Video games are now one of the largest entertainment markets in the world.
Global gaming revenue reached nearly $189 billion in 2025. The worldwide player base is estimated at 3.58 billion people. And the industry is on track to generate more revenue than the movie and music industries combined.
What makes these numbers significant is not just their scale, but their trajectory. Gaming has grown through economic downturns, platform shifts, and changing consumer habits — and it continues to expand across every major region and format.
This report draws on publicly available market research, industry revenue data, and consumer spending reports to provide a data-led overview of the global and U.S. gaming market — covering revenue, player numbers, platform splits, regional trends, and how gaming compares with other entertainment sectors.
Key Highlights
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The global games market is projected to generate $188.9 billion in 2025, up 3.4% year-on-year
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There are an estimated 3.58 billion players worldwide in 2025 — more than half the world's population
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Mobile gaming is the largest platform, generating $103 billion and accounting for 55% of global revenue
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Console gaming is the fastest-growing platform in 2025, with revenue projected at $45.9 billion, up 5.5%
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PC gaming is projected to generate $39.9 billion in 2025
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The global gaming market is forecast to reach $206.5 billion by 2028
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U.S. consumer spending on video games reached $60.7 billion in 2025 — the second-highest annual total on record
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Asia-Pacific accounts for 46% of global gaming revenue, with North America close behind at 28%
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PwC forecasts global video games revenue to grow from $224 billion in 2024 to $300 billion by 2029
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Gaming subscriptions grew approximately 20% year-over-year in the U.S. in 2025
The Global Gaming Market in 2025
According to Newzoo's 2025 Global Games Market Report, the global games market is projected to generate $188.9 billion in 2025 — representing 3.4% year-on-year growth.
While growth has moderated compared to the pandemic-era surge, the trajectory remains clearly upward.
The market is expected to reach $206.5 billion by 2028, adding nearly $20 billion in value over three years.
Gaming is no longer a niche entertainment category. By revenue, it now rivals — and in many comparisons surpasses — the film and music industries.
More Than Half the World Now Plays Video Games
Newzoo estimates the global player base will reach 3.58 billion people in 2025, up 4.4% year-on-year.
That figure represents more than half of the world's population engaging with video games in some form.
By 2028, the number of players worldwide is forecast to approach 4 billion — a scale that makes gaming one of the most widely adopted entertainment activities in human history.
Revenue by Platform
Gaming revenue is spread across three major platforms, each growing in 2025.
Mobile gaming leads by a considerable margin, generating $103 billion in revenue — approximately 55% of the global total. Console gaming is the fastest-growing platform, with revenue projected at $45.9 billion, up 5.5% year-on-year. PC gaming is projected to generate $39.9 billion, up 2.5%.
Together, console and PC gaming account for roughly 45% of global revenue — a substantial share that reflects the continued strength of dedicated gaming hardware alongside the dominance of mobile.
Players by Platform
Revenue share and player numbers tell different stories.
Newzoo estimates there are approximately 3.0 billion mobile players globally, compared with 936 million PC players and 645 million console players.
Mobile's dominance in player numbers reflects its role as the primary entry point into gaming worldwide — particularly in emerging markets where smartphones are far more accessible than gaming PCs or dedicated consoles.
The gap between mobile's player base and its revenue share also points to something important: console and PC players tend to spend more per person, making those platforms disproportionately valuable by revenue despite having smaller audiences.
That dynamic — high volume at low spend on mobile, lower volume at high spend on console and PC — shapes how the industry thinks about product development, pricing, and where to invest for growth.
Regional Gaming Market Trends
Gaming revenue is distributed across all major global regions, with Asia-Pacific leading by a significant margin.
According to Newzoo's 2025 data:
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Asia-Pacific: $87.6 billion — 46% of global revenue, up 2.3%
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North America: $52.7 billion — 28% of global revenue, up 4.2%
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Europe: $33.1 billion — 18% of global revenue, up 3.6%
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Latin America: $8.3 billion — 4% of global revenue, up 6.4%
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Middle East & Africa: $7.1 billion — 4% of global revenue, up 7.5%
Asia-Pacific and North America together account for nearly three quarters of global gaming revenue. But the fastest growth is occurring elsewhere — the Middle East & Africa and Latin America are both expanding faster than the global market average, driven by mobile-first ecosystems, rising smartphone adoption, and expanding digital payment infrastructure.
Newzoo also estimates that China and the United States together account for approximately 50% of global consumer games spending, with China generating $49.8 billion and the U.S. generating $49.6 billion in 2025.
U.S. Consumer Spending on Video Games
The U.S. is one of the world's largest gaming markets by consumer spending — and 2025 was one of its strongest years on record.
According to ESA, Circana, and Sensor Tower, U.S. consumer spending on video games reached $60.7 billion in 2025 — up from $59.9 billion in 2024 and the second-highest annual total ever recorded, behind only the pandemic-era peak of $61.7 billion in 2021.
Breaking that down by category:
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Content: $52.3 billion
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Mobile gaming: $26.7 billion
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Hardware: $5.4 billion
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Accessories: $2.95 billion
Content accounts for the overwhelming majority of U.S. gaming expenditure, while mobile gaming alone generated $26.7 billion — more than the entire hardware and accessories market combined.
Subscription spending also increased by approximately 20% year-over-year, reflecting the growing importance of recurring gaming services such as game pass models and cloud gaming platforms.
How Gaming Compares With Other Entertainment Industries
PwC's Global Entertainment & Media Outlook forecasts global video games revenue to grow from $224 billion in 2024 to $300 billion by 2029.
According to PwC, gaming is on track to generate more revenue than the movie and music industries combined.
That comparison puts the scale of the gaming market in context. Film and music are two of the most culturally significant entertainment industries in the world — and gaming is larger than both of them together, and growing faster.
It is also worth noting that gaming's revenue model has diversified significantly. Where the industry once relied almost entirely on game sales, it now generates substantial revenue through subscriptions, in-game purchases, digital content, advertising, and esports — making its financial foundation broader and more resilient than at any point in its history.
What the Data Shows
Gaming is a global entertainment industry approaching $200 billion annually, with a player base that now encompasses more than half of the world's population.
It is expanding across every major platform and every major region. Mobile continues to drive volume. Console and PC drive value. Subscriptions are growing. And emerging markets are accelerating.
The industry has also proven remarkably resilient. It grew through the disruption of the pandemic, held much of that growth afterward, and continues to find new audiences through mobile, cloud gaming, and subscription services.
For anyone covering entertainment, technology, business, or consumer trends, gaming has become one of the most significant sectors in the global economy — and the data suggests it is still in the process of reaching its full scale.