Video gaming is a popular way for gamers to connect with friends and family, and many gamers have formed relationships through video games. During a February 2025 survey, 78 percent of responding gamers in the United States agreed that playing games can introduce people to new friends.

Video gaming is no longer just a hobby of teenagers - thanks to developments in gaming technology and the accessibility of many games, the activity has become very popular among both genders and young and old alike. During a June 2021 survey in the United States, 89 percent of respondents stated that they had made friends through playing video games.

In July 2025, total video games sales in the United States amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars, representing a five 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.

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.

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, total U.S. consumer spending on video game content amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars, a significant increase from ***** billion U.S. dollars in the preceding year. Video game spending surged in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a survey conducted in March 2024, 76 percent of adults in the United States played video games on at least one platform. In comparison, 24 percent of U.S. adults did not play video games at all.

The revenue in the 'Games' segment of the media market in France was modeled to be ************ U.S. dollars in 2024. Between 2017 and 2024, the revenue rose by ************ U.S. dollars, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. The revenue will steadily rise by ************ U.S. dollars over the period from 2024 to 2030, reflecting a clear upward trend.Further information about the methodology, more market segments, and metrics can be found on the dedicated Market Insights page on Games.

In 2022, social and casual gaming sector without advertising generated more revenue than the video game advertising sector. The mobile-heavy segment saw approximately ** billion U.S. dollars in annual global revenues, while traditional gaming generated ** billion U.S. dollars in annual sales. Digital revenue is dominating the gaming segment, as physical gaming sales are declining for a variety of reasons.

In July 2025, EA Sports College Football 26 was the top-selling video game in the United States based on dollar sales. EA Sports MVP Bundle (2025) ranked second. The video game sales charts that month were dominated by blockbuster franchise games.

In May 2025, the retail gaming revenue in the United States amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars. When examining specific segment revenues, accessories were the lowest-performing segment at retail overall, while video gaming content accounted for the majority of consumer spending. Video game spending habits in the United States More than four in ten U.S. gamers across all platforms were willing to spend a maximum of ** to ** U.S. dollars on a video game. A November 2022 survey found that more than four in ten PC and console gamers stated so, while over three in ten mobile-only gamers said they only played free games. Console gamers were most comfortable spending money on their hobby at this price point. In 2023, total U.S. consumer spending on video game content amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars, a one percent increase from **** billion U.S. dollars in the preceding year. Game releases are planned around the holiday season What is very specific to the industry at large is that the highest monthly revenues occur around the holiday season in November and December of each year. The entire market revolves around maximizing sales during the season, and most new game releases of high-budget, high-profile titles (so-called AAA games) are planned shortly before the winter holidays. Many of these annual blockbuster releases see releases from late Q3 onwards: EA Sports FC usually releases in late September, and new games in Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty series are launched between late October and early November.For the holiday season 2023, blockbusters Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield had already started the season of major video game releases. Other AAA titles that are also taking advantage of the Christmas shopping release window are the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 as well as the Nintendo Switch release of Hogwarts Legacy and the PS5 port of mobile gaming title Honkai Star Rail by Genshin Impact publisher MiHoYo.

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.

According to a February 2025 survey of gaming audiences in the United States, male gamers were more likely than female ones to play video games for at least one hour per week — with one exception. Among the Boomer generation, 52 percent of female gamers played video games for at least an hour weekly, while only 55 percent of male gamers in that age group stated the same.

A September 2023 survey found that while 32 percent of consumers in the United States played video games regularly, there were certain consumer groups who were more likely to do so. It was found that 47 percent of LGBTQ+ consumers played video games, ahead of Gen Z consumers and men in general.

The COVID-19 pandemic that spread across the world at the beginning of 2020 was not only a big threat to public health, but also to the entire entertainment industry. While cinemas and theaters closed their doors to try to stem the spread of the disease, many people turned to home entertainment during periods of self-isolation. During a March 2020 survey, video gamers in the United States reported that they spent ** percent more time playing video games amid the quarantine than in the previous week.

The graph shows the distribution of U.S. video game sales by genre. In 2018, 11.1 percent of all video games sold in the United States were sports games.

Video gaming is no longer just a hobby of teenagers - thanks to developments in gaming technology and the accessibility of many games, the activity has become very popular among both genders and young and old alike. Despite its popularity, the anonymous nature of online gaming leaves some gamers open to harassment and negative experiences. During an August 2023 survey in the United States, 67 percent of respondents stated that they had been called offensive names while playing video games. Overall, 76 percent of responding gamers had encountered online harassment, down from 83 percent two years prior.

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.

Regular indie buyers ranked as the most prolific video game buyers among all examined gamer groups. A 2023 survey found that on average, regular indie buyers had purchased * AAA games, * AA games and ** indie games in the preceding ** month period.

According to a 2024 survey, adults in Germany spend around ** minutes a day playing video games. This was a slight decrease compared to the previous year. 2021 saw a spike in game playing, probably because people were spending more time inside and alone due to the lockdowns. Video game market The worldwide gaming market is currently valued at around ****** billion U.S. dollars and is predicted to continue to grow by over *** billion U.S. dollars by 2029. In Germany, the gaming market saw some rapid growth from 2016 to 2021, with revenue tripling, and although the increase has slowed in the last few years, it is still going up. This increase is probably due to the fact that it is now easier than ever to play video games because they can be played not just on consoles, but also on smartphones and PCs. Playing on a smartphone was how most Germans preferred to play video games in 2024, however, not all games can be played on all devices, so sometimes a more traditional gaming console is still needed if gamers want to play certain games. Gamers in Germany Although the stereotype suggests that teenagers are the demographic most interested in gaming, figures confirm that it is people aged 30 to 39 and ** to ** who are the biggest gamers. But what are gamers playing? The most popular games include EA Sports FC 2024, Hogwarts Legacy, based on the Harry Potter series, and Diablo IV.