In March 2025, total video games sales in the United States amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars, representing a six percent year-over-year decrease. 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.

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.

A July 2022 survey of U.S. gamers aged 50-plus found that puzzle and logic games were the most popular video game genre among respondents in that age bracket. Card and tile games ranked second, with 69 percent of respondents stating that they typically played video games like that.

As of the third quarter of 2024, ******* and ****** adventure games were the two most popular video game genres across the globe. ******* games ranked as the most-played gaming genre for age groups 16 to 54 years old. **************** were the second-most popular game genre, ranking second across the majority of age groups. Online users aged 16 to 24 years were the only age group to have ************* games in their top gaming genres, whereas older age groups also played ************ games. Shooter games – most-played across all age groups Shooter video games are a type of action video game where the goal is almost entirely on defeating the character's enemies using firearms or other long-range weapons given to the player. Players can usually find in-game items such as ammunition and health packs or weapon upgrades during their session. Shooters are available on virtually all gaming platforms and can be played individually as a single-player, or in a multiplayer environment. Many shooter games are played competitively. A very popular type of shooter game are first-person shooters (FPS), where players experience everything through their character’s eyes in a first-person perspective while moving through a 3D space. Popular first-person shooters include the best-selling Call of Duty series, as well as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Doom, Quake, Team Fortress 2, and Halo. Action adventures – a wide-ranging genre Action adventures are also one of the most popular game genres, and players have a large variety of games to choose from. An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from action games (real-time interactions with the environment, physical and conceptual challenges) and adventure games (puzzles). The story that the player experiences is enacted rather than narrated. Popular action adventure games include The Legend of Zelda series, the Grand Theft Auto franchise, God of War, the Tom Raider series, as well as survival horror games like the Resident Evil series, or Metroidvania games.

Video gaming is a hobby enjoyed by young and old across the globe. In 2025, there were over *** billion gamers across Asia Pacific, making it the largest market for video gaming worldwide, with Europe coming in second place with a gaming audience of *** million. In total, there were an estimated **** billion gamers across the globe.

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.

A survey in August 2022 found that 49 percent of U.S. gamers who had heard of Nintendo also liked the video gaming company. Nintendo ranked 15 percentage points ahead of second-ranked EA (Electronic Arts), which only 34 percent of aware gamers stated they liked.

Gamers are among us, but what are they playing? Here is the popularity of the video game genre role-playing (RPG) in the U.S. over the over the past years. As of the first quarter of 2025, 23 percent of video gamers in the United States play role-playing (RPG) games. The survey was conducted online among 3200 to 8433 respondents per quarter in the United States, between 2019 and 2025. Statista Consumer Insights offer you all results of our exclusive Statista surveys, based on more than 2,000,000 interviews.

An October 2023 survey of gamers in the United States found that arcade and puzzle games were among the most popular video gaming genres across all generations. About 64 percent of Gen Alpha gamers stated arcade games as one of their top three gaming categories.

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.

We asked U.S. consumers about "Video game purchases by store brand" and found that "Amazon" takes the top spot, while "Humble Bundle" is at the other end of the ranking.These results are based on a representative online survey conducted in 2025 among 5,990 consumers in the United States. Looking to gain valuable insights about video gamers worldwide? Check out our reports on customers of video game stores and subscription services. These reports give readers a thorough picture of the people who use these platforms, including their identities, preferences, opinions, and methods of communication.

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.

A global game developer survey in 2024 found that 64 percent of respondents thought that video gamers would still be playing role-playing video games in 10 years. Additionally, 55 percent of responding game developers felt battle royale games would still be popular in a decade.

Gamers are among us, but what are they playing? Here is the popularity of the video game genre MMORPG in the U.S. over the past years. There is only a slight decrease from 2024 Q1 to the current value. The survey was conducted online among 3200 to 8433 respondents per quarter in the United States, between 2019 and 2025. Statista Consumer Insights offer you all results of our exclusive Statista surveys, based on more than 2,000,000 interviews.

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.

Video gamers in the United States and the United Kingdom felt that while the adoption of generative AI tools in the video game industry was an overall good thing, individual creatives such as artists, voice actors, and writers were most likely to be negatively impacted. A March 2023 survey found that 49 percent of respondents were concerned that voice actors were likely to be harmed by the use of AI. In contrast, 69 percent of respondents felt that large game studios would likely benefit from such tools. The threat of generative AI looms over the entertainment industry These worries expressed by gamers are not unfounded - as of July 2023, Hollywood actors of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (more commonly known as SAG-AFTRA) have been striking over the use of AI in films and other issues. They are joining the ongoing strike of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who have been striking since May 1st, 2023, about streaming residuals as well as the usage of AI in scriptwriting. The requests of the WGA include a ban on the use of AI for writing and rewriting source material, the use of AI as source materials, as well as a ban on training AI on WGA writers' work.

The 2016–2017 video game voice actor strike Voice actors, including those who work on video games, are also part of the SAG-AFTRA. As artists who primarily work without their personal image being attached to their product, voice actors are particularly at risk of being exploited by studios. The 2016–2017 video game voice actor strike started in October 2016 by the SAG-AFTRA union against 11 major video game developers and publishers after failed contract renegotiation terms that had been in discussion since February 2015. The strike, which at its core was about the implementation of residuals based on video game sales as well as improved transparency about working conditions, lasted 340 days until a deal was reached on September 23, 2017. However, the agreement did not include residuals as SAG-AFTRA sought but did include a sliding-scale bonus payment for each recording session a voice actor participated in. At the time of the 2016-2017 strike, about a quarter of video games used some type of acting, either as live actors or voice actors for full-motion capture or full-motion video, and this trend has only escalated since then. With the increasing prominence of the performance of video game actors in recent years, video game award shows now frequently feature Best Performance categories too. Despite this growing appreciation, voice actors still keenly feel the impact of industry trends.

In 2024, about 34 percent of gamers in the United States were highly engaged super gamers who played video games as their primary source of entertainment. Avid gamers (those who played video games as one of a few equivalent sources of entertainment) accounted for the biggest share of gaming audiences in the United States.

The number of users in the 'Games' segment of the media market in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2025 and 2030 by in total **** million users (+**** percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the number of users is estimated to reach ****** million users and therefore a new peak in 2030. Notably, the number of users of the 'Games' segment of the media market was continuously increasing over the past years.Find other key market indicators concerning the revenue growth and user penetration.The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

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.

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.