with offers like steeper discounts 
• Engagement: These channels have different functionality and flexibility than the app/desktop stores and what you can offer in-game. For example, with a web shop you can create personalized bundles for players. Or integrate loyalty programs directly into your launcher. These additional capabilities represent another layer of engagement for players to enjoy

If you’re interested in building a web store or proprietary launcher for your game, talk to us at Stash. We’ll work with you to design an entirely customized D2C solution that enhances your players’ experiences - we are the leaders in creating a better way to pay and play games.