Video gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young. As generations have grown up with video games a normal part of life, the age of the average gamer also increases. During a 2023 survey, 25 percent of video game players still come from the 27 to 42 years age demographic, and 19 percent are 59 years and older. Time spent gaming In 2023, Americans aged between 15 to 19 years spent 98.4 minutes on gaming or leisurely computer use during an average day. The age demographic which devoted the least amount of time to gaming was the 55 to 64 years category. Members of this age demographic spent an average of just 17.4 minutes playing on the computer during an average day.
As of March 2025, 27 percent of female adults in the United States spent one to five hours per week playing video games. A further 20 percent of female respondents stated that they spent six to ten hours on video gaming in an average week. In contrast, 12 percent of male respondents indicated that they spent 11 to 15 hours per week on video games. Overall, 17 percent of responding women were non-gamers and did not spend any time on video games but only 14 percent male adults in the United States were a non-gamer.
As of June 2024, 48 percent of video gamer in the United States were female, with the remaining 52 percent of U.S. video gaming audiences were male. Currently, there are approximately 212 million gamers in the United States.
As of June 2024, 27 percent of adults in the United States spent one to five hours per week playing video games. A further 10 percent of respondents stated that they spent 11 to 15 hours on video gaming in an average week. Overall, 19 percent of respondents were non-gamers and did not spend any time on video games.
As of June 2024, 34 percent of video gaming audiences in the United States belonged to the top third of households by income. A further 32 percent of U.S. gamers were belonged to the middle household income segment.
In 2025, women accounted for 47 percent of gamers in the United States, up from 46 percent of U.S. gamers identifying as women during the previous year.
What percentage gamers are female? Almost half of gaming audiences in the United States are female. This development has been ongoing for years, and whereas women are under-represented in games media and the industry, they make up a sizable chunk of gamers and spending power. There are some differences in terms of genre preferences but as a whole, female gaming audiences in the United States are just as engaged as their male counterparts.
A March 2024 survey found that 28 percent of adults in the United States played video games on a console at least once per week. Weekly console gaming was highest among respondents aged 35 to 54 years, with more than four in ten of respondents in this age group confirming that they did so.
According to a survey conducted in 2021, around ** percent of respondents in the age group 15 to 24 years said they played video games. Similarly, around ** percent of respondents in the age group **** to 14 years were video game players.
Video gaming in Australia
In 2022, video gaming was listed as the fifth most popular hobby or activity in Australia. The leading reasons to play video games in Australia in 2021 were to have fun, relieve boredom, and keep the mind active. Australians between 15-24 years old accounted for the largest share of video game players in Australia in 2021, by age group, with the majority of video game players playing on a game console or their phone. Over half of Australians between 18-64 years old reported spending *** hours or less playing video games per week in 2022, with one-fifth of Australians stating that they didn’t play video games at all.
Video game preferences
As of 2022, the most popular video game genres in Australia were action and adventure games, with the Apple App Store and Google Play Store accounting for the largest amount of digital video game purchases by store brand in Australia. As at June 2022, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was the top selling video game in Australia.
A survey conducted in the third quarter of 2024 found that over 92 percent of female internet users aged 16 to 24 years worldwide played video games on any kind of device. During the survey period, 93 percent of male respondents in the same age group stated that they played video games. Worldwide, over 83 percent of internet users were gamers.
In 2024, around 53 percent of Germans played computer and video games. This was a slight decrease from the previous year. The timeline shows the share of computer and video game players in Germany from 2013 to 2024.
