The crisis did not prevent the gaming market from setting a revenue record in 2025, according to analysts
The analytics company Newzoo has finalized its conclusions for the global video game market in 2025, after having released several forecasts previously. As it turns out, last year was the best in terms of revenue in the history of their observations, despite numerous layoffs and studio closures.
Below are the main points from the report.
▫️According to Newzoo's calculations, in 2025, market revenue for the first time in history reached $201.6 billion, which is 9.1% more than in 2024. Previously, even in the most optimistic scenario, analysts expected to see "only" $196.7 billion.
▫️The largest segment remained mobile with revenue of $113.3 billion (+10.7%). Its income increased thanks to the success of Chinese mini-games and the development of direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales.
▫️The second place was taken by the console games segment — $44.7 billion (+2.8%). Out of this amount, $19.9 billion (+8.1%) came from the sales of paid games, $13.3 billion (-4.6%) from microtransactions, and $9.4 billion (+11.7%) from subscriptions.
▫️Revenue from the PC games segment amounted to $43.6 billion (+12%). According to Newzoo, its growth rate has never been so high before. Such results were achieved thanks to the release of several high-profile games like Battlefield 6, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Additionally, mid-priced games performed particularly well in 2025.
▫️Microtransactions remained the main source of revenue for PC games, accounting for almost half of the total — $20.3 billion (+9.1%).
▫️At the same time, in-game subscriptions showed the biggest growth on PC. Revenue from them rose by 42.1%, reaching $1.8 billion. Paid PC games also demonstrated a strong revenue jump — by 25.3% to $14.1 billion.
▫️52% of all global video game market revenue came from two countries — China ($54.6 billion) and the USA ($50.8 billion).
▫️Newzoo predicts that by the end of 2026, gamers worldwide will spend $213.9 billion on games. By 2028, this figure will reach $234.4 billion.
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