According to Newzoo’s latest outlook, the worldwide video‑game market 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 economies—China and the United States—underscoring the continued dominance of these regions in the digital entertainment landscape. The figures are drawn from Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report, which will be released in its entirety on September 10. When the market is broken down by platform, console sales are projected to account for about 22 percent of the total, translating to $46.9 billion in revenue and representing a 5.1 percent year‑over‑year increase.
A major driver behind this uplift is the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI, slated for a November launch. Newzoo predicts that the new title will lift full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5 percent, making it the strongest growth catalyst among all business models tracked by the firm.
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 growth rate of 6.8 percent YoY is fueled by two complementary trends: higher average spend per player and the rapid expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels.
A recent joint survey by FastSpring and Omdia revealed that 96 percent of game studios either already run or plan to launch their own D2C web storefronts. Studios cite benefits such as heightened brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and direct access to first‑party data as key motivations for this shift. In contrast, the PC platform is forecast to hold the smallest share of the market at 21 percent, equating to $45.9 billion in sales. Although the sector is still growing—at a projected 5.3 percent YoY—the pace is slowing relative to the 12 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) that Newzoo had previously estimated for 2025.
The firm expects PC growth to be geographically diverse, with the strongest gains coming from the Asia‑Pacific region, as well as from Latin America and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) markets. Regarding monetisation models, Newzoo anticipates that premium and mid‑tier titles will continue to sustain revenue from full‑game purchases, while microtransactions are poised to reclaim the position of the most lucrative business model overall. This shift reflects a broader industry trend toward hybrid monetisation strategies that blend upfront purchases with in‑game spending options.
Player‑base dynamics also feature prominently in the forecast. The total number of gamers worldwide is expected to climb 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 increasingly on retaining and monetising existing players rather than on attracting large numbers of new users. This observation aligns with the fact that market growth is becoming more about deepening engagement within the current audience.
Regional growth patterns highlight the importance of emerging markets. Asia‑Pacific continues to be the largest contributor to overall revenue, while the Middle East and Africa are the fastest‑growing regions in terms of player adoption.
Mobile gaming, in particular, is expected to reach 3.10 billion users in 2026—accounting for roughly 84 percent of the global player base. PC gaming is projected to host about 977 million players (approximately 26 percent), and console gaming is estimated at 651 million users (around 18 percent). Penetration rates—measuring the proportion of the online population that engages in gaming—are forecast to edge up slightly from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026. Newzoo notes that there is limited scope for dramatic increases in penetration; instead, growth will stem from the overall online population expanding by about 3.5 percent to reach 5.97 billion people.
This suggests that the industry’s upside will be driven more by higher spend per existing gamer and by innovative monetisation tactics than by sheer expansion of the player pool. In summary, Newzoo’s outlook paints a picture of a maturing yet still vibrant gaming ecosystem. While revenue continues to climb, the composition of that growth is shifting: console launches like Grand Theft Auto VI are injecting fresh spikes into full‑game sales, mobile remains the dominant platform thanks to D2C strategies, and microtransactions are re‑emerging as the primary revenue engine.
At the same time, developers and publishers must focus on deepening relationships with current players, leveraging data insights, and tailoring experiences to diverse regional markets in order to sustain the upward trajectory projected for the next several years.