Games Released in 2012

4,993 new games released in 2012 across 10 platforms, with PC (Microsoft Windows) being the most popular seeing 1,765 new titles. November was the busiest month of the year, launching 623 new releases.

Top Platform

PC (Microsoft Windows)

New Releases

4,993

Busiest Month

November

Mass Effect Trilogy

What was the most popular game of 2012?

Mass Effect Trilogy

Experience all three award winning Mass Effect titles at an amazing value with the Mass Effect Trilogy. As Commander Shepard, rise to become the galaxy’s most elite soldier and lead an all-out war to stop an ancient and ruthless enemy: the Reapers. With over 75 hours of content and more than 300 awards, one of gaming’s most acclaimed franchises is available for the first time in a premium foiled box set. Heart-pounding action meets gripping interactive storytelling where you decide how your unique story unfolds. Assemble and lead your team aboard the SSV Normandy, the most advanced ship in the galaxy, and travel to distant and unexplored star systems. On your journey, meet a cast of intriguing characters each with their own story to tell. Wield devastating weapons and customize them with upgrades to create new and devastating attacks. All the thrilling action and your decisions culminate into a heroic battle against the greatest threat ever known. The fate of the galaxy lies in your hands—how will you chose to fight for it?

Which days had the most releases?

February 22 was the busiest single day of 2012 with 69 releases.

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69 releases

February 22

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68 releases

November 30

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62 releases

October 25

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55 releases

June 28

Which month had the most releases?

The busiest release month of 2012 was November, totaling 623 titles.

How did each season compare?

Q4 was the busiest quarter of 2012 with 1,661 releases.

Q2 (Apr–Jun)

1,237 releases
Persona 4 Golden

Most popular release in Q2

Persona 4 Golden

Persona 4 Golden is an enhanced version of the role-playing game Persona 4, combining turn-based combat with daily life simulation. Players control a high school student who moves to the rural town of Inaba for one year and becomes involved in investigating a series of murders linked to a mysterious world inside television sets. Gameplay is divided between exploring randomly generated dungeons where players fight Shadows using summoned creatures called Personas, and navigating daily life by attending school, building friendships through Social Links, and developing character attributes. Golden adds new story content including the character Marie, additional Personas, online features, new difficulty settings, expanded voice acting, and additional animated cutscenes over the original PlayStation 2 release.

Q4 (Oct–Dec)

1,661 releases
Mass Effect Trilogy

Most popular release in Q4

Mass Effect Trilogy

Experience all three award winning Mass Effect titles at an amazing value with the Mass Effect Trilogy. As Commander Shepard, rise to become the galaxy’s most elite soldier and lead an all-out war to stop an ancient and ruthless enemy: the Reapers. With over 75 hours of content and more than 300 awards, one of gaming’s most acclaimed franchises is available for the first time in a premium foiled box set. Heart-pounding action meets gripping interactive storytelling where you decide how your unique story unfolds. Assemble and lead your team aboard the SSV Normandy, the most advanced ship in the galaxy, and travel to distant and unexplored star systems. On your journey, meet a cast of intriguing characters each with their own story to tell. Wield devastating weapons and customize them with upgrades to create new and devastating attacks. All the thrilling action and your decisions culminate into a heroic battle against the greatest threat ever known. The fate of the galaxy lies in your hands—how will you chose to fight for it?

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC (Microsoft Windows) received 1,765 new titles in 2012, holding the most releases. The runner up was PlayStation 3 with 1,103 new titles.

PC (Microsoft Windows)1,765 releases
PlayStation 31,103 releases
iOS1,044 releases
Xbox 360695 releases
Nintendo 3DS611 releases
Android599 releases
Mac435 releases
PlayStation Vita376 releases
PlayStation Portable336 releases
Web browser313 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in 2012 with 1,308 titles. Puzzle followed closely with 803.

Adventure1,308
Puzzle803
Indie667
Role-playing666
Strategy655
Shooter642
Simulator584
Arcade573
Platform560
Visual Novel291
20112013