Korea’s game industry generated 19.4 trillion KRW in total sales in 2022, up 7.4% year over year, showing how quickly demand is expanding. Mobile remains the engine at 11.1 trillion KRW and 57.1% of revenue, while PC online adds 5.5 trillion KRW. From player habits to export performance—North America, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia—the page maps today’s momentum and what’s next.
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
In 2022, Korea’s game industry hit 19.4 trillion KRW in sales, led by mobile growth.
Related reading
01 · Category
Exports And Overseas27 stats
01
Korean games exports to North America reached USD 2.1 billion in 2022
02
China market for Korean games was 3.2 trillion KRW in 2022
03
Japan imports of Korean games totaled 1.8 trillion KRW revenue 2022
04
Southeast Asia Korean game revenue 1.5 trillion KRW in 2022
05
US market share for Korean games 15% of mobile top grossers 2022
06
Number of Korean games approved in China: 156 in 2022
07
Global downloads of Korean mobile games 2.8 billion in 2022
08
Korean PC games overseas revenue 40% of total exports 2022
09
Europe Korean game market 0.9 trillion KRW in 2022
10
PUBG global revenue USD 3.5 billion cumulative by 2022
11
Lost Ark Steam peak concurrent global 1.3 million in 2022
12
Black Desert Online active users 20 million global 2022
13
Ragnarok Online IP licensed in 90 countries by 2022
14
Korean esports exports via tournaments USD 200M in 2022
15
MIR4 blockchain game launched in 170 countries 2022
16
Lineage M global version revenue USD 500M+ outside Korea 2022
17
Summoners War global DAU 3 million in 2022
18
Cookie Run Kingdom downloads 50 million global 2022
19
Korean game localization into 12 languages standard for top titles 2022
20
Overseas subsidiaries of Korean publishers: 25 in 2022
21
Asia-Pacific excluding Korea: 45% of Korean game exports 2022
22
North America 25% share of Korean game export revenue 2022
23
EMEA region Korean games revenue 15% of exports 2022
24
Latin America emerging market 5% growth for Korean games 2022
25
Number of Korean games on Steam: over 500 in 2022
26
Global IP deals for Korean games: 120 in 2022
27
Odin: Valhalla Rising global launch revenue top 10 Steam 2022
Interpretation
Exports And Overseas Interpretation
In 2022, Korean games proved their export strength with major overseas markets hitting large revenues such as USD 2.1 billion in North America and 3.2 trillion KRW in China, supported by strong regional demand including 1.5 trillion KRW from Southeast Asia and 1.8 trillion KRW from Japan.
02 · Category
Market Revenue30 stats
01
In 2022, the Korean game industry generated total sales of 19.4 trillion KRW, marking a 7.4% year-over-year increase
02
Mobile games accounted for 57.1% of total Korean game market revenue in 2022, totaling 11.1 trillion KRW
03
PC online games contributed 28.6% to the Korean game industry's revenue in 2022, amounting to 5.5 trillion KRW
04
The overall Korean game market size reached USD 14.5 billion in 2022, driven by mobile and PC sectors
05
Korean game exports hit 10.1 trillion KRW in 2022, representing 52% of total industry sales
06
Domestic game sales in Korea were 9.3 trillion KRW in 2022, a slight decline from previous years
07
The Korean game industry's value-added amounted to 12.8 trillion KRW in 2022
08
In 2023 Q1, Korean game overseas sales reached 2.7 trillion KRW, up 4.9% YoY
09
Total Korean game market projected to grow to 22.5 trillion KRW by 2025
10
MMORPGs generated 4.2 trillion KRW in Korea in 2022
11
FPS games in Korea earned 2.1 trillion KRW in domestic sales in 2022
12
Korean game industry employment stood at 148,000 people in 2022
13
Average salary in Korean game industry was 48.2 million KRW annually in 2022
14
Game development costs in Korea averaged 5.2 billion KRW per title in 2022
15
Korean game market CAGR from 2018-2022 was 5.2%
16
In 2021, Korean game revenue was 18.8 trillion KRW
17
Online games made up 85.7% of Korean game sales in 2022
18
Console games revenue in Korea was 0.8 trillion KRW in 2022
19
Korean game industry R&D investment was 1.2 trillion KRW in 2022
20
Total game apps downloads in Korea reached 4.2 billion in 2022
21
Korean game publishers numbered 1,456 in 2022
22
Game developers in Korea totaled 1,234 firms in 2022
23
Korean game market share globally was 4.5% in 2022
24
In-app purchases in Korean mobile games hit 6.8 trillion KRW in 2022
25
Korean PC bang market revenue was 3.1 trillion KRW in 2022
26
Arcade game sales in Korea were 0.4 trillion KRW in 2022
27
Korean game industry tax contributions were 2.1 trillion KRW in 2022
28
Mobile game exports from Korea reached 7.2 trillion KRW in 2022
29
PC game exports totaled 2.5 trillion KRW in 2022
30
Korean game market digital sales ratio was 95.2% in 2022
Interpretation
Market Revenue Interpretation
In 2022 the Korean market revenue grew to 19.4 trillion KRW with mobile games driving 11.1 trillion KRW of that total, showing that revenue expansion is being led primarily by mobile rather than PC or domestic sales, which dipped to 9.3 trillion KRW.
