From its humble beginnings with Computer Space, the first arcade game, the global gaming market has taken off phenomenally. Mordor Intelligence, Statista, Business Wire, Inc42, We PC, Business Insider, Newzoo, and VentureBeat have provided the following statistics. We also explore other trends and happenings in the world of gaming.
Statistics
Between 2019 and 2025, the gaming industry went from a value of $151.55 billion to an expected $256.97 billion in a few years with the video gaming side netting worth $90 billion in 2020. Gaming is the hobby of choice for 2.5 billion people around the globe, including 456 million people actively involved in e-sport. Immersive games are popular with $4.5 billion players, which are preferred twenty times more than other games. Sony Interactive Entertainment has an approximate value of $13.4 billion.
Between 2020 and 2025, it is anticipated that the gaming market will grow by 9.17% and the video game industry by 2.29%, year-on-year, respectively. In 2020, video gaming was valued in excess of $90 billion, up from $78.61 billion in 2017.
How Countries Compare
The largest income from global gaming has accrued to Asia-Pacific, raking in $174 billion up to 2021. However, China is the top gaming market in the world, bringing in 40.8 billion U.S dollars in 2021. They were closely shadowed by the USA with 36.92 billion U.S dollars.
The top-selling game in the UK was FIFA21. In the USA, Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War holds first place. Then in Japan, more players chose Animal Crossing: New Horizons than any other game.
The Console Gaming Market
While the console gaming market has performed well since 2015, the rate of growth has slowed down, and its hopes are hanging on Microsoft’s next-generation console released last year and Sony’s PlayStation 5. The Xbox series X and PlayStation 5 work with next-generation virtual reality and local 4K. The former has released a dedicated audio chip, as the PS5 console provided 3D audio for an improved user experience.
Mobile casino is a growing trend. An example is the lucky nugget casino NZ, which supports Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod, and other well-loved versions. Smartphones are set to take 59% of the market.
E-Sports, Mobile Gaming, and Other Trends
Two trends on the upswing are e-sports and mobile gaming. Mobile games captured over 50% of the entire market in 2021. This is expected to rise above the 100-billion-dollar level in 2023. Singapore anticipates $7.2 million in e-sport revenue from the company Razer.
The projected revenue for e-sports in 2021 was $1.084 billion after a record year in 2020 where it reached a whopping $947.1 million. Brand investments are fuelling the market through advertising, sponsorships, and media rights.
Gaming has also become something of a spectator sport, especially for the 18-25 age group who watch more gaming online than regular sports. Simultaneously, players are expressing a preference for hyper-casual games, up 29% between 2019 and 2020.
And while Covid was expected to have a significant negative effect on all industries, this did not hold true for gaming. The virus has had a conversely explosive effect on the world of gaming as more people found themselves isolated in the pandemic and sought online interaction and entertainment. These trends are set to continue for some time to come.