Sony has revealed the most downloaded PlayStation games in 2021 – and the most popular racing game will surprise you.
Somehow, The Crew 2 was PlayStation’s most downloaded racing game in 2021.
Most downloaded PS4 racing games in 2021
According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, The Crew 2 was the sixth most downloaded PS4 game on the PS Store in Europe last year. That makes Ivory Tower’s open-world racer 2021’s most popular digital racing game on PlayStation, beating Gran Turismo Sport.
In Europe, Gran Turismo Sport and Need for Speed Heat are the only other racing games in the top 20 most downloaded PS4 games in 2021, ranking 12 and 14 respectively.
Grand Theft Auto V was also the second most downloaded PS4 game in 2021 in Europe, while Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: Definitive Edition was the 17th.
Rocket League was also Europe's second most downloaded free-to-play PS4 game according to the blog post.
In the US and Canada, Need for Speed Heat was the only racing game in the PS4 digital sales chart at number 15. GTA V was also the most downloaded PS4 game in 2021 in the US and Canada.
Most downloaded PS5 racing games in 2021
As for the most downloaded PS5 games in 2021, F1 2021 was the system’s most popular racing game at number 11. It doesn’t appear in the US charts, but this isn’t surprising as F1 is more popular in Europe than America.
As it’s free-to-play this month, DiRT 5 is likely to be one of 2022’s most downloaded PS5 games. As one of 2022’s most anticipated racing games, Gran Turismo 7 should also rank high in next year’s PS5 digital sales chart.
Why was The Crew 2 so popular in 2021?
Considering it came out in 2018, we’re surprised The Crew 2 was the PlayStation’s most downloaded racing game in 2021. Why was it so popular? It’s difficult to say for sure, but we have a few theories.
First, Ivory Tower’s post-release support for The Crew 2 was, and still is, exceptional. The Crew 2 is a live service game with frequent updates clearly keeping the community coming back for more.
Since the open-world racer launched four years ago, Ivory Tower has released four seasons of new content adding new cars, events, and game modes.
Secondly, a free trial of The Crew 2 is available with two hours of free gameplay, encouraging players to download the game. For one weekend, the full game was also free-to-play last July.
Finally, The Crew 2’s player count possibly spiked when Forza Horizon 5 released last November. FH5 is only available on PC and Xbox, making The Crew 2 its closest equivalent on PlayStation.
Let’s hope The Crew 2’s unprecedented popularity encourages Ivory Tower to give The Crew 3 the green light.