The total number of gamers could grow 3.2% a year to more than four billion by 2029, according to a forecast from market intelligence firm Newzoo. On top of that, the global games market is forecast to reach $213.9 billion in 2026, up 6.1% year over year.
Total players through 2029 could grow 3.2% a year from 3.27 billion in 2023 to 4.07 billion in 2029, Newzoo said. Growth will happen fastest in emerging markets. Asia-Pacific remains the largest player region, while the Middle East and Africa will expand fastest and North America and Europe grow more slowly.
In 2026, Newzoo is forecasting global player counts will hit 3.70 billion and it will hit 3.83 billion in 2027. In 2028, when new game consoles are expected, the number could hit 3.95 billion players.
Newzoo also said that in 2026, there are 977 million PC players, or 26% of the total. Console players are about 651 million, or 18% of total players. And there are 3.10 billion mobile players, or 84% of the total. Of course, it’s possible to have players in multiple categories.
By region, player growth is expected to slow steadily across the forecast, easing from 4.4% year over year in 2026 to a 3.2% CAGR through 2029, when the global player base reaches 4.07 billion. As penetration and conversion flatten, future market growth will depend increasingly on retaining and monetizing existing audiences rather than adding new players.
This year, player penetration is expected to edge up only slightly, from 61.5% to 62.0% of the
online population. That leaves limited room to grow the base through deeper penetration; growth instead reflects the online population expanding to 5.97 billion (+3.5% YoY).
Asia Pacific is expected to growth 4.0% year-over-year to 1.94 billion people. The Middle East and North Africa is expected to grow 7.9% YoY to 640 million people. Europe is expected to grow 2.7% YoY to 475 illion people. Latin America is expected to grow 4.7% YoY to 251 million people. And North America will grow only 1.5% YoY.
Key takeaways
The global games market is forecast to generate $213.9 billion in 2026, up 6.1% year on year, with growth across every major region and all three platforms. But beneath that headline, the industry’s growth engines are changing:
- GTA VI is expected to help drive a 17.5% increase in console full-game spending, the strongest growth of any business model.
- Mobile remains the largest and fastest-growing platform, reaching $121.1 billion, even as downloads fall and growth increasingly comes from deeper spending per player.
- The global player base will reach 3.70 billion in 2026, but future player growth is increasingly concentrated in emerging markets.
- The Middle East and Africa are the fastest-growing regions for both revenue and players.
- As penetration and conversion flatten, growth will increasingly depend on retaining and monetizing existing audiences rather than simply adding more players.
The global games market by revenue
Mobile remains the largest at $121.1 billion (+6.8% YoY), ahead of console at $46.9 billion (+5.1% YoY) and PC at $45.9 billion (+5.3% YoY). Grand Theft Auto VI’s November launch anchors the year, though rising memory and component costs are a shared headwind.
The global games market is forecast to reach $213.9 billion in 2026, up 6.1% year over year,
PC growth is forecast to moderate to 5.3% after 2025’s 12.0%, the highest annual rate in Newzoo’s dataset. Microtransactions are expected to regain share as the largest business model, while premium and mid-priced releases sustain full-game revenue. Growth should stay geographically broad, led by Asia-Pacific alongside faster-growing Latin America and MEA.
Console is forecast to grow 5.1% on multi-game subscriptions, higher game and service prices, and the November launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is expected to lift full-game spending 17.5%, the strongest growth of any business model.
Mobile remains the largest platform and is forecast to grow fastest, at 6.8%, even as downloads fall: growth increasingly comes from deeper spending per player, Chinese publishers gaining share abroad, and expanding direct-to-consumer channels.
Disclosure: Gamescom paid my way to Germany for the event. The content of this story is solely the responsibility of GamesBeat.