According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, the worldwide video‑game sector is on track to expand by 6.1 percent in 2026, pushing total revenues to roughly $213.9 billion. More than half of this consumer spend is expected to come from two powerhouses: China and the United States, underscoring the continued dominance of these markets in shaping industry trends. The full report, slated for public release on September 10, breaks down the forecast by platform and business model, offering a detailed view of where growth will be strongest. Console sales are projected to generate $46.9 billion, representing 22 percent of the overall market and reflecting a 5.1 percent year‑over‑year rise.
A major catalyst for this uplift is the highly anticipated November launch of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI. Newzoo predicts the title will boost full‑game spending by 17.5 percent, marking the most vigorous growth among all business models in the sector.
Mobile gaming remains the largest segment, accounting for 57 percent of total revenue and expected to hit $121.1 billion. This 6.8 percent increase over the previous year is driven by two key forces: higher average spend per player and the rapid expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels. Recent research from FastSpring and Omdia shows that 96 percent of game studios either already run or plan to launch their own D2C storefronts.
Developers cite greater brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and richer first‑party data as primary motivations for moving away from third‑party marketplaces. In contrast, the PC platform is forecast to capture the smallest slice of the market at 21 percent, or $45.9 billion. Growth on PC is expected to slow to 5.3 percent year‑over‑year, down from the 12 percent compound annual growth rate Newzoo had projected for 2025.
Despite the slower pace, the PC segment is expected to benefit from geographically diverse expansion, particularly across Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) regions. When it comes to business models, premium and mid‑tier titles are anticipated to continue sustaining revenue from full‑game purchases, while microtransactions are set to reclaim their position as the dominant monetisation method across all platforms. This shift suggests that developers will increasingly rely on in‑game purchases to drive earnings, even as high‑budget releases like Grand Theft Auto VI generate a surge in traditional sales.
Player numbers are also a focal point of the outlook. Newzoo estimates the global gaming audience will grow to 4.07 billion by 2029, representing a compound annual growth rate of 3.2 percent after a 4.4 percent increase in 2026. However, the firm warns that future expansion will hinge more on retaining and monetising existing players than on attracting new ones.
This sentiment reflects a maturing market where the pool of potential new gamers is shrinking, and the emphasis is shifting toward deepening engagement with the current base. Regional dynamics highlight the importance of emerging markets. Asia‑Pacific remains the largest geographic contributor, while the Middle East and Africa are the fastest‑growing regions in terms of player adoption.
Mobile gaming is expected to dominate the player landscape, with 3.10 billion mobile gamers in 2026—about 84 percent of all players. PC gamers are projected to number 977 million (roughly 26 percent), and console users are estimated at 651 million, or 18 percent of the total. Penetration rates are projected to edge upward from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026, indicating limited room for growth through deeper market saturation.
Instead, overall player base growth will largely reflect the expansion of the global online population, which Newzoo expects to rise by 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion people. In summary, the 2026 outlook paints a picture of steady, if modest, growth across the gaming ecosystem. Console revenues will benefit from blockbuster releases, mobile will continue to dominate both revenue and player count, and PC will see slower but geographically broad expansion.
The industry’s future success will increasingly depend on how well companies can keep existing gamers engaged and monetize them effectively, especially as the pool of untapped new players narrows. The emphasis on D2C storefronts, richer first‑party data, and diversified business models underscores a strategic shift toward deeper, more sustainable relationships with the global gaming community.