According to the latest projections from market‑research firm Newzoo, the worldwide video‑game industry is set to expand by roughly 6.1% in 2026, pushing total revenues to an estimated $213.9 billion. More than half of this spending is expected to come from two of the biggest consumer bases on the planet – China and the United States – underscoring the continued dominance of these markets in shaping global gaming trends.
The figures come from Newzoo’s forthcoming Global Games Market Report, which will be released in full on 10 September. The report breaks down the forecast by platform, business model, and regional dynamics, offering a granular view of where growth is expected to originate and what factors will drive it.
**Console segment** Newzoo predicts that console‑based gaming will account for about 22 % of the total market, translating to roughly $46.9 billion in revenue. This represents a modest 5.1 % year‑on‑year increase, reflecting the steady but not explosive health of the console ecosystem. A key catalyst for this uplift is the highly anticipated release of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI, slated for November 2026.
The title is expected to lift full‑game spending by an impressive 17.5 %, a surge that Newzoo describes as the strongest growth among all business models in the sector. **Mobile gaming** Mobile remains the heavyweight champion of platform share, projected to capture 57 % of the market and generate $121.1 billion in revenue.
The mobile segment’s growth rate of 6.8 % year‑over‑year is fueled by two interrelated 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 % of game studios either already operate or plan to launch their own D2C web stores.
Studios cite improved brand visibility, stronger player loyalty, and direct access to first‑party data as primary motivations for this shift. **PC gaming** Personal‑computer gaming is forecast to hold the smallest slice of the pie at 21 %, amounting to $45.9 billion.
While still growing – at an estimated 5.3 % year‑over‑year – the PC segment’s pace is expected to decelerate compared with the 12 % compound annual growth rate (CAGR) that Newzoo had projected for 2025. The slowdown reflects a maturing market where the most explosive growth phases have already passed, yet there remains ample opportunity for expansion in emerging regions such as Asia‑Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East‑Africa (MEA) corridor. **Business‑model outlook** Premium and mid‑tier titles are anticipated to keep sustaining full‑game revenue streams, while microtransactions are set to reclaim their status as the leading business model by volume.
This shift suggests that developers will continue to blend traditional purchase models with ongoing monetisation tactics, offering players a mix of upfront value and post‑launch content updates. **Player‑base dynamics** The total number of gamers worldwide is projected to climb to 4.07 billion by 2029, representing a compound annual growth rate of 3.2 % from 2026 onward.
However, the year‑on‑year increase is expected to slow to 4.4 % in 2026, indicating that the market is moving from a phase of rapid acquisition to one focused on retention and deeper monetisation of existing users. Newzoo notes that future growth will rely increasingly on keeping current players engaged and extracting more value from them, rather than simply adding new users to the ecosystem.
Geographically, growth is heavily concentrated in emerging markets. The Asia‑Pacific region remains the largest contributor to overall revenue, while the Middle East and Africa are expanding at the fastest rate. Mobile player numbers are estimated to reach 3.10 billion in 2026, which would represent about 84 % of the total gaming population. PC players are expected to number around 977 million (approximately 26 % of the total), and console users are projected at 651 million, or 18 % of the global base.
**Penetration and market saturation** Player penetration – the proportion of the global online population that plays games – is forecast to edge up from 61.5 % to 62 % in 2026. This modest rise reflects the limited headroom for expanding the base through deeper market penetration; instead, growth will largely stem from the overall online population expanding by an estimated 3.5 % to reach 5.97 billion individuals. **Implications for developers and publishers** The data paints a clear picture for industry stakeholders. Studios should prioritize high‑impact releases such as Grand Theft Auto VI, which can act as a catalyst for broader spending across the ecosystem.
At the same time, the continued rise of D2C storefronts signals that owning the customer relationship will become increasingly valuable, offering richer data insights and stronger brand loyalty. For mobile‑first developers, the emphasis will be on crafting compelling microtransaction experiences that balance revenue generation with player satisfaction. In summary, Newzoo’s outlook suggests a robust, albeit maturing, gaming market in 2026.
While overall revenue is set to climb past the $210 billion mark, the engine of growth will shift from raw player acquisition to sophisticated retention strategies, regional expansion in emerging economies, and a nuanced blend of premium, mid‑priced, and microtransaction‑driven business models. The industry’s ability to adapt to these trends will determine which companies thrive in the next wave of gaming evolution.