U.S. Consumer Video Game Spending Totaled $56.6 Billion in 2022

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
U.S. consumer spending on video games totaled $56.6 billion in 2022, representing a 5% decrease compared to the record-setting years of 2020 and 2021.
02
Console hardware sales were a bright spot in 2022, growing 8% year-over-year to reach $6.57 billion despite ongoing supply constraints.
03
Content spending, which includes full-game, post-launch, and subscription revenue, totaled $47.5 billion, a 7% decline from 2021.
04
Accessory sales reached $2.5 billion in 2022, marking an 8% decrease compared to the previous year.
05
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling PC/console game of 2022, while Candy Crush Saga led as the top-grossing mobile title.
06
December 2022 saw a 2% increase in total spending compared to the same month in 2021, driven by holiday-related gains in genres like Geolocation, Simulation, and Action.

Summary

The United States video game industry experienced a period of market stabilization in 2022, with total consumer spending reaching $56.6 billion. This figure represents a 5% decrease from the record-breaking performance of the previous two years, though it remains significantly higher than the $43.5 billion recorded in 2019. The data, compiled by the Entertainment Software Association and The NPD Group, encompasses spending across all major platforms, including console, mobile, PC, cloud, and virtual reality, as well as hardware and accessories.

While the overall market saw a slight contraction, specific segments demonstrated resilience. Console hardware sales bucked the broader downward trend, rising 8% year-over-year to reach $6.57 billion. Conversely, spending on content and accessories declined by 7% and 8%, respectively. Industry analysts attribute the 2022 performance to a combination of macroeconomic pressures, a limited slate of new premium game releases, and ongoing supply chain constraints that hindered console availability throughout much of the year.

Despite the year-over-year decline, the industry maintained a strong economic footprint, with December 2022 alone generating $7.6 billion in consumer spending—a 2% increase compared to the same period in 2021. The year’s top-selling titles were led by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Elden Ring on console and PC, while Candy Crush Saga and Roblox dominated mobile revenue. Looking ahead, industry experts anticipate a potential return to growth in 2023, driven by an improved supply of hardware and a more robust pipeline of new software releases.