According to the latest projections from market‑research firm Newzoo, the worldwide video‑games industry is set to expand by roughly 6.1 percent in 2026, pushing total revenue to an estimated $213.9 billion. The forecast highlights that more than half of all consumer expenditure will continue to be generated in two powerhouse markets: China and the United States. This outlook is drawn from Newzoo’s comprehensive Global Games Market Report, which will be released in full on September 10.
In terms of platform distribution, console gaming is expected to account for about 22 percent of the total market, translating to $46.9 billion in revenue and representing a 5.1 percent year‑over‑year increase. A key driver behind this growth is the highly anticipated November release of Rockstar Games’ flagship title Grand Theft Auto VI. Newzoo predicts that the launch will boost spending on full‑price games by 17.5 percent, marking the strongest growth rate among all business models in the sector.
Mobile gaming remains the dominant platform, projected to capture the largest slice of the market at 57 percent, or $121.1 billion in 2026. This segment is expected to grow 6.8 percent year‑over‑year, fueled by higher average spend per player and the continued rise of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels.
A recent study conducted by FastSpring and Omdia found that 96 percent of game studios either already operate or plan to launch their own D2C web stores. Studios cite benefits such as greater brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and direct access to first‑party customer data as primary motivations for this shift. The PC platform is forecast to hold the smallest share of the overall market at 21 percent, generating $45.9 billion in revenue. Growth on PC is expected to slow to 5.3 percent year‑over‑year, a decline from the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) that Newzoo had projected for 2025.
Despite the slower pace, PC is anticipated to experience geographically broad expansion, with particular strength in the Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) regions. Regarding monetisation models, premium and mid‑tier game releases are expected to continue sustaining revenue from full‑price sales, while microtransactions are projected to reclaim their position as the largest overall business model. This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward hybrid monetisation strategies that combine upfront purchase price with ongoing in‑game purchases. Player‑base growth is also a focal point of Newzoo’s analysis.
The total number of gamers worldwide is projected to reach 4.07 billion by 2029, growing at a 3.2 percent CAGR from 2026 onward. This represents a slowdown from the 4.4 percent year‑over‑year increase anticipated for 2026. Newzoo notes that future expansion will rely more heavily on retaining and monetising existing players rather than on acquiring new ones, as the pool of potential new gamers becomes increasingly saturated.
Regional dynamics show that growth is now concentrated in emerging markets. The Asia‑Pacific region remains the largest contributor to overall market size, while the Middle East and Africa are the fastest‑growing areas in terms of percentage increase. Mobile gamers are expected to number 3.10 billion in 2026, accounting for roughly 84 percent of the total player base. PC gamers are projected to reach 977 million (about 26 percent), and console gamers are estimated at 651 million (approximately 18 percent).
Overall player penetration is slated to rise modestly from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026. Newzoo emphasizes that there is limited room for expanding the base through deeper market penetration; instead, growth will stem from the online population itself expanding by an estimated 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion people worldwide.
This nuanced picture underscores the importance of strategic focus on existing audiences, innovative monetisation approaches, and the continued rise of D2C channels as the industry moves toward the latter half of the decade.