According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, which will be released in full on September 10, the worldwide video‑game market is set to expand by 6.1 percent over the next year, reaching a total value of roughly $213.9 billion. More than half of this consumer expenditure is expected to come from two powerhouses: China and the United States, underscoring the continued dominance of these regions in driving overall industry revenue. When the numbers are broken down by platform, consoles are slated to account for about 22 percent of the total market, translating to $46.9 billion in sales—a 5.1 percent increase from the previous year.
A key catalyst for this uplift is the highly anticipated November release of Grand Theft Auto VI. Newzoo predicts that the new installment will lift full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5 percent, marking the strongest growth rate among all business models in the sector. Mobile gaming, however, remains the largest slice of the pie. The segment is projected to capture 57 percent of global revenue, amounting to $121.1 billion.
This 6.8 percent year‑on‑year rise is being fueled by two complementary trends: higher average spend per player and the rapid expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels. A recent survey conducted by FastSpring and Omdia revealed that 96 percent of game studios either already run a D2C storefront or have concrete plans to do so. Studios cite greater brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and richer first‑party data as the primary incentives for moving sales in‑house. The PC platform is expected to occupy the smallest share of the market at 21 percent, generating $45.9 billion in revenue.
Growth on PC is forecast at 5.3 percent year‑over‑year, a slowdown compared with the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) Newzoo had projected for 2025. Despite the slower pace, PC growth is anticipated to be geographically diverse, with notable expansion across the Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) regions. In terms of business models, premium and mid‑priced titles are expected to continue sustaining revenue from full‑game sales.
At the same time, microtransactions are projected to reclaim their position as the largest revenue generator across all platforms. This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward hybrid monetisation strategies that blend upfront purchases with ongoing in‑game spending.
Player numbers are also a focal point of the forecast. The global player base is projected to rise to 4.07 billion by 2029, representing a compound annual growth rate of 3.2 percent after a 4.4 percent increase in 2026. Newzoo cautions that future expansion will rely more heavily on retaining and monetising existing gamers rather than simply attracting new ones.
This insight aligns with the observation that market growth is increasingly concentrated in emerging economies, where penetration rates are still climbing. Regional dynamics further illustrate this pattern. Asia‑Pacific remains the largest market by revenue and player count, while the Middle East and Africa are the fastest‑growing regions in terms of percentage increase. Mobile gaming dominates the player landscape, with an estimated 3.10 billion mobile gamers in 2026—accounting for roughly 84 percent of all players.
PC gamers are expected to number about 977 million (approximately 26 percent of the total), and console gamers around 651 million (about 18 percent). Overall player penetration is projected to inch upward from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026.
Newzoo notes that the room for expanding the base through deeper market penetration is limited; instead, growth will largely stem from the global online population expanding by 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion people. In this context, the industry’s strategic focus will shift toward leveraging richer data, enhancing player engagement, and optimising monetisation pathways for the existing audience. In summary, Newzoo’s outlook paints a picture of a maturing yet still expanding gaming ecosystem.
While console and PC segments experience modest growth, mobile continues to dominate both revenue and player numbers. The launch of blockbuster titles such as Grand Theft Auto VI is set to provide a significant boost to full‑game sales, even as microtransactions regain prominence as the leading business model.
As the market matures, success will increasingly hinge on studios’ ability to nurture and monetise their current player communities, particularly in fast‑growing emerging markets across Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the MEA region.