According to a survey of global internet audiences in the third quarter of 2024, 83.6 percent of internet users played video games on any device. The Philippines had the highest video gaming usage reach, ranking first with a gaming penetration of 96.6 percent. Indonesia ranked second, with 96.4 percent of responding internet users stating that they played video games. The United Kingdom and Japan ranked last, with 71.1 and 64.4 percent of internet users, respectively, reporting their participation in video gaming. The impact of mobile gaming The global gaming penetration among online users was over 83 percent, highlighting how much of a mainstream hobby gaming has become. Additionally, as shown by the many mobile-first digital markets with strong gaming reach, the impact of readily available mobile gaming devices cannot be overstated. A survey from the third quarter of 2024 found that smartphones were the most popular way to play video games worldwide, with more than 67 percent of respondents stating to play video games in such a way. This usage rate was miles ahead of second-ranked laptop or desktop PCs, which only 34 percent of global gamers stated to use. Who are the global gaming audiences? A survey conducted in the third quarter of 2023 found that 89.6 percent of female internet users aged 16 to 24 years worldwide played video games on any kind of device. During the survey period, 92.6 percent of male respondents in the same age group stated that they played video games. Gaming is a more popular activity among younger age groups, but even seven in ten respondents between 55 and 64 years old stated that they were gamers. Gaming genre preferences vary by age group, but overall, shooters and action-adventure games rank first in terms of popularity among users. Other popular gaming genres were simulation and sports games.
According to a 2021 survey, approximately ** percent of New Zealanders aged five to ** played video games. In contrast, ** people of people aged 85 to 94 played video games.
Revenue of video games market
Video game revenue in New Zealand was approximately **** billion US dollars in 2021, and it is expected to increase to approximately **** billion US dollars in 2026. In the same year, women made up ** percent of video game players in New Zealand. This represented a slight increase over the proportion of female gamers in 2019, which stood at around ** percent.
Device used to play video games
In New Zealand, roughly ** percent of households used a computer to play video games. This was a decrease from the ** percent of households reached in 2015, with mobile devices gaining in popularity. In New Zealand, however, approximately ** percent of households used a mobile phone to play video games. Since 2015, when it increased to ** percent, this share has remained relatively stable.
As of March 2025, ** percent of video gamers in the United States were female, with the remaining ** percent of U.S. video gaming audiences were male. Currently, there are approximately *** million gamers in the United States.
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 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 2023, the daily time spent on such activities among this age group decreased to 98.4 minutes per day.
Video gaming is a popular way for gamers to connect with friends and family. A February 2025 survey found that 66 percent of gamers in the United States played with friends either online or in person. Additionally, 21 percent of gamers said they played video games with their spouse or partner.
In 2022, about 67 percent of highly engaged habitual gamers (who played video games as their primary source of entertainment) in the United States were male. Only 41 percent of those who identified as occasional gamers were male. Furthermore, over half of habitual U.S. gamers were aged 18 to 34 years whereas only 19 percent of occasional gamers belonged to this age group.
In 2023, men in the United States spent approximately 42 minutes per day on games and using a computer for leisure. General video gaming use among the U.S. population increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May and December 2020, U.S. men spent an average 49.2 daily minutes on playing games and using computers for leisure, up from 36 minutes per day in the corresponding period of 2019. Women spent an average 26.4 minutes per day on gaming and leisure computer use.
According to a survey in 2021, around ** percent of video game players in New Zealand were female. This was a slight increase from the proportion of female gamers in 2019, with a value of around ** percent.
Video gaming is a popular way for gamers to connect with friends and family. A February 2025 survey found that 72 percent of gamers in the United States played with others online or in person, up from 65 percent of U.S. gamers who did so in 2020. According to U.S. gamers, friends are the most popular group of people to play online with.
In 2023, white Americans spent an average 31.2 daily minutes on playing games and using computers for leisure on weekdays and 40.2 minutes on such activities during the weekend and holidays. The Hispanic population averaged 36 minutes on playing games and computer use for leisure during the weekend and holidays.
Video gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young. As generations have grown up with video games a normal part of life, the age of the average gamer also increases. During a 2023 survey, 25 percent of video game players still come from the 27 to 42 years age demographic, and 19 percent are 59 years and older. Time spent gaming In 2023, Americans aged between 15 to 19 years spent 98.4 minutes on gaming or leisurely computer use during an average day. The age demographic which devoted the least amount of time to gaming was the 55 to 64 years category. Members of this age demographic spent an average of just 17.4 minutes playing on the computer during an average day.