According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, the worldwide video‑game industry is set to expand by 6.1 percent in 2026, pushing total revenue to an estimated $213.9 billion. More than half of that spending will continue to come from just two markets—China and the United States—underscoring the outsized influence of these economies on the sector’s overall health. The full report, slated for release on September 10, breaks down the forecast by platform and business model, revealing several notable trends.
Console sales are expected to generate $46.9 billion, representing roughly 22 percent of the total market and growing at a modest 5.1 percent year‑over‑year. A key driver of this uplift is the highly anticipated November release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Newzoo predicts the new title will lift full‑game spending by 17.5 percent, marking the strongest growth rate among all business models in the forecast period. Mobile gaming remains the dominant platform, projected to capture 57 percent of global revenue—about $121.1 billion. This segment is forecast to grow 6.8 percent from the previous year, propelled by higher average spend per player and the continued rise of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels.
A recent FastSpring and Omdia survey found that 96 percent of game studios either already operate or plan to launch a D2C web store. Developers cite improved brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and richer first‑party data as primary motivations for moving sales in‑house.
In contrast, PC gaming is expected to hold the smallest slice of the market at 21 percent, equating to $45.9 billion in revenue. Growth on the PC platform is projected at 5.3 percent year‑over‑year, a slowdown from the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) Newzoo had projected for 2025. Despite the lower share, the PC segment is predicted to experience geographically diverse expansion, with particular momentum in the Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East‑Africa (MEA) regions. When it comes to business models, premium and mid‑priced full‑game releases are expected to continue sustaining revenue streams, while microtransactions are forecast to reclaim the top spot as the most lucrative model overall.
This shift reflects a broader industry move toward hybrid monetisation, where developers combine upfront purchases with ongoing in‑game purchases to maximise lifetime value. Player numbers will keep rising, but the pace is set to decelerate. Newzoo estimates a 4.4 percent year‑over‑year increase in the global player base for 2026, followed by a slower 3.2 percent CAGR through 2029.
By the end of the forecast horizon, the total number of gamers worldwide is projected to reach roughly 4.07 billion. The firm notes that future growth will rely increasingly on retaining and monetising existing players rather than simply adding new users to the ecosystem. Regional dynamics also highlight where the next wave of expansion is likely to originate. Emerging markets, especially within the Asia‑Pacific, continue to dominate growth, while the Middle East and Africa are expanding at the fastest rate among all regions.
Mobile gamers alone are expected to number 3.10 billion in 2026, accounting for 84 percent of the total player population. PC gamers are forecast at 977 million (about 26 percent), and console players at 651 million (approximately 18 percent). Player penetration—defined as the proportion of the global online population that plays games—is projected to edge up from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026. Newzoo cautions that there is limited headroom for further penetration; instead, growth will largely stem from the overall online population expanding by an estimated 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion users.
In summary, the 2026 outlook paints a picture of a maturing industry where revenue growth is increasingly tied to deeper monetisation of existing audiences, the proliferation of D2C storefronts, and the sustained popularity of blockbuster releases like Grand Theft Auto VI. While console and PC segments will grow more modestly, mobile gaming’s sheer scale ensures it remains the primary engine of global gaming revenue for the foreseeable future.