According to the latest figures released by market‑research firm Newzoo, the performance of long‑running live‑service and evergreen games was essentially flat—or even slipped—when comparing the first half of 2026 with the same period in 2025. The firm’s newly issued Global Games Market Report highlights that only a handful of titles managed to post any meaningful growth during this interval.
Those outliers included Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, the recently launched Diablo IV, Overwatch, the user‑generated‑content powerhouse Roblox, and a selection of new releases from Chinese giant Tencent that performed well in specific overseas markets. The report also notes that while Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription bundle is expected to provide a modest lift for multi‑game subscription services, overall digital revenue across six major Western territories actually fell year‑over‑year in the first half of 2026.
Newzoo attributes this contraction to a combination of weaker free‑to‑play performance and a dip in annualised premium spend, which together outweighed the impact of any strong new launches during the period. Looking ahead, Newzoo projects that the total number of console players will grow by roughly 3 percent over the course of the calendar year, an improvement on the near‑zero growth of about 0.5 percent recorded in 2025. The primary catalyst for this modest rebound is the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI, a title expected to generate a surge of interest in ninth‑generation hardware. In particular, the game should give PlayStation a renewed momentum, helping to offset the broader slowdown that has affected the console segment in recent years.
In addition to GTA VI, first‑party releases for Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 console are also forecast to broaden the installed base of ninth‑generation devices. Early indications from Nielsen IQ suggest that the launch of GTA VI on streaming platform Netflix triggered a noticeable uptick in console sales in the United Kingdom, with PlayStation 5 units climbing 33 percent and Xbox Series X/S sales rising 34 percent during the weeks following the premiere. Emmanuel “Manu” Rosier, Newzoo’s director of market intelligence, told GamesIndustry.biz that without the boost from GTA VI, overall console‑related revenue would likely have remained flat compared with 2025 levels.
His comments underscore the degree to which a single blockbuster can still sway the broader market dynamics, even in an era where subscription models and live‑service ecosystems dominate. The report also ranks the top ten publicly traded game companies for the first quarter of 2026.
Collectively, these firms generated $37.4 billion in revenue, representing a 6.7 percent increase over the same period a year earlier. Tencent retained the top spot, posting an 11.9 percent rise to $10.8 billion. Sony followed with $5.2 billion, a slight dip of 0.9 percent, while Microsoft reported $5.1 billion, down 5.5 percent.
Roblox, which has become a major player in the user‑generated‑content space, posted a striking 39.3 percent year‑on‑year growth to $1.4 billion, securing the tenth position on the list. On a macro level, Newzoo continues to forecast that the global games market will reach $213.9 billion in 2026, marking a 6.1 percent year‑over‑year expansion. The Asia‑Pacific region is expected to account for almost half of that total, with revenues projected at $100.7 billion. China alone is slated to generate $58.1 billion, while North America will contribute $56.9 billion, of which the United States is estimated to bring in $53.5 billion.
Player‑base growth is also on the rise. Newzoo anticipates that the worldwide number of gamers will hit 3.7 billion in 2026, a 4.4 percent increase from the previous year. Moreover, the proportion of players who actually spend money on games is expected to climb to 44.6 percent, up from 39.4 percent in 2015, indicating a maturing market where a larger share of the audience is willing to pay for content. Average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) is projected to reach $129.6, reflecting a modest 1.4 percent year‑over‑year gain.
Newzoo attributes this uplift to deeper spending habits among existing players rather than a surge of new spenders, suggesting that developers are succeeding in extracting more value from their established communities through expansions, cosmetics, battle passes, and other monetisation strategies. In summary, while the overall health of live‑service and evergreen titles shows signs of stagnation, the industry’s outlook remains cautiously optimistic thanks to the expected lift from blockbuster releases like GTA VI, continued growth in emerging markets, and incremental improvements in player spend.
The data paints a picture of a market that is slowly rebounding from a period of softness, with new hardware cycles and high‑profile launches acting as key drivers of future expansion.