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.

Key insights

• The global games market is projected to reach $188.8 billion in 2025, a 3.4% year-over-year increase, with mobile platforms accounting for 55% of total revenue at $103 billion.
• Mobile gaming remains the primary growth engine with a 4.5% year-over-year expansion, while PC and console segments grow at 3.1% and 2.5% respectively.
• Single-player AAA titles launched between February and May outperform those released in the August–November holiday window by an average of 34% due to reduced market cannibalization.
• Player retention is optimized by 20–40 hour main-story content and simulation elements, with attrition rates stabilizing significantly after the 12-week mark.
• Early Access titles achieve the highest new-player lift when transitioning to a full release within a 4–9 month window.
• Post-launch content, strategic discounting, and community engagement have replaced initial premium sales as the primary drivers of long-term commercial viability for single-player titles.
• The Asia-Pacific region leads global growth with a 4.2% year-over-year increase, while the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 launch is identified as a key industry growth driver.

From the report