General video gaming use among the U.S. population increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May and December 2020, U.S. teens aged 15 to 19 years spent an average of 112.8 daily minutes on playing games and using computers for leisure, up from 73.8 minutes per day in the corresponding period of 2019. In 2024, the daily time spent on such activities among this age group decreased to 78.6 minutes per day.

Percentage of Canadians' time spent online and using video streaming services and video gaming services, in a typical week.

In April 2025, total video games sales in the United States amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars, representing a one percent year-over-year increase. Generally speaking, the video game industry has its most important months in November and December, as video game software and hardware make very popular Christmas gifts. In December 2024, total U.S. video game sales surpassed **** billion U.S. dollars. Birth of the video game industry Although the largest regional market in terms of sales, as well as number of gamers, is Asia Pacific, the United States is also an important player within the global video games industry. In fact, many consider the United States as the birthplace of gaming as we know it today, fueled by the arcade game fever in the ’60s and the introduction of the first personal computers and home gaming consoles in the ‘70s. Furthermore, the children of those eras are the game developers and game players of today, the ones who have driven the movement for better software solutions, better graphics, better sound and more advanced interaction not only for video games, but also for computers and communication technologies of today. An ever-changing market However, the video game industry in the United States is not only growing, it is also changing in many ways. Due to increased internet accessibility and development of technologies, more and more players are switching from single-player console or PC video games towards multiplayer games, as well as social networking games and last, but not least, mobile games, which are gaining tremendous popularity around the world. This can be evidenced in the fact that mobile games accounted for ** percent of the revenue of the games market worldwide, ahead of both console games and downloaded or boxed PC games.

In the first quarter of the fiscal year 2026, game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) generated over 1.08 billion U.S. dollars in net bookings via live services. Full game sales generated 214 million U.S. dollars in net bookings during the same period. Net bookings are defined as the net number of products and services sold digitally or sold-in physically in the period. Net bookings are calculated by adding total net revenue to the change in deferred net revenue for online-enabled games. Live services are EA’s revenue generator Gaming companies have pivoted to monetizing their titles beyond the initial purchase and are constantly working on keeping online players engaged via new characters, battle seasons and other in-game content. EA’s portfolio of live service games includes sports franchises EA Sports FC, and Madden NFL, as well as Battle Royale title Apex Legends, first-person shooter Battlefield V, and life simulation the Sims. All these titles are long-running series with new installments and downloadable content (DLC) being released regularly. On the flip side, the focus on live-service games means fewer big new releases, leading to a stagnation of the market in regard to new IPs (IP is short for intellectual property and a new IP refers to a new game which is not a spin-off or sequel of an existing game). Sports gamers are likely to spend money EA is constantly seeking to expand its EA Sports portfolio. In July 2025, EA released its first College Football video game after an eleven-year break since NCAA Football 14. This strategic decision is driven by several factors. First, sports gaming audiences are highly engaged and willing to spend money on additional gaming content. Second, any college football game will include rosters without names, images or likenesses or real college players to adhere to NCAA rules, which works in EA’s favor as the company as this keeps licensing costs low. And last, college football is a major pastime in EA’s biggest single market, the United States. All the pieces are lining up for EA to have another major moneymaker on their hands. This strategy paid off, as EA Sports College Football 25 became one of the top-selling video games in the United States in 2024.

A global consumer survey conducted in March 2024 found that 18 percent of respondents were more likely to buy a video game if it was advertised as a collector or limited edition. However, 45 percent of respondents stated that they were not interested in limited edition releases.

In the first fiscal quarter of 2026, gaming publisher Electronic Arts (EA) generated 1.38 billion U.S. dollars through its live service segment. The full game segment (including game downloads and packaged goods) generated 289 million U.S. dollars in revenues.