The environmental impact of digital entertainment is often overlooked—but a new study by Relum, released in January 2026, shines a spotlight on the growing carbon footprint of popular video games. Analyzing 50 top-performing titles, the report estimates energy usage in kilowatt hours and translates that into CO₂ emissions per hour of play.
The popular battle royale title Free Fire leads the pack as the most energy-intensive game on the list, pushing gaming rigs to draw up to 750 watts and resulting in approximately 0.17 kilograms of CO₂ for every hour played. That’s a higher output than any other title studied—and comparable to the emissions from a short car journey.
Following closely behind are complex strategy games like Civilization VI and Total War: Pharaoh. Though not as graphically intensive as some open-world titles, their heavy reliance on AI calculations and real-time simulation places consistent load on both CPUs and GPUs. Each generates around 0.13 kilograms of CO₂ per hour. Over multi-hour campaign sessions—common for fans of the genre—the cumulative impact quickly adds up, with emissions crossing the 1kg mark in a single sitting.
Even genre staples such as GTA V, League of Legends, and Baldur’s Gate III land in the mid-range, producing roughly 0.12 kilograms of CO₂ per hour. These titles, though diverse in gameplay and art style, share a common denominator: sustained hardware demands that have become the norm in modern AAA gaming.
What this study brings into focus is a systemic issue: as visual fidelity and performance expectations rise, so too does the energy cost of gaming. Today’s high-end PCs can rival major appliances in power draw, with sustained gaming sessions using between 400 and 750 watts. For players logging dozens—or even hundreds—of hours, that energy use has a measurable carbon impact.
This presents both a challenge and a strategic opportunity for the gaming industry. Performance optimization isn’t just about higher frame rates or better responsiveness—it’s becoming a sustainability consideration. Developers and publishers need to prioritize more efficient rendering techniques, adaptive performance modes, and optimized engines that scale better across a range of hardware setups.
With rising global focus on digital sustainability, energy consumption is likely to emerge as a new competitive metric. Studios that proactively address efficiency—without compromising on experience—could differentiate themselves both with players and within the B2B ecosystem, where environmental accountability is becoming a key reputational concern.
Razvan-Lucian Haiduc, Chief Product Officer at Relum, said:"Gaming hardware has gotten so powerful that people don't think about the electricity cost anymore. A high-end gaming PC running at full capacity uses more power than most household appliances. The gap between old and new games is huge, too. Playing a retro title like Super Mario barely registers on your power bill, but modern games with cutting-edge graphics can push your system to use as much electricity as running your air conditioner."
