According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, the worldwide video‑game sector is slated to expand by roughly 6.1 percent over the next year, bringing total revenues to an estimated $213.9 billion in 2026. More than half of that 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, which will be released on September 10, breaks down the forecast by platform and business model, offering a detailed view of where growth is expected to originate.
Console sales, for instance, are projected to generate $46.9 billion, representing about 22 percent of the total market and marking a 5.1 percent year‑on‑year increase. A major driver behind this uplift is the highly anticipated November launch of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI. Newzoo predicts that the new title will boost full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5 percent, a surge that the firm describes as the strongest growth among all business models in the sector. Mobile gaming remains the largest slice of the pie, accounting for roughly 57 percent of global revenue and projected to hit $121.1 billion.
This segment’s growth rate of 6.8 percent YoY is being fueled by two complementary forces: 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 plans to do so.
Studios cite benefits such as stronger brand visibility, deeper customer loyalty, and direct access to first‑party data as key motivators for this shift. In contrast, the PC platform is expected to hold the smallest share of the overall market, estimated at $45.9 billion or 21 percent. While still growing – Newzoo forecasts a 5.3 percent increase year‑over‑year – the pace is slower than the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) the firm had projected for 2025.
The slowdown reflects a maturing PC market, but growth is anticipated to be geographically diverse, with Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) regions leading the charge. When it comes to business models, premium and mid‑priced releases are expected to continue sustaining revenue from full‑game purchases.
At the same time, microtransactions are projected to reclaim their position as the largest source of income across all platforms, indicating that players will keep spending on in‑game items, cosmetics, and other digital goods. Player numbers are also a focal point of Newzoo’s outlook. The total global player base is projected to reach 4.07 billion by 2029, growing at a 3.2 percent CAGR after a 4.4 percent increase in 2026. This slowdown in player growth suggests that future expansion will rely more on retaining and monetising existing users rather than attracting large numbers of new gamers.
Newzoo notes that the market’s growth will increasingly hinge on deepening engagement with the current audience. Regional dynamics reinforce this narrative. Emerging markets are where the bulk of new growth is expected, with the Asia‑Pacific region remaining the largest contributor to total revenue. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa are set to record the fastest growth rates, reflecting expanding internet penetration and rising disposable income in those areas.
In terms of platform‑specific player counts, mobile gamers are forecast to number 3.10 billion in 2026, representing roughly 84 percent of all players worldwide. PC gamers are expected to total about 977 million (26 percent of the total), while console players are projected at 651 million, or 18 percent. These figures illustrate the continued dominance of mobile as the primary entry point for new gamers, while PC and console ecosystems retain sizable, albeit smaller, communities. Player penetration – the proportion of the global online population that plays games – is predicted to edge up slightly from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026.
Newzoo emphasizes that there is limited room to grow the base through deeper penetration; instead, most growth will stem from the overall online population expanding by about 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion people. This subtle increase in penetration highlights the saturation of gaming among internet users and underscores the importance of innovative monetisation strategies to extract more value from existing players. Overall, Newzoo’s forecast paints a picture of a robust yet maturing industry.
While revenue continues to climb, the rate of new player acquisition is decelerating, prompting developers and publishers to focus on retention, higher spend per user, and diversified distribution models. The upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI stands out as a marquee event that could inject a significant short‑term boost to full‑game sales, but the longer‑term health of the market will depend on how well studios adapt to the evolving preferences of a largely mobile‑centric, globally dispersed player base.