PlaySide

Weekly Gaming Reports Recap: July 13 - July 17, 2026

The global gaming industry in mid-2026 is defined by a profound divergence in platform performance and investment sentiment.

• Steam generated $11.1 billion in gross revenue during H1 2026, marking a 14.5% year-over-year increase and nearly matching the platform's total revenue for the entire year of 2021.
• Private investment in the gaming sector reached $3.1 billion in Q2 2026, a nearly 6x year-over-year increase driven largely by a $1 billion round for AppsFlyer and significant capital flowing into AI-focused companies.
• Series A funding reached a five-year high of $0.8 billion in Q2 2026 (up 530% year-over-year), while pre-seed and seed funding dropped to a multi-year low of $0.1 billion (down 56% year-over-year).