According to Newzoo’s upcoming Global Games Market Report, slated for full release on September 10, the worldwide video‑game industry is on track to expand by 6.1% over the next year, reaching an estimated $213.9 billion in revenue by the end of 2026. This growth trajectory is being driven largely by two powerhouse markets—China and the United States—which together will account for more than half of all consumer spending on games. When the numbers are broken down by platform, consoles are expected to generate $46.9 billion, representing roughly 22% of the total market and marking a 5.1% year‑over‑year increase. A major catalyst for this uptick is the highly anticipated November release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Newzoo predicts that the new title will lift full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5%, a rate that the firm describes as the strongest growth among all business models in the sector. Mobile gaming continues to dominate the landscape, projected to capture the largest slice of the pie at 57% of total revenue, or $121.1 billion. This segment is growing at a 6.8% annual rate, fueled by higher average spend per player and the rapid expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels.
A recent joint survey by FastSpring and Omdia highlighted that 96% of game studios either already run or plan to launch their own D2C web stores. Studios are motivated by the promise of greater brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and direct access to first‑party customer data, which can be leveraged for more effective monetisation strategies.
In contrast, the PC platform is slated to hold the smallest share of the market, accounting for 21% or $45.9 billion in revenue. Although still growing—Newzoo forecasts a 5.3% year‑over‑year rise—the PC segment’s growth rate is expected to slow compared with its historical compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% that the firm had projected for 2025. The slowdown reflects a maturing market and increasing competition from mobile and console titles. Premium and mid‑priced games are anticipated to keep sustaining revenue from full‑game purchases, while microtransactions are set to reclaim their position as the dominant business model across platforms.
Geographically, PC growth is expected to be broadly distributed, with the strongest gains coming from the Asia‑Pacific region, as well as Latin America and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) markets. Player‑base dynamics also reveal a subtle shift.
While the total number of gamers is projected to climb to 4.07 billion by 2029—a 3.2% CAGR from 2026—the annual growth rate for new players is expected to decelerate from a 4.4% increase in 2026 to a slower pace thereafter. Newzoo emphasizes that future expansion will rely more on retaining existing users and extracting additional value from them, rather than on attracting large numbers of new participants. Emerging markets are playing an increasingly pivotal role in this growth story.
The Asia‑Pacific region remains the largest contributor to overall revenue, while the Middle East and Africa are the fastest‑growing areas in terms of player adoption and spending. Mobile gamers alone are projected to number 3.10 billion in 2026, representing roughly 84% of the global gaming population. PC gamers are expected to reach 977 million (about 26% of the total), and console enthusiasts will number around 651 million, or 18% of all players. Overall player penetration is forecast to edge up slightly, from 61.5% to 62% of the global online population in 2026.
However, Newzoo notes that there is limited headroom for further penetration; instead, growth will largely stem from the online population itself expanding by an estimated 3.5% to reach 5.97 billion individuals worldwide. In summary, the 2026 outlook paints a picture of a maturing yet still expanding gaming ecosystem. Console revenues will benefit from flagship releases like Grand Theft Auto VI, mobile will continue to dominate in both revenue share and player numbers, and PC will maintain a solid, if slower, growth path.
The industry’s future success will hinge on studios’ ability to deepen engagement with existing gamers, harness the power of D2C channels, and adapt to regional trends, especially in fast‑growing emerging markets.