According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, the worldwide video‑game sector is set to expand by roughly 6.1 percent in 2026, pushing total revenue to an estimated $213.9 billion. More than half of that spending is expected to come from two powerhouse markets—China and the United States—underscoring the continued dominance of these regions in shaping industry trends. The full report, slated for release on September 10, breaks down the forecast across the three primary platform categories: console, mobile, and PC.
Console sales are projected to account for about 22 percent of the total market, translating to $46.9 billion in revenue and a year‑over‑year growth rate of 5.1 percent. A key driver behind this uplift is the highly anticipated November launch of Rockstar Games’ next‑generation title, Grand Theft Auto VI. Newzoo predicts that the blockbuster will boost full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5 percent, marking the strongest growth among all business models in the sector.
Mobile gaming remains the largest slice of the pie, expected to capture 57 percent of global revenue and generate $121.1 billion. This segment’s 6.8 percent annual increase is 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 development studios either already run or plan to launch their own D2C web stores.
Studios cite greater brand visibility, stronger customer loyalty, and richer first‑party data as the primary incentives for moving away from traditional marketplace models. In contrast, the PC platform is forecast to hold the smallest share of the market at 21 percent, equating to $45.9 billion in revenue.
Growth on PC is expected to slow to 5.3 percent year‑over‑year, a noticeable dip from the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) projected for 2025. Despite the lower growth rate, Newzoo anticipates that PC expansion will be geographically diverse, with the strongest gains coming from the Asia‑Pacific region, as well as emerging markets in Latin America and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) corridor. When it comes to monetisation models, premium and mid‑priced titles are slated to continue sustaining full‑game revenue streams, while microtransactions are forecast to reclaim their position as the dominant business model across all platforms.
This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward hybrid monetisation strategies that blend upfront purchase prices with ongoing in‑game purchases. Player‑base dynamics also feature prominently in the outlook.
The total number of gamers worldwide is expected to grow more modestly, slowing from a 4.4 percent year‑over‑year increase in 2026 to a 3.2 percent CAGR through 2029. By the end of the forecast horizon, the global player population is projected to reach approximately 4.07 billion individuals. Newzoo notes that future growth will rely increasingly on retaining and monetising existing players rather than on attracting brand‑new users, a reality that underscores the importance of engagement, live‑service content, and community‑building initiatives.
Regional growth patterns reveal that emerging markets are now the primary engines of expansion. The Asia‑Pacific region remains the largest contributor to overall market size, while the Middle East and Africa are experiencing the fastest growth rates. Mobile gaming, in particular, is set to dominate player numbers, with an estimated 3.10 billion mobile gamers in 2026—representing roughly 84 percent of the total gaming audience. PC gamers are projected to number 977 million (about 26 percent), and console players are expected to reach 651 million (approximately 18 percent).
Penetration rates are also expected to inch upward, moving from 61.5 percent to roughly 62 percent of the global online population in 2026. Newzoo cautions that there is limited headroom for expanding the base through deeper market penetration; instead, growth will be driven by the overall online population increasing by an estimated 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion individuals.
In summary, the 2026 outlook paints a picture of a maturing yet still expanding gaming ecosystem. While revenue continues to climb, the pace of player‑base growth is decelerating, prompting developers and publishers to focus on extracting more value from existing audiences. The upcoming launch of Grand Theft Auto VI stands out as a marquee event that could inject a significant boost into full‑game sales, while the ongoing shift toward D2C storefronts signals a strategic move toward greater control over distribution, data, and customer relationships. As mobile remains the dominant platform by both revenue share and player count, and as emerging regions such as Latin America and MEA contribute increasingly to the market’s momentum, the industry is poised for a nuanced phase of growth that balances new‑player acquisition with deeper monetisation of the established gamer community.