According to Newzoo’s upcoming Global Games Market Report, the worldwide video‑game sector is slated to expand by roughly 6.1 percent over the next year, pushing total revenue to an estimated $213.9 billion by the end of 2026. More than half of this spending is expected to come from two powerhouses—China and the United States—underscoring the continued dominance of these markets in driving global gaming economics. The report, which will be released in full on 10 September, breaks down the forecast by platform and business model, offering a detailed view of where growth will be concentrated. Console hardware and software sales are predicted to represent about 22 percent of the total market, translating to $46.9 billion in revenue and a year‑over‑year increase of 5.1 percent.
A key catalyst for this uplift is the highly anticipated November launch of Rockstar Games’ next‑generation title, Grand Theft Auto VI. Newzoo estimates that the new entry will lift full‑game spending by 17.5 percent, marking the strongest growth rate among all existing business models. Mobile gaming remains the largest segment by a comfortable margin.
Newzoo projects mobile platforms to capture roughly 57 percent of total industry revenue, equating to $121.1 billion. This 6.8 percent annual rise is being driven by two intertwined forces: higher average spend per player and the rapid expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels. A recent FastSpring and Omdia survey found that 96 percent of game studios either already run or intend to launch their own D2C storefronts. Developers cite greater brand visibility, stronger customer loyalty, and richer first‑party data as primary motivations for bypassing traditional publishing intermediaries.
In contrast, the PC segment is projected to hold the smallest share of the market, accounting for about 21 percent or $45.9 billion in revenue. While still growing—Newzoo forecasts a 5.3 percent increase year‑over‑year—the pace is expected to slow compared with the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) that was anticipated for 2025.
The slowdown reflects a maturing ecosystem where high‑spending players have already been captured, and future gains will rely more on geographic diversification than on sheer volume. Newzoo expects PC growth to be broadly distributed across regions, with notable expansion in Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) markets.
When it comes to monetisation strategies, premium and mid‑tier full‑game releases are expected to continue sustaining revenue streams, while microtransactions are projected to reclaim their position as the leading business model across all platforms. This shift suggests that while big‑budget titles will still generate significant income, the industry’s overall health will increasingly hinge on the ability to extract ongoing value from in‑game purchases. Player‑base dynamics also paint an interesting picture.
Global active gamers are forecast to rise to 4.07 billion by 2029, but the growth rate will decelerate—from a 4.4 percent increase in 2026 to an estimated 3.2 percent CAGR through 2029. Newzoo notes that future expansion will be driven more by retaining and monetising existing users rather than by onboarding large numbers of new players. This trend is especially pronounced in emerging markets, where penetration is still climbing. Asia‑Pacific remains the largest regional market, while the Middle East and Africa are expanding at the fastest pace.
By platform, mobile gamers are expected to number 3.10 billion in 2026, representing roughly 84 percent of the total gaming population. PC gamers will reach about 977 million (approximately 26 percent), and console enthusiasts are projected to total 651 million, or 18 percent of all players.
Overall player penetration is slated to edge up slightly from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026, highlighting the limited room for growth through deeper market saturation. Instead, the modest increase reflects the broader expansion of the global online population, which is projected to grow by 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion users. In summary, Newzoo’s outlook suggests a gaming industry that is both financially robust and increasingly sophisticated in its revenue approaches. The upcoming launch of Grand Theft Auto VI will act as a major boost for full‑game sales, while mobile continues to dominate revenue share thanks to higher player spend and the rise of D2C storefronts.
Although PC’s share is shrinking relative to other platforms, its growth remains geographically diverse, and microtransactions are poised to become the predominant monetisation model once again. As the player base matures, the sector’s future success will depend more on deepening engagement with existing gamers and extracting greater lifetime value than on simply expanding the total number of players.