24 Exciting Gaming Statistics for All Avid Gamers

Did you know that 64% of US adults play video games? Video games have come a long way since their introduction in the 70s, and gaming statistics reveal that there are currently 2.5 billion gamers worldwide. A small number of people use crafting and DIY projects as stress relievers. Conversely, 78% of gamers see video games as the ultimate form of relaxation.

Read on if you want to find out more about the gaming industry and which computer games and gaming platforms are the most popular. But first, take a look at the most interesting stats and facts we cherry-picked from the article.

Video Game Industry Statistics

Find out how much the gaming industry is worth and which country has the largest mobile gaming market.

1. The US video game market was worth $19.72 billion in 2019.

(Statista)

Video games have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry that involves a large number of gamers. A typical gamer is no longer a teenager who buys games with their allowance. That generation is now grown up and has substantial spending power. Furthermore, the statistics on gaming reveal that the activity is also popular among seniors.

2. It’s estimated that the global gaming industry will be worth over $300 billion by 2025.

(Global Data)

Even though it’s pretty old, the gaming industry keeps evolving, as shown by video game industry growth. Once a product-oriented business, today’s video game industry plays a SaaS (software as a service) role. It’s continually being pushed by new technologies such as 5G, VR, cloud computing, etc. Unlike the toy industry, which loses customers as they age, the gaming industry keeps its most dedicated customers as they grow up.

3. It was predicted that the global gaming industry would earn $159.3 billion in 2020.

(Reuters)

Gaming industry statistics showed that by May 2020, the gaming industry was set to reach a generated income of around $159.3 billion.

4. With $18 billion in revenue, China was the largest mobile games market in 2019.

(MobileMarketer)

According to the mobile gaming stats, the US was the second-biggest market, with $9.9 billion in revenue, while Japan was third with $6.5 billion.

Mobile gaming has become the most important segment of the video games industry, as mobile games are usually free and appeal to consumers who don’t consider themselves big gamers.

5. The indie game market is worth over $1 billion on Steam alone.

(Hackernoon)

As these video game facts reveal, Steam has been at the forefront of transforming the indie game market. Before Steam, developers had to approach publishers and retailers directly and were very often brutally rejected.

Steam gave indie developers the chance to publish their games and have their own financial and creative independence, which allowed the indie game market to grow more rapidly.

Video Game Stats: Revenue and Sales

Here, we’ll be looking at how much money the video game industry makes.

6. Free-to-play games accounted for 80% of the revenue of all digital games in 2018.

(GamesIndustry.biz)

Free-to-play games were the most popular gaming model in 2018, and it’s estimated they earned about $88 billion in total, with 62% of the revenue coming from the Asian market. Moreover, free-to-play games were so popular that they generated 458% more revenue compared to 2017.

7. Fortnite earned $2.4 billion in digital revenue in 2018.

(GamesIndustry.biz)

The online gaming statistics reveal that Fortnite was the most popular online game in 2018, earning Epic Games more digital revenue than any other online game.

8. Premium games brought in $17.8 billion in revenue in 2018.

(VentureBeat)

Even though free-to-play games overtook the market and the premium market is much smaller in comparison, it grew by 10% in 2018. As gaming statistics report, North America and Europe were the biggest spenders in this sector, accounting for 80% of spending on premium games.

9. “The Sims 3” was the best-selling PC game in 2019.

(Statista)

When it comes to video game sales, statistics reveal that Electronic Arts has sold 7.96 million units of “The Sims 3” so far. However, Blizzard Entertainment has some of the most popular video games. Their World of Warcraft is second on the list, with 6.35 million units sold.

Furthermore, PC gaming statistics show that Diablo III was third, with 5.26 million sold units, StarCraft II was fifth, with 4.86 million sold units, and Warcraft II was sixth, with 4.21 million sold units.

10. The game “Subway Surfers” was declared the most downloaded game of the last decade, with more than 1.5 billion downloads at the time.

(Business Insider, Markets Insider)

The mobile gaming statistics report that the top 10 most popular mobile games have been downloaded more than 7.4 billion times. The most popular games had simple to understand and clear objectives and rewards. “Candy Crush Saga,” “Temple Run 2,” “My Talking Tom,” and “Clash of Clans” are some of the most popular mobile games.

Gamers and Gaming Facts

Who plays video games more, men or women? How old is a typical gamer? Find out these and more!

11. 64% of US adults play video games.

(ESA)

59% of these players are men and 41% are women. Also, according to the survey, 75% of US adults have played a video game at some point in their life.

12. The highest percentage of US gamers are aged 35–44, and 46% of them are female.

(ESA, Statista)

When it comes to video games and gender, the statistics reveal that gaming is no longer only a “guy thing” and that gamers are almost equal in terms of gender. Namely, 46% of females and 54% of males enjoy playing video games.

Moreover, gaming is no longer reserved for children and young adults. According to gamer age statistics, the largest group of gamers (22%) are aged 35–44, while 19% are aged 25–34.

Chart by Visualizer

13. 22% of female baby boomers and 25% of male baby boomers have been gaming for over 25 years.

