adminThe global games market 2025 reached a new milestone, generating $201.6 billion in revenue worldwide, according to research from Newzoo. That represents a 9.1% increase from the previous year and marks the first time annual global video game revenue exceeded $200 billion. The figures also show how spending is distributed across mobile, PC and console, as well as which regions contribute most to the market.
Global games market 2025: revenue by platform
Mobile remained the largest platform by revenue, bringing in $113.3 billion, or 56% of the total. Newzoo says growth was supported by direct-to-consumer spending, China’s mini-game boom and revenue from Tencent. Although mobile revenue exceeded the company’s earlier estimates, downloads declined. Newzoo attributes the increase to stronger monetisation rather than a growing number of players.
For readers comparing platform performance, revenue and downloads measure different things: higher spending does not necessarily mean more people are playing. The distinction is useful when assessing whether a market is expanding through audience growth or increased spending per player.
PC and console revenue in 2025
PC and console each accounted for about 22% of the global market. PC generated $43.6 billion, up 12% year-on-year and its strongest annual growth rate in Newzoo’s data. Titles including Battlefield 6, Monster Hunter Wilds and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 contributed to the platform’s strong performance.
PC game microtransaction revenue increased 9.1% year-on-year and represented 47% of PC revenue. Newzoo partly linked the rise to a “rebound” for Counter-Strike 2 and revenue from Roblox. Premium games brought in $14.1 billion, equal to 32% of PC revenue, after growing 25.3% year-on-year. These categories describe different types of spending, so they should not be added together without checking how the report defines each measure.
Console revenue reached $44.7 billion, a 2.8% annual increase. Newzoo described the growth as modest, citing softer live-service revenue and weaker-than-expected performance from Nintendo’s ecosystem. Full-game purchases and subscriptions helped offset declines in downloadable content (DLC) and in-game spending. DLC revenue fell 23.4% to $2.1 billion, while in-game spending decreased 4.6% to $13.3 billion.
China and the United States lead game spending
China ranked as the world’s largest video game market, with $54.6 billion in consumer spending. The United States followed with $50.8 billion. Together, the two countries accounted for more than half of global games spending in 2025.
Revenue grew 9.9% year-on-year in Asia Pacific and 10.7% in Europe. North America rose 5.7%, below the global average. The Middle East and Africa recorded 15% growth, while Latin America’s market increased by 9.6%. Regional comparisons can help put the global total in context, though growth rates alone do not show the size of each market.
Newzoo’s games market forecast
Looking ahead, Newzoo forecasts that the global games market will generate $234.4 billion in revenue by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. This is a projection, not a confirmed result. Overall, the global games market 2025 surpassed $200 billion, led by mobile revenue and supported by growth across several platforms and regions.
