According to Newzoo’s latest Global Games Market Report, the worldwide video‑game industry is on track to expand by 6.1 percent in 2026, reaching an overall valuation of roughly $213.9 billion. More than half of that spending will be generated by consumers in two powerhouse economies—China and the United States—underscoring the continued importance of these markets for publishers and developers alike.
The full report, slated for public release on September 10, breaks down the forecast across the three major platform categories: console, mobile, and PC. Console hardware and software sales are projected to represent 22 percent of the total market, amounting to about $46.9 billion, and are expected to grow at a 5.1 percent annual rate. A key driver for this segment will be the highly anticipated November launch of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI.
Newzoo estimates that the title will lift overall full‑game spending by 17.5 percent, marking the strongest growth among all business models in the sector. Mobile gaming remains the dominant platform, accounting for 57 percent of total revenue and reaching an estimated $121.1 billion in 2026. This segment’s year‑on‑year growth of 6.8 percent will be fueled by two main forces: a gradual increase in player spend per user and the continued expansion of direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) distribution channels.
A recent study conducted by FastSpring and Omdia revealed that 96 percent of game studios either already operate or intend to launch a D2C web store. Studios cite enhanced brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and richer first‑party data as the primary motivations for moving sales in‑house, allowing them to bypass traditional platform fees and better understand their audiences. The PC gaming market is expected to hold the smallest slice of the pie at 21 percent, translating to $45.9 billion in revenue.
Growth on this platform is projected at 5.3 percent year‑on‑year, a slowdown compared with the 12 percent compound annual growth rate that Newzoo had forecast for 2025. Despite the deceleration, PC titles—particularly premium and mid‑priced releases—will continue to sustain a significant portion of full‑game revenue. Meanwhile, microtransaction‑driven models are anticipated to reclaim their position as the industry’s largest revenue stream, reflecting the ongoing popularity of in‑game purchases across all platforms.
Geographically, the report highlights a broad‑based expansion of PC gaming, driven primarily by the Asia‑Pacific region, as well as emerging growth in Latin America and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) corridor. Player acquisition, however, is expected to lose momentum. While the global player base is projected to climb to 4.07 billion by 2029—a 3.2 percent compound annual growth rate from 2026—the year‑on‑year increase will drop from 4.4 percent in 2026 to a more modest pace thereafter. Newzoo points out that future market growth will rely increasingly on retaining and monetising existing gamers rather than on attracting large numbers of new users.
The concentration of growth in emerging markets is another notable trend. Asia‑Pacific continues to be the largest regional market, but the fastest‑growing areas are the Middle East and Africa, where rising internet penetration and expanding smartphone adoption are opening new opportunities for developers.
Mobile gamers are expected to number 3.10 billion in 2026, representing roughly 84 percent of the total player population. In contrast, PC gamers will reach an estimated 977 million (about 26 percent of all gamers), while console enthusiasts are projected to number 651 million, or 18 percent of the global base.
Overall player penetration—defined as the proportion of the online population that engages in gaming—will edge up slightly from 61.5 percent to 62 percent in 2026. Newzoo cautions that the market is approaching a saturation point; there is limited headroom for expanding the base through deeper penetration. Consequently, growth will be driven more by the online population’s expansion—projected at 3.5 percent, reaching 5.97 billion users—than by converting a larger share of existing internet users into gamers. In summary, the 2026 outlook paints a picture of a maturing industry where revenue growth is increasingly tied to higher spend per existing player, the strategic use of D2C storefronts, and the launch of marquee titles such as Grand Theft Auto VI.
While the overall market size is set to surpass the $200 billion mark, the sector’s future will hinge on how effectively companies can deepen engagement with their current audiences, leverage microtransaction ecosystems, and capitalize on the rapid digital adoption occurring across emerging regions.