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The gaming industry, in particular, has a peculiar habit where it has been seen that a single title can dominate the conversations, only to disappear when the next big game takes the center stage. Some games shine rapidly and then fade at the same pace. Now, this is not because they were bad. Yes, there might be some question marks, but this is mainly because the spotlight just moved on. They had their times where they shaped the trend and built passionate communities, yet now, the same community hardly talks about them.
So, we won't be wrong if we say this is the nature of modern gaming. With so many releases every year, attention shifts quickly. With this in mind, we're going to take a look at some games that were once popular but nobody talks about today. While the games we’re looking at here aren’t forgotten completely, they are somewhat a shadow of their former selves.
Among Us
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The game Among Us was first launched in 2018, developed and published by Innersloth. However, the game did not begin to see popularity rise until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when streamers like Pokimane, Dr. Disrespect, and Disguised Toast began playing it in front of large audiences. It seemed to be the perfect "cozy" game at a time when people did not have many activities to engage in, and gaming was a great alternative to fill the time.
The concept was simple, with much easier-to-adapt game mechanics. For a few months, it was impossible to escape memes, streams, and relentless discussions about venting strategies. However, as life fell back into more "normal" routines and new trends took over, the hype died down. Today, Among Us continues to push out updates, including additional roles and skins/cosmetics, but it is not trending and dominating screens in the same way it used to. There are still some players, but the larger cultural conversation has ended. As per SteamDB, the Among Us touch peak concurrent players were 447,476 in September 2020, which now hovers around 3000-4000.
Titanfall Series
Titanfall was Respawn Entertainment’s much-anticipated debut in 2014, and to be honest, for a while, it did feel like the future of shooters. Giant mechs dropping from the sky, wall-running movement, and intense multiplayer battles gave it a unique identity that was very uncommon for that time. Furthermore, Titanfall 2 in 2016 improved on everything, delivering one of the best single-player shooter campaigns of the decade alongside fluid multiplayer gameplay.
Many game critics found this game interesting, but you can say timing worked against Titanfall. It was made as an Xbox exclusive, which may have contributed to gaining less reach from the beginning. Furthermore, it was released simultaneously between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which may have further contributed to its lower visibility among players.
While some fans do argue that Titanfall’s DNA still lives on in Apex Legends, its own series faded from conversation. Players who experienced it still talk about how it was ahead of its time, but new gamers rarely pick it up.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Recalling our memory of the COVID lockdown, another in this list is Fall Guys. Landed in 2020, it did feel like a colorful storm. A chaotic but fun battle royale, witnessing characters stumbling through obstacle courses did make us laugh. Streamers loved it as related content flooded Twitch and YouTube, players loved it, and for a few months, it felt like the biggest game in the world. The concept was a simple battle royale-based experience where you have to survive obstacle-filled rounds until one player grabs the crown.
Not to mention, the game built a strong following quickly, helped by its release on PlayStation Plus at launch. But the hype faded, and the biggest culprits for it were an insane amount of cheaters ruining matches early on. Updates were slow, and once Among Us exploded shortly after, Fall Guys slipped out of the spotlight. From the peak concurrent players of 172,213, the game today witnesses around 500-600 in total.
Helldivers
When it comes to Helldivers, most opinions are split. There are players who argue the game isn’t dead, pointing to its loyal community and the unique fun it still offers. Even today, they’ll swear it’s worth diving back into, especially with friends. But the truth is, most of the gaming world has moved on. Released in 2015, Helldivers never broke into the mainstream, and with time, it faded almost completely from conversation. Updates slowed down, new co-op shooters stole attention, and for the majority, the game is considered long gone. Its servers are still there, but outside of a small group of dedicated fans, hardly anyone notices. It can be validated from the SteamDB numbers, which show a hard downward slope.
With the sequel’s success, some players revisited the original, but for years, it was one of those titles that gamers barely mentioned. It’s a case of a solid game overshadowed by both the passage of time and its own.
H1Z1
Originally launched in 2015 as a survival game, it evolved into a last-player-standing mode that influenced future hits like PUBG and Fortnite. For a while, H1Z1 was at the center of Twitch streams when Twitch itself was gaining traction, with top creators playing it daily. If you took a first look at the game even today, you'd get the wrong impression that this might be an early beta version of PUBG.
H1Z1 may have started strong, but developers being slow with bug fixes, technical issues, and slow updates all killed its long-term potential. With the influx of the genre becoming cool with the arrival of PUBG and Fortnite, H1Z1 quickly lost its visibility in the space. Although H1Z1 still has servers running, its player count makes it better than nothing.
Battleborn
With a vision to blend hero-shooter mechanics with MOBA-inspired gameplay, Gearbox Software launched Battleborn way back in 2016. The game introduced a roster of unique characters and a story mission where you could play solo or co-op with your friends.
The problem wasn’t that Battleborn was a bad game; many liked it, but it also failed to hook players when other options like Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment took the center stage at the same time. Its player base shrank fast, and Gearbox struggled to keep it alive with updates and patches. Eventually, the servers shut down in 2021, making it completely unplayable today.
A few more notable mentions include:
- Texas Chain Massacre
- LawBreakers
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Ape Escape
- Killzone
- Black & White
What’s interesting is that none of these games were truly failures. They mattered in their moment, even if the spotlight eventually moved on.
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