Report · January 1, 2025

Global Games Market Report 2025

Published by Newzoo

Summary

The Global Games Market Report 2025 projects a steady expansion of the worldwide player base to 3.6 billion, with payers rising to 1.6 billion and total revenue reaching $188.8 billion, a 3.4 % increase year‑over‑year. Mobile dominates growth and revenue, contributing $103 billion (55 % of the market) and expanding 4.5 % YoY, while PC and console follow at 3.1 % and 2.5 %. The report notes that average spend per payer is expected to decline slightly through 2028 as the market matures, underscoring the importance of retention, innovative monetization and post‑launch content to sustain growth in an increasingly saturated ecosystem. Geographically, the Asia‑Pacific region leads with a 4.2 % YoY increase, and North America remains strong for console sales (5.4 %). Key growth drivers include the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, continued success of live‑service titles on PC, and a shift toward direct‑to‑consumer monetization in mobile. Discoverability challenges and content fragmentation are identified as notable hurdles across all platforms. Single‑player AAA titles released in the February–May window outperform those launched August–November by an average of 34 %, largely due to crowded holiday windows and cannibalization. Early Access titles that transition to full release within 4–9 months generate the highest new‑player lift, while staggered cross‑platform releases capture only about 13 % of the total player base. Player attrition drops sharply in weeks 2–5 and stabilizes after week 12, indicating that longer main‑story content (20–40 hours) and simulation elements help retain players over the long term. The commercial life of single‑player titles is increasingly driven by post‑launch content, strategic discounting and community engagement rather than initial premium spend. DLC revenue shares evolve over a game’s lifecycle, with genres aligning to specific monetization models and subscriptions gaining influence on long‑term engagement. Post‑launch content is identified as the key determinant of discoverability, retention and profitability across a game’s back catalogue. Methodologically, the report employs a top‑down, data‑driven model that blends proprietary engagement metrics (Game Performance Monitor, Steam data), public economic indicators and partner insights to forecast platform‑specific player, payer and revenue figures through 2028. The approach excludes taxes, hardware and gambling from revenue calculations and provides detailed platform‑by‑platform forecasts (PC, console, mobile, cloud, VR) alongside analytical tools for market segmentation, genre trends and post‑launch monetization strategies.

From the report

Contents 00 Foreword 03 01 The global games market 09 Players and payers 11 Revenues 15 Genre revenues 20 02 Special focus topics 27 #1 Play it again: Revisiting the past for modern success 29 #2 Modernizing release windows: Data-driven launch insights 31 #3 The $80 dilemma: A new price ceiling or too soon? 41 #4 The long game: How post-launch content fuels engagement 43 #5 Unboxing Roblox: User trends, genre insights, and strategic fit 45 03 The games market per region and country 47 04 Methodology and terminology 54 05 Work with Newzoo 64

A new chapter This year’s free edition of the Global Games Market Report marks a personal milestone, my first edition as Newzoo’s Director of Market Intelligence. Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside our team of seasoned experts, whose deep market knowledge and dedication have shaped every page of this report. Together, we’ve refined our approach to make this report more relevant, insightful, and valuable. Our focus has been on quality over quantity. We’ve aimed for clarity, impactful storytelling, and a strong balance between narrative, data, and visuals. Rather than covering too many things at a surface level, we’ve chosen five main topics to explore in greater depth. This approach delivers richer, more strategic perspectives that capture both the current state of the market and its forward-looking trends. As always, the report is built on strong data and designed for an engaged, professional audience; readers looking for answers to the questions that will guide their decisions in a fast-changing industry. This year’s Global Games Market Report marks the start of a new chapter, one with sharper focus and deeper insights. We’re excited for you to read this year’s free edition and, as ever, we welcome your feedback. Excelsior! Emmanuel Rosier Director of Market Intelligence

Foreword We are excited to welcome you to this year’s free The paid version of the report includes five edition of the Global Games Market Report, detailed special focus topics. Over the coming Newzoo’s premier publication and guide to our months, we will share extracts of three of these platform’s Games Market Reports & Forecasts topics. The five topics we analyzed are: tool. This report is designed to help you navigate a ✓ Remakes and remasters: Reviving classic IPs market where growth is harder won, but where has become a proven strategy for extending opportunities abound for those who act. Whether franchise lifecycles, generating reliable you’re seeking to benchmark performance, spot revenue, tapping into nostalgia, and emerging trends, or plan your next move, we hope strengthening brand value. you find the clarity, depth, and strategic angle you need. ✓ Release timing and launch strategies: The Finally, I want to thank the Newzoo team for their timing of a game’s release, early access period, dedication and expertise in making this report and platform exclusivity are crucial in come alive. maximizing player engagement and sales. ✓ Game pricing and value perception: Pricing, genre, and content length are key factors in Key themes this year: how players perceive value. As development

Pages: 67
Words: 11,743
Type: Report

Topics

Collections

Market (Overall)

View this document on Game Industry Library.

od, dedication and expertise in making this report and platform exclusivity are crucial in come alive. maximizing player engagement and sales. ✓ Game pricing and value perception: Pricing, genre, and content length are key factors in Key themes this year: how players perceive value. As development ✓ Moderate audience growth: The global player costs rise, publishers must carefully balance base will reach 3.6 billion in 2025 (+4.4% YoY), accessibility, profitability, and player but the share of the online population playing expectations. games is plateauing. Payer growth (+4.9%) ✓ Post-launch content and long-tail continues to outpace revenue growth, leading monetization: DLC, expansions, and ongoing to a slight decline in average spend per payer. updates are essential for sustaining ✓ Low to moderate all-round growth: Still, 2025 will bring some growth, with all platforms expected to see between 2% and 6% YoY growth in players and/or revenues. The market remains resilient and full of opportunity for those who adapt. engagement and revenue and helping to extend the commercial life of new games and remasters. ✓ Roblox, UGC, and the platform ecosystem: The growth of Roblox and user-generated content is reshaping how players engage and ✓ Platform dynamics: PC and console are, or will, how IP is built, signaling a shift toward more see renewed momentum, with PC player creator-driven, platform-centric models in the growth outpacing mobile and console. Cross- industry. platform releases, new hardware cycles, and the anticipation of titles likeGrand Theft Auto VI are reshaping the competitive landscape. Michiel Buijsman

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