According to Niko Partners, the Chinese gaming market will exceed $50 billion for the first time in 2025

In 2025, China's gaming market exceeded $50 billion, climbing 5.4% from the previous year to a total of $51.8 billion.

A report by Niko Partners forecasts a further increase, expecting growth of 4% in 2026 to $53.9 billion, and anticipating a rise to $59.8 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 2.9% over five years.

The number of players in China is projected to hit 769 million by 2030, and the average weekly hours spent gaming will increase from 14.1 to 15.8.

The report credits revenue and player growth to better-than-expected outcomes from new and established popular games.

Mini-games are highlighted as significant contributors to market expansion, attracting 80% of players and accounting for nearly 20% of mobile game expenditures.

Nearly 50% of gamers find and learn about games via short video applications on various platforms.

Additionally, 66% of gamers in China circumvent online censorship by using methods that include global server connections (30.8%), gaming accelerators (33.6%), and VPNs (21.9%), as noted in the report.

Earlier in the year, the Chinese government incorporated video games into their 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2026-2030). Previously, games were considered digital cultural products.

Niko Partners pointed out several trends expected to influence China's gaming market in the next five years: a rise in niche gaming genres, enhanced monetization options beyond apps, better regulation, increased consumer spend on high-end PC and console games, and the integration of generative AI.

The firm observed that gaming companies in China are quickly incorporating generative AI in development and user-interaction features, along with a notable rise in user-generated content platforms.

The report noted that the demand for RAM and semiconductor components is rising due to rapid generative AI infrastructure development, although ongoing innovation and regulatory stability are likely to sustain long-term growth in China's market.