When Sony launched the PlayStation 5, most expected flashier visuals, lightning-fast load times, and smoother online connectivity. What they didn’t expect was a quiet revolution in skill-based gaming — driven not just by hardware, but by the way gaming itself has evolved.
As technology pushes the limits of what’s possible across digital entertainment, the effects aren’t confined to just traditional video games.
Everything from free to play casino games found at Gambling.com to competitive esports is benefiting from more intelligent design and user engagement. Gamification elements — such as progression systems, ranking ladders, and personalised experiences — are now baked into all corners of the gaming world.
From mobile apps to PS5 exclusives, players are demanding more depth, more challenge, and more fairness. That’s where skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) comes in — and it’s quietly reshaping console gaming as we know it.
The Rise of Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) on Console
Skill-based matchmaking isn’t a new concept, but it has grown in importance on consoles in recent years, especially on PS5. With the popularity of online multiplayer titles soaring, developers like Activision have invested in research-backed systems to make sure players are matched with others of similar skill. Their recent 25-page white paper explores the impact of SBMM in detail, concluding that well-balanced lobbies improve enjoyment and long-term player retention for everyone.
For PS5 users, this evolution is essential. While PC gaming is often seen as the home of competitive esports, the console community remains vast — and no less ambitious. Players want competitive environments that still feel fair. SBMM ensures casual gamers aren’t thrown to the wolves, while highly skilled players continue to be tested.
REMATCH and the Beautiful Game Reimagined
The explosive success of REMATCH, a skill-focused football game developed by Sloclap, proves the hunger for this type of competitive console experience. In its opening weekend alone, it racked up over one million sales and drew more than 2.5 million players across platforms.
But REMATCH’s explosive debut represents something far more significant: the arrival of skill-based gaming as the defining feature of modern console gaming that most players never saw coming.
The Death of Casual Gaming
Activision’s 25-page white paper on skill-based matchmaking revealed that when they secretly reduced SBMM for 50% of Modern Warfare 3 players, over 90% of those players played less Call of Duty. This isn’t just a statistic—it’s a death certificate for traditional casual gaming.
Players now expect, even demand, systems that constantly evaluate and match their skill level, because the alternative—being thrown into lobbies with vastly superior players—has become intolerable.
Why? Because gaming culture has fundamentally changed. The esports audience is projected to reach 1 billion by 2025, with the global esports market valued at $2.89 billion. This isn’t a niche anymore; it’s mainstream culture.
In competitive titles, players ruthlessly assess every mechanic. They chase meta strategies, abuse overpowered weapons or characters, and pour hours into min-maxing their playstyle.
The line between playing for fun and playing for mastery has blurred. Even once-passive genres — like sports games, racing games, or open-world adventures — now feature ranked modes, seasonal events, and battle passes designed to keep players grinding for status.
Then there’s monetisation. Pay-to-win elements, like overpowered skins, exclusive weapons, or premium battle passes, create pressure to invest in more than just time. While cosmetic on the surface, some of these advantages offer subtle edges — reinforcing the need for players to keep up or fall behind.
The PlayStation 5’s implementation of skill-based features—from game-specific activity cards that let players jump directly into competitive modes, to sophisticated matchmaking algorithms that work across its ecosystem—wasn’t just technical innovation.
The Esports Aspiration Economy
Major esports tournaments offer multi-million-dollar prize pools, and educational institutions now offer dedicated programs in esports management, with some high schools and universities starting their own amateur leagues.
This has created an “esports aspiration economy”—a system where millions of players approach gaming not as entertainment, but as a potential career path.
This aspirational mindset has profound effects on how games are played. Players don’t just want to have fun; they want to improve, to climb ranks, to potentially make it to the next level. They study pro gameplay, practice specific techniques, and optimize their performance with the same dedication once reserved for traditional sports.
The betting markets around esports have amplified this effect. When millions of dollars change hands based on professional gameplay, every strategic innovation gets analysed, disseminated, and implemented at lower levels.
Looking Forward: Gaming as Digital Sport
The success of games like REMATCH and the data supporting skill-based matchmaking point toward an inevitable conclusion: gaming is becoming digital sport. Not just esports—the professional tier—but sport in its broader sense. Like traditional sports, it now requires training, strategy, continuous improvement, and fair competition.
By 2025, esports will be a dynamic blend of competitive tournaments and thriving casual gaming communities, driven by technological innovation and a commitment to inclusivity. But this inclusivity isn’t about lowering standards; it’s about ensuring that players at every level have access to fair, competitive experiences appropriate to their skill level.
The PS5’s embrace of skill-based gaming represents Sony’s bet that this is the future of interactive entertainment. Not graphics that are incrementally better, not load times that are marginally faster, but gaming experiences that respect players’ competitive aspirations while ensuring everyone can participate meaningfully.
Gaming culture has evolved, and skilled-based gaming on PS5 evolved with it. The question isn’t whether this trend will continue—it’s whether other platforms will keep pace with the new reality of what gaming has become. In a world where every player is a potential streamer, every match could be a career-defining moment, and every game demands optimization, skill-based gaming isn’t just a feature.
It’s the future.
