The global games market generated $201.6 billion in revenue in 2025, up 9.1% year-over-year, according to Newzoo’s latest market report. The result marks the first time the industry has exceeded the $200 billion threshold and came in above the firm’s previous forecasts.
Platforms
Growth was driven primarily by strong performances across PC and mobile gaming. PC revenues reached $43.6 billion, representing a record 12.0% year-over-year increase and the strongest annual growth rate. Rather than relying on a single blockbuster release, the platform benefited from a broad range of successful premium titles across different price points, including Battlefield 6, Monster Hunter Wilds and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Console gaming generated $44.7 billion in revenue, up 2.8% year-over-year. While the segment returned to growth after a softer 2024, performance was tempered by weaker live-service revenues and lower-than-expected results from Nintendo’s ecosystem. Full-game purchases and subscription spending helped offset declines in downloadable content and microtransactions. Newzoo noted that the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, which sold more than 15 million units during its first seven months on the market, made a significant contribution to annual console revenues.
Mobile remained the industry’s largest segment, accounting for $113.3 billion in revenue and growing 10.7% year-over-year. The platform’s performance exceeded previous expectations despite declining global download volumes, suggesting that revenue growth is increasingly being driven by monetization rather than user acquisition. At the same time, mobile publishers faced mounting challenges in attracting new players. According to data from Adjust cited in the report, the global cost per install increased by 30% year-over-year to $0.56, while the ratio of paid-to-organic installs rose by 61%, indicating a continued decline in organic discovery.
Asia-Pacific & Europe
All major regions recorded growth during the year, although performance varied significantly. Asia-Pacific remained the largest market, representing 47% of global games revenues and growing 9.9% year-over-year. Japan and South Korea both outperformed global PC growth rates, while growth in China moderated during the second half of the year following a particularly strong 2024 comparison period.
Europe delivered one of the strongest performances among major regions, with revenues increasing 10.7% year-over-year. The region benefited from a strong PC market, where revenues grew 15.7%, the highest regional PC growth rate recorded in 2025. Mobile revenues in Europe increased 15.5%, extending a three-year trend of growth above the global average.
North & Latin America, Middle East & Africa
North America, the world’s second-largest games market with a 27% share of global revenues, grew by 5.7% year-over-year. This was the only region to expand at a slower rate than the global average, reflecting its greater reliance on console gaming and softer live-service performance among several major franchises.
The fastest-growing region was the Middle East and Africa, where revenues increased 15.0% year-over-year. Latin America also outperformed the global market with growth of 9.6%. Newzoo expects both regions to continue growing faster than the global average through 2028, supported by increasing smartphone penetration and improving payment infrastructure.
That one game
Looking ahead, Newzoo identifies Grand Theft Auto VI as the single most important driver of games market growth in 2026. The firm forecasts console revenues to reach $46.9 billion next year, up 5.1% year-over-year, largely on the assumption that Rockstar’s highly anticipated title launches in November as planned. Without it, console revenues would likely underperform. With GTA VI confirmed only for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S at launch, the game is also expected to accelerate adoption of current-generation hardware. Beyond initial sales, continued engagement with GTA Online is expected to support microtransaction and subscription revenues through 2027 and 2028.
