According to Newzoo’s latest outlook, the worldwide video‑game market is set to expand by 6.1 percent in 2026, reaching an estimated total value of $213.9 billion. More than half of this consumer spend will continue to come from two powerhouses: China and the United States.
The figures are drawn from Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report, which will be released in full on 10 September. The report breaks down the market by platform. Console games are expected to generate $46.9 billion, representing roughly 22 percent of the total market and marking a 5.1 percent year‑over‑year rise. A major driver behind this growth is the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI in November, which Newzoo predicts will lift full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5 percent.
The firm describes this as the strongest growth rate among all business models currently tracked. Mobile gaming remains the dominant segment, projected to capture 57 percent of global revenue—about $121.1 billion.
This sector is forecast to grow 6.8 percent compared with the previous year, buoyed by higher average spend per player and the continued expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels. A recent FastSpring and Omdia survey highlighted that 96 percent of game studios either already run or plan to launch their own D2C storefronts, citing benefits such as greater brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and richer first‑party data.
The PC platform is slated to hold the smallest slice of the pie, with revenues estimated at $45.9 billion or 21 percent of the total market. Growth on PC is expected to slow to 5.3 percent year‑over‑year, down from the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) Newzoo had projected for 2025. Nevertheless, the firm foresees a geographically diverse expansion for PC, driven primarily by markets in Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) region.
In terms of business models, premium and mid‑priced titles are projected to keep supporting full‑game revenue streams, while microtransactions are set to reclaim the top spot as the most lucrative model. This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward monetising existing player bases rather than relying solely on attracting new users. Player numbers are also expected to evolve.
The overall global player base is forecast to reach 4.07 billion by 2029, growing at a compound rate of 3.2 percent after a 4.4 percent increase in 2026. However, the pace of new player acquisition is likely to decelerate, with growth increasingly coming from deeper engagement of current gamers. Newzoo notes that the market’s future expansion will hinge more on retaining and monetising the existing audience than on expanding the total number of players.
Regional dynamics underscore the importance of emerging markets. Asia‑Pacific remains the largest region by player count and revenue, while the Middle East and Africa are the fastest‑growing areas.
Mobile gamers alone are projected to number 3.10 billion in 2026, accounting for roughly 84 percent of all players. PC gamers are expected to reach 977 million (about 26 percent of the total), and console gamers about 651 million (approximately 18 percent).
Penetration rates will see only a modest rise, moving from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026. Newzoo points out that there is limited headroom for expanding the base through deeper market penetration; instead, growth will largely be a function of the overall online population increasing by 3.5 percent to an estimated 5.97 billion people. The report also highlights the strategic importance of D2C channels. With studios increasingly seeking direct relationships with their audiences, the shift toward owning storefronts and leveraging first‑party data is expected to shape pricing, marketing, and content‑delivery strategies across all platforms.
This trend may also influence the balance between premium releases and games that rely heavily on microtransactions, as developers gain more insight into player behaviour and preferences. Overall, Newzoo’s outlook paints a picture of a maturing industry where revenue growth is becoming more nuanced. While mobile continues to dominate in sheer volume, consoles and PC retain significant value, especially when flagship titles like Grand Theft Auto VI generate spikes in full‑game spending. The emphasis on player retention, data‑driven monetisation, and expansion into under‑served regions suggests that the next few years will be defined by strategic diversification rather than simple volume expansion.
In summary, the global gaming market is poised to surpass the $200 billion mark in 2026, driven by a blend of platform‑specific growth, a blockbuster console release, and a steady shift toward direct‑to‑consumer models that empower studios to better understand and monetize their audiences.