Data Deep Dive: What Are the Zoomers Really Playing?

Key insights

7 slides

High engagement

Gen Z shows high engagement in gaming, with most teens playing weekly.

91% of 13-17 year olds play games weekly.

Key finding. 91% of 13-17 year olds play games weekly for an average of over 7 hours per week.

91%

of 13-17 year olds play games weekly.

average weekly playtime: 7 hours

Genre appeal

Genre preferences show some divergence, but many genres have cross-gender appeal.

RPGs, adventure, and party games maintain more balanced cross-gender appeal.

Genre interest. While first-person shooters show a strong male preference (64% vs. 39%), genres such as RPGs, adventure, and party games maintain more balanced cross-gender appeal.

64%

of males prefer first-person shooters.

of females prefer first-person shooters: 39%

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Summary

This analysis examines the gaming habits of Generation Z, defined here as individuals born between 1995 and 2009, to understand how their preferences are influencing the broader games industry. The findings are derived from 2024 research conducted by Newzoo, ZBD, and YPulse, utilizing large-scale surveys that include a global study of 73,000 participants and a targeted analysis of 2,004 American Gen Z gamers.

The data reveals that while Gen Z is highly engaged—with 91% of 13–17-year-olds playing games weekly—their consumption is heavily concentrated on a small number of major live-service titles such as Minecraft, Fortnite, and Call of Duty. Despite this focus, a distinct segment of "new game seekers" exists, representing 42% of the total population of players who actively look for trending titles. These seekers are predominantly male and skew toward PC and console platforms. Geographic trends indicate that the United States is a notable outlier, as it is one of the few Western markets where a significant portion of the audience regularly explores new releases.

Gender-based differences in gaming behavior are also pronounced. Male players report higher daily engagement, with 33% playing for five or more hours per day compared to 19% of females. Males are also more likely to be heavy spenders and favor platforms like Twitch and Reddit for influencer engagement, whereas female gamers show a higher preference for TikTok. While genre preferences show some divergence—notably in first-person shooters and casual mobile games—there remains significant cross-gender interest in adventure, role-playing, and party games. Ultimately, the findings suggest that while Gen Z is a diverse cohort, their engagement is defined by a tension between deep loyalty to established live-service ecosystems and a periodic, trend-driven interest in new game releases.