According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, which will be released in full on September 10, the worldwide video‑game industry is slated to expand by 6.1% over the next year, bringing total revenues to roughly $213.9 billion. More than half of that spend is expected to come from two powerhouses—China and the United States—underscoring the continued dominance of these markets in shaping the sector’s financial outlook.
Console platforms are predicted to capture about 22% of the overall market, generating $46.9 billion in revenue and posting a modest 5.1% year‑over‑year increase. A key driver behind this uplift is the highly anticipated release of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI in November.
Newzoo estimates that the new title will lift full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5%, making it the strongest growth catalyst among all business models in the industry. Mobile gaming remains the largest segment by a wide margin, projected to account for 57% of global revenues and to reach $121.1 billion. This 6.8% annual rise is fueled by two complementary forces: higher average spend per player and the rapid expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels that allow publishers to sell games straight to gamers without intermediary platforms. A recent survey conducted by FastSpring and Omdia revealed that 96% of game studios either already run a D2C web store or have plans to launch one.
Studios cite stronger brand visibility, deeper customer loyalty, and richer access to first‑party data as the primary motivations for this shift. The PC segment, by contrast, is expected to hold the smallest share of the market at 21%, translating to $45.9 billion in revenue. While still growing—at a projected 5.3% year‑over‑year—its pace is slowing relative to the 12% compound annual growth rate that Newzoo had forecast for 2025.
The slowdown reflects a maturing ecosystem where high‑spending players have already been captured, and future expansion will rely more on retaining existing users than on attracting newcomers. In terms of business models, premium and mid‑priced titles are anticipated to continue supporting full‑game revenue streams, whereas microtransactions are expected to reclaim the top spot as the most lucrative model across platforms. The resurgence of micro‑transaction‑driven income is linked to the broader adoption of live‑service games and the increasing willingness of players to spend on cosmetic and functional in‑game items.
Geographically, PC growth is expected to be “geographically broad,” with the Asia‑Pacific region, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) area leading the charge. These emerging markets are delivering the bulk of new player acquisition, even as growth in more saturated markets like North America and Western Europe begins to plateau. Player numbers themselves are projected to decelerate slightly. Newzoo forecasts that the global player base will increase by 4.4% in 2026, but the compound annual growth rate from 2026 through 2029 is expected to settle at 3.2%.
By 2029 the total number of gamers worldwide is estimated to reach 4.07 billion. The slowdown is largely a function of market saturation; most of the growth that remains will stem from deeper penetration in existing online populations rather than from converting new users.
Mobile gamers are set to dominate the player count, with an estimated 3.10 billion users in 2026—about 84% of all gamers. PC gaming will account for roughly 977 million players (26% of the total), while console enthusiasts are projected to number around 651 million (18%).
These figures illustrate the continued shift toward mobile as the primary gateway to gaming for the majority of the world’s population. Overall player penetration is expected to edge up from 61.5% to 62% in 2026.
However, Newzoo cautions that there is limited room for further expansion through deeper market penetration alone. Instead, future growth will increasingly hinge on the ability of publishers to retain existing audiences and to monetize them more effectively, whether through subscription services, season passes, or ongoing content updates.
In summary, the 2026 outlook paints a picture of a robust yet maturing industry. While total revenues are set to climb to $213.9 billion, the composition of that growth is shifting: mobile remains the engine, consoles benefit from blockbuster releases like Grand Theft Auto VI, and PC markets experience slower but still positive momentum. The strategic emphasis for developers and publishers will likely move toward strengthening direct relationships with players, leveraging D2C channels, and refining monetisation tactics to extract more value from an already sizable and increasingly sophisticated global gamer audience.