(ESA)

Baby boomers are often seen as a generation that struggles with modern technology, but video game industry stats reveal they’re quite into gaming. Their favorite genres include card, puzzle, and virtual board games like “Solitaire,” “Scrabble,” “Mahjong,” and “Monopoly.”

Additionally, 66% of the male baby boomers prefer playing games on their PC, while 58% of females prefer mobile gaming.

14. 60% of US gamers prefer playing games on their phones.

(The Gamer)

The video gaming statistics reveal that gamers spend 85% more time playing mobile games than in 2015, which is not that surprising given how much more powerful smartphones are now. Modern phones come with cutting-edge graphics, adding to the overall gaming experience. Consoles and phones aren’t the only devices being used to play games. In a world where smart homes make use of the Internet of Things to simplify life, games can be played on a variety of devices around the home.

15. It’s estimated that 1–10% of gamers suffer from compulsive addiction issues.

(The Recovery Village)

Video game addiction statistics reveal that males aged 18-24 have the highest risk of developing a gaming addiction. Games are designed to be challenging enough to keep the player in the game for a long time, so gamers are at risk of becoming invested in the game emotionally.

16. Over 90% of E10+ rated games depict violence.

(Healthline)

When it comes to video game violence, stats reveal that games don’t make people violent. Several studies have discovered that gamers were more likely to develop positive behaviors like teamwork, cooperation, sharing, and empathy.

Furthermore, shooting games boost visual-spatial skills and strategy, and role-playing games increase problem-solving skills.

17. Around 37.3 million people in the United Kingdom are gamers.

(CiC)

In addition, according to gaming statistics in the UK, the value of the video games industry in this country was £5.35 billion in 2019.

18. There are around 1.3 billion players who use PCs for gaming.

(newzoo)

It is expected that this number will continue to grow over time, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures.

Interesting Video Game Facts

Here, we’ll be covering fun facts that you should know about video games.

19. Nintendo doesn’t allow Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of “Super Mario Bros.” and “Donkey Kong,” to bike to work.

(Mental Floss)

The Nintendo legend loved walking or cycling to work, but as his importance grew, so did the company’s concern for his safety. The company insists he rides in a car to avoid any chances of being injured by a motorist.

20. Gaming statistics reveal that N0TAil is the wealthiest professional gamer in the world, with $6.9 million in earnings.

(eSports Earnings, Career Addicts)

26-year-old Johan Sundstein from Denmark has been active in gaming tournaments since 2014. He’s a well-respected and experienced coach and player in the gaming community, with numerous tournament victories.

21. Every month, American gamers spend 29 hours on their gaming consoles.

(Statista)

According to the video gaming industry statistics, 27% of console gamers spend, on average, three to five hours weekly playing games on their consoles, with 49% of consumers admitting they played at least one game in their lifetime.

22. There were 30,000 games on Steam in 2019.

(PC Gamer, VentureBeat)

This number includes only games. It does not include software, DLC, or videos, which amount to about 21,000. However, games on Steam aren’t just numerous, but also very successful. Video game sales stats show that the majority of games released on Steam earn at least $10,000 in the first two weeks of their release.

23. PUBG had 913,000 concurrent players on Steam in April 2020.

(Statista)

In January 2018, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds—one of the most popular games on Steam—hit a record number of 3.24 million concurrent players a year after its release, according to the online gaming statistics.

24. 74% of gamers would pay a subscription fee to access a full library of online games.

(GamesIndustry.biz)

Close to three-quarters of gamers admit they’d prefer paying for a Netflix-like monthly subscription for full access to a cloud gaming service, and 86% expect cloud games to cost less than physical copies or digital downloads.

Conclusion

We hope these gaming statistics for 2022 have brought the gaming industry closer to you and changed the way you see video games. Not only are games fun, but they also have numerous cognitive benefits. In a time when industries like TV and Hollywood are struggling, gaming has been growing unstoppably, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

FAQ

What percentage of the world are gamers?

There were over 2.5 billion gamers in the world in 2019, which represents almost one-third of the global population, or some 33%, making gaming the center of the entertainment industry.

(Newzoo)

What was the most played video game in the world in 2020?

Based on the number of concurrent players, Fortnite took the first place on the list of the most popular games in 2020. Continually changing, adding new features, and following new trends, Fortnite amassed 10 million concurrent players. League of Legends, Crossfire, and Minecraft were also among the top-rated video games.

(Twinfinite)

How many gamers were there in the world in 2020?

Some people take up gardening, while others play games on smartphones, computers, and consoles. There were 2.7 billion gamers in the world in 2020, out of which over 1.5 billion lived in the Asia-Pacific region.

(Statista)

How many PC gamers are there?

There are about 1.3 million PC gamers worldwide. In addition, the current trends show that this number is going to rise.

(newzoo)

What is the average age of a gamer?

The average gamer is 33 years old. Furthermore, the average age of a female gamer is 34, while the average male gamer is 32 years old. The average gamer has around 14 years of gaming experience, according to gaming statistics.

(ESA)