A gamer's most-played games of 2025 revealed a clear preference for open-world experiences, a trend the player attributes to the influence of the 1990s title, Wing Commander: Privateer. According to the player's Steam and PlayStation year-in-review summaries, similar to Spotify Wrapped, titles like No Man's Sky, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and The Elder Scrolls series dominated their playtime.

The player stated that, with the exception of Civilization VII and Unreal Tournament, their top games all offered immersive experiences in expansive fictional worlds. This preference, they said, can be traced back to their early experiences with Wing Commander: Privateer.

"Privateer taught me that I love games that are spaces for living out whatever fictional life I create for myself," the player explained, highlighting the game's impact on their gaming tastes. This sentiment echoes the experiences of many gamers in the '90s, who found in Privateer a unique blend of space combat and open-ended role-playing.

Wing Commander: Privateer, released in 1993, allowed players to take on the role of a freelance pilot in the Wing Commander universe, earning money through trade, piracy, or mercenary work. This freedom to choose one's path was a departure from the more linear narratives of other space combat games of the time, such as Wing Commander II: Vengeance, which scored high marks for its cinematic storytelling but offered less player agency.

The player's 2025 gaming habits suggest that the appeal of open-world freedom, first experienced in Privateer, continues to drive their game choices. The enduring popularity of games like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, originally released in 2002, further underscores the lasting impact of immersive, player-driven experiences.