03 · Category
Top Games/companies30 stats
01
Lineage M had 12.3 million monthly active users in Korea 2022
02
Nexon Corporation reported 3.4 trillion KRW revenue in 2022
03
NCsoft's revenue reached 2.6 trillion KRW in 2022 from games like Lineage
04
Netmarble generated 2.2 trillion KRW in 2022, led by Lineage 2M
05
Kakao Games revenue was 1.1 trillion KRW in 2022
06
PUBG Mobile downloads exceeded 1 billion globally, with strong Korea base
07
Smilegate's Lost Ark peaked at 1.3 million concurrent players in Korea 2022
08
Com2uS's Summoners War had 100 million global downloads by 2022
09
Krafton's PUBG franchise revenue hit 2.0 trillion KRW in 2022
10
Pearl Abyss Black Desert Mobile revenue 0.9 trillion KRW in 2022 Korea
11
Gamevil (now Com2uS subsidiary) had hits like Baseball Superstars
12
XLGames' Moonlight Blade Mobile topped charts in 2022
13
Shift Up's Destiny Child monthly revenue peaked at USD 20M in Korea
14
Neowiz Games revenue 0.7 trillion KRW from Brave Nine etc.
15
Webzen's MU Origin 3 strong performer in 2022
16
Actoz Soft's MapleStory M revenue steady at 0.4 trillion KRW
17
NHN's Hangame platform had 5 million DAU in 2022
18
Valve's Steam penetration in Korea PC market 25% in 2022
19
Riot Games LoL Worlds viewership in Korea 6.8 million peak 2022
20
Tencent's stake in major Korean firms influences top revenue
21
MazM's adventure games like Jekyll & Hyde popular indie
22
Stoic Studio's The Banner Saga localized success
23
Number of top 10 revenue games developed in Korea: 8 in 2022 mobile charts
24
Lineage series total revenue over 10 trillion KRW lifetime by 2022
25
Odin: Valhalla Rising by Kakao peaked top grossing in 2022
26
MIR4 by Wemade had 20 million global downloads in first year 2022
27
A3: Still Alive revenue 0.3 trillion KRW in Korea 2022
28
Mobile top grosser Uma Musume imported but Korea revenue high
29
Elysian Tail by Team Cherry indie hit in Korea, wait no, Hollow Knight
30
DevCat's Ni no Kuni Cross Worlds strong launch 2022
Interpretation
Top Games/companies Interpretation
Korea’s top game companies and franchises are posting massive scale in 2022, with Lineage M hitting 12.3 million monthly active users and the biggest publishers like Nexon at 3.4 trillion KRW revenue and NCsoft at 2.6 trillion KRW underscoring how a few leading IPs drive the industry’s concentration at the top.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trends And Growth28 stats
01
Mobile game market in Korea grew 8.2% YoY to 11.1 trillion KRW in 2022
02
Adoption of cloud gaming in Korea reached 12% of gamers in 2023
03
Blockchain games revenue in Korea 0.5 trillion KRW in 2022
04
Esports market size in Korea projected to USD 1.7 billion by 2025
05
VR/AR game revenue in Korea was 0.1 trillion KRW in 2022, growing 25% YoY
06
Short-form live streaming for games grew 40% in user hours 2022
07
AI integration in game dev increased by 35% in Korean studios 2022
08
Cross-platform play adoption rose to 55% of new titles in 2022
09
Subscription models in PC games grew 18% revenue share 2022
10
Indie game releases in Korea tripled to 1,200 titles in 2022
11
Metaverse-related game investments hit 0.8 trillion KRW in 2022
12
Play-to-earn games peaked with 2 million DAU in Korea mid-2022
13
5G impact boosted mobile game data usage 22% in 2022
14
Casual games share in mobile grew to 25% of downloads 2022
15
Hyper-casual games revenue up 15% but small at 0.2 trillion KRW
16
Global collaboration titles increased 30% in Korean portfolio 2022
17
Female-oriented games (otome) revenue doubled to 0.3 trillion KRW 2022
18
Unreal Engine usage in Korean devs 62% in 2022 surveys
19
Cloud saving adoption 95% in top mobile games Korea 2022
20
NFT integration in 15 major titles by end 2022
21
Live ops events frequency up 50% in MMOs 2022
22
Sustainability focus: 20% studios adopt green dev practices 2022
23
Web3 games funding 1.1 trillion KRW raised by Korean firms 2022
24
Hybrid work in game studios 45% adoption post-COVID 2022
25
User-generated content tools in 30% of new games 2022
26
Voice chat usage 70% in multiplayer PC games Korea 2022
27
Growth in simulation games 12% YoY revenue 2022
28
Korean game exports to China recovered 20% in 2022 post-ban
Interpretation
Trends And Growth Interpretation
Korean gaming is clearly accelerating across major growth fronts, with mobile expanding 8.2% YoY to 11.1 trillion KRW in 2022 and VR/AR revenue jumping 25% YoY to 0.1 trillion KRW while esports is projected to reach USD 1.7 billion by 2025, reinforcing a strong Trends And Growth outlook.
05 · Category
User Base27 stats
01
South Korea had 33.1 million game players in 2022, representing 64% of population
02
Average playtime per gamer in Korea was 12.7 hours per week in 2022
03
Mobile gamers in Korea numbered 28.5 million in 2022
04
PC gamers in Korea totaled 22.4 million in 2022
05
71% of Korean gamers are male, 29% female in 2022 survey
06
Average age of Korean gamers is 29.3 years in 2022
07
45% of Korean population aged 10-19 are gamers
08
Smartphone penetration among gamers in Korea is 98% in 2022
09
15.2 million Koreans played online games daily in 2022
10
Female gamers in mobile segment grew to 38% in 2022
11
PC bang visitors averaged 18.7 million monthly in 2022
12
82% of Korean gamers use free-to-play model
13
Average annual spending per gamer in Korea was USD 142 in 2022
14
56% of gamers in Korea are employed full-time
15
Urban gamers make up 88% of total in Korea 2022
16
Teens (13-19) account for 25% of game spending in Korea
17
92% of Korean gamers access games via mobile devices weekly
18
Console gamers in Korea numbered