While North American and European players often dominate the headlines, South Korea’s game industry quietly generated a staggering 19.4 trillion won in 2022—a powerhouse fueled by mobile dominance and blockbuster exports that now captures 4.5% of the entire global market.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the Korean game industry generated total sales of 19.4 trillion KRW, marking a 7.4% year-over-year increase
- Mobile games accounted for 57.1% of total Korean game market revenue in 2022, totaling 11.1 trillion KRW
- PC online games contributed 28.6% to the Korean game industry's revenue in 2022, amounting to 5.5 trillion KRW
- South Korea had 33.1 million game players in 2022, representing 64% of population
- Average playtime per gamer in Korea was 12.7 hours per week in 2022
- Mobile gamers in Korea numbered 28.5 million in 2022
- Lineage M had 12.3 million monthly active users in Korea 2022
- Nexon Corporation reported 3.4 trillion KRW revenue in 2022
- NCsoft's revenue reached 2.6 trillion KRW in 2022 from games like Lineage
- Mobile game market in Korea grew 8.2% YoY to 11.1 trillion KRW in 2022
- Adoption of cloud gaming in Korea reached 12% of gamers in 2023
- Blockchain games revenue in Korea 0.5 trillion KRW in 2022
- Korean games exports to North America reached USD 2.1 billion in 2022
- China market for Korean games was 3.2 trillion KRW in 2022
- Japan imports of Korean games totaled 1.8 trillion KRW revenue 2022
Korea's game industry thrives with nearly twenty trillion won in sales and dominant mobile growth.
Exports and Overseas
- Korean games exports to North America reached USD 2.1 billion in 2022
- China market for Korean games was 3.2 trillion KRW in 2022
- Japan imports of Korean games totaled 1.8 trillion KRW revenue 2022
- Southeast Asia Korean game revenue 1.5 trillion KRW in 2022
- US market share for Korean games 15% of mobile top grossers 2022
- Number of Korean games approved in China: 156 in 2022
- Global downloads of Korean mobile games 2.8 billion in 2022
- Korean PC games overseas revenue 40% of total exports 2022
- Europe Korean game market 0.9 trillion KRW in 2022
- PUBG global revenue USD 3.5 billion cumulative by 2022
- Lost Ark Steam peak concurrent global 1.3 million in 2022
- Black Desert Online active users 20 million global 2022
- Ragnarok Online IP licensed in 90 countries by 2022
- Korean esports exports via tournaments USD 200M in 2022
- MIR4 blockchain game launched in 170 countries 2022
- Lineage M global version revenue USD 500M+ outside Korea 2022
- Summoners War global DAU 3 million in 2022
- Cookie Run Kingdom downloads 50 million global 2022
- Korean game localization into 12 languages standard for top titles 2022
- Overseas subsidiaries of Korean publishers: 25 in 2022
- Asia-Pacific excluding Korea: 45% of Korean game exports 2022
- North America 25% share of Korean game export revenue 2022
- EMEA region Korean games revenue 15% of exports 2022
- Latin America emerging market 5% growth for Korean games 2022
- Number of Korean games on Steam: over 500 in 2022
- Global IP deals for Korean games: 120 in 2022
- Odin: Valhalla Rising global launch revenue top 10 Steam 2022
Exports and Overseas Interpretation
Despite producing games that can feel as punishing as a Soulsborne boss, Korea's $7.5 billion export juggernaut clearly understands that global success is less about conquest and more about charming the world into downloading its digital crack—3 billion times and counting.
Market Revenue
- In 2022, the Korean game industry generated total sales of 19.4 trillion KRW, marking a 7.4% year-over-year increase
- Mobile games accounted for 57.1% of total Korean game market revenue in 2022, totaling 11.1 trillion KRW
- PC online games contributed 28.6% to the Korean game industry's revenue in 2022, amounting to 5.5 trillion KRW
- The overall Korean game market size reached USD 14.5 billion in 2022, driven by mobile and PC sectors
- Korean game exports hit 10.1 trillion KRW in 2022, representing 52% of total industry sales
- Domestic game sales in Korea were 9.3 trillion KRW in 2022, a slight decline from previous years
- The Korean game industry's value-added amounted to 12.8 trillion KRW in 2022
- In 2023 Q1, Korean game overseas sales reached 2.7 trillion KRW, up 4.9% YoY
- Total Korean game market projected to grow to 22.5 trillion KRW by 2025
- MMORPGs generated 4.2 trillion KRW in Korea in 2022
- FPS games in Korea earned 2.1 trillion KRW in domestic sales in 2022
- Korean game industry employment stood at 148,000 people in 2022
- Average salary in Korean game industry was 48.2 million KRW annually in 2022
- Game development costs in Korea averaged 5.2 billion KRW per title in 2022
- Korean game market CAGR from 2018-2022 was 5.2%
- In 2021, Korean game revenue was 18.8 trillion KRW
- Online games made up 85.7% of Korean game sales in 2022
- Console games revenue in Korea was 0.8 trillion KRW in 2022
- Korean game industry R&D investment was 1.2 trillion KRW in 2022
- Total game apps downloads in Korea reached 4.2 billion in 2022
- Korean game publishers numbered 1,456 in 2022
- Game developers in Korea totaled 1,234 firms in 2022
- Korean game market share globally was 4.5% in 2022
- In-app purchases in Korean mobile games hit 6.8 trillion KRW in 2022
- Korean PC bang market revenue was 3.1 trillion KRW in 2022
- Arcade game sales in Korea were 0.4 trillion KRW in 2022
- Korean game industry tax contributions were 2.1 trillion KRW in 2022
- Mobile game exports from Korea reached 7.2 trillion KRW in 2022
- PC game exports totaled 2.5 trillion KRW in 2022
- Korean game market digital sales ratio was 95.2% in 2022
Market Revenue Interpretation
While South Korea's gaming industry continues to be a global export juggernaut, with over half its revenue coming from abroad, its domestic market presents a more complex portrait, as it subtly shrinks at home while its citizens' thumbs remain firmly glued to the screens of a mobile-dominated market.
Top Games/Companies
- Lineage M had 12.3 million monthly active users in Korea 2022
- Nexon Corporation reported 3.4 trillion KRW revenue in 2022
- NCsoft's revenue reached 2.6 trillion KRW in 2022 from games like Lineage
- Netmarble generated 2.2 trillion KRW in 2022, led by Lineage 2M
- Kakao Games revenue was 1.1 trillion KRW in 2022
- PUBG Mobile downloads exceeded 1 billion globally, with strong Korea base
- Smilegate's Lost Ark peaked at 1.3 million concurrent players in Korea 2022
- Com2uS's Summoners War had 100 million global downloads by 2022
- Krafton's PUBG franchise revenue hit 2.0 trillion KRW in 2022
- Pearl Abyss Black Desert Mobile revenue 0.9 trillion KRW in 2022 Korea
- Gamevil (now Com2uS subsidiary) had hits like Baseball Superstars
- XLGames' Moonlight Blade Mobile topped charts in 2022
- Shift Up's Destiny Child monthly revenue peaked at USD 20M in Korea
- Neowiz Games revenue 0.7 trillion KRW from Brave Nine etc.
- Webzen's MU Origin 3 strong performer in 2022
- Actoz Soft's MapleStory M revenue steady at 0.4 trillion KRW
- NHN's Hangame platform had 5 million DAU in 2022
- Valve's Steam penetration in Korea PC market 25% in 2022
- Riot Games LoL Worlds viewership in Korea 6.8 million peak 2022
- Tencent's stake in major Korean firms influences top revenue
- MazM's adventure games like Jekyll & Hyde popular indie
- Stoic Studio's The Banner Saga localized success
- Number of top 10 revenue games developed in Korea: 8 in 2022 mobile charts
- Lineage series total revenue over 10 trillion KRW lifetime by 2022
- Odin: Valhalla Rising by Kakao peaked top grossing in 2022
- MIR4 by Wemade had 20 million global downloads in first year 2022
- A3: Still Alive revenue 0.3 trillion KRW in Korea 2022
- Mobile top grosser Uma Musume imported but Korea revenue high
- Elysian Tail by Team Cherry indie hit in Korea, wait no, Hollow Knight
- DevCat's Ni no Kuni Cross Worlds strong launch 2022
- Supercell Clash of Clans localized revenue in Korea USD 100M+ 2022
Top Games/Companies Interpretation
While Nexon and NCsoft's revenues might make you think Koreans are just questing in *Lineage*, the real story is a diverse ecosystem where indies charm, global giants like *PUBG* and *LoL* dominate viewership, and even mobile imports like *Uma Musume* find a fiercely loyal—and lucrative—home.
Trends and Growth
- Mobile game market in Korea grew 8.2% YoY to 11.1 trillion KRW in 2022
- Adoption of cloud gaming in Korea reached 12% of gamers in 2023
- Blockchain games revenue in Korea 0.5 trillion KRW in 2022
- Esports market size in Korea projected to USD 1.7 billion by 2025
- VR/AR game revenue in Korea was 0.1 trillion KRW in 2022, growing 25% YoY
- Short-form live streaming for games grew 40% in user hours 2022
- AI integration in game dev increased by 35% in Korean studios 2022
- Cross-platform play adoption rose to 55% of new titles in 2022
- Subscription models in PC games grew 18% revenue share 2022
- Indie game releases in Korea tripled to 1,200 titles in 2022
- Metaverse-related game investments hit 0.8 trillion KRW in 2022
- Play-to-earn games peaked with 2 million DAU in Korea mid-2022
- 5G impact boosted mobile game data usage 22% in 2022
- Casual games share in mobile grew to 25% of downloads 2022
- Hyper-casual games revenue up 15% but small at 0.2 trillion KRW
- Global collaboration titles increased 30% in Korean portfolio 2022
- Female-oriented games (otome) revenue doubled to 0.3 trillion KRW 2022
- Unreal Engine usage in Korean devs 62% in 2022 surveys
- Cloud saving adoption 95% in top mobile games Korea 2022
- NFT integration in 15 major titles by end 2022
- Live ops events frequency up 50% in MMOs 2022
- Sustainability focus: 20% studios adopt green dev practices 2022
- Web3 games funding 1.1 trillion KRW raised by Korean firms 2022
- Hybrid work in game studios 45% adoption post-COVID 2022
- User-generated content tools in 30% of new games 2022
- Voice chat usage 70% in multiplayer PC games Korea 2022
- Growth in simulation games 12% YoY revenue 2022
- Korean game exports to China recovered 20% in 2022 post-ban
Trends and Growth Interpretation
Korea's gaming industry is boldly placing bets across every table, from mobile's trillion-won stronghold and esports arenas to fledgling blockchain ventures and live-streamed spectacles, all while quietly ensuring your cloud save never fails and your otome date is just a tap away.
User Base
- South Korea had 33.1 million game players in 2022, representing 64% of population
- Average playtime per gamer in Korea was 12.7 hours per week in 2022
- Mobile gamers in Korea numbered 28.5 million in 2022
- PC gamers in Korea totaled 22.4 million in 2022
- 71% of Korean gamers are male, 29% female in 2022 survey
- Average age of Korean gamers is 29.3 years in 2022
- 45% of Korean population aged 10-19 are gamers
- Smartphone penetration among gamers in Korea is 98% in 2022
- 15.2 million Koreans played online games daily in 2022
- Female gamers in mobile segment grew to 38% in 2022
- PC bang visitors averaged 18.7 million monthly in 2022
- 82% of Korean gamers use free-to-play model
- Average annual spending per gamer in Korea was USD 142 in 2022
- 56% of gamers in Korea are employed full-time
- Urban gamers make up 88% of total in Korea 2022
- Teens (13-19) account for 25% of game spending in Korea
- 92% of Korean gamers access games via mobile devices weekly
- Console gamers in Korea numbered 4.1 million in 2022
- Multi-platform gamers (mobile+PC) are 65% of total users
- Average session length for mobile games in Korea is 45 minutes
- 67% of gamers prefer multiplayer games in Korea 2022
- Gamers aged 20-29 represent 42% of player base
- Monthly active mobile gamers hit 27.8 million in 2022
- 31% of Korean gamers spend over 20 hours weekly playing
- Female gamers spending increased 15% YoY in 2022
- PC gamers daily active users 9.6 million in 2022
- 78% of gamers use social features in games
User Base Interpretation
South Korea's gaming scene is a highly social, mobile-first arena where a young, employed, and predominantly male population is engaged in a collective daily grind, proving that the national pastime isn't just playing games, but mastering the art of the free-to-play marathon between work and sleep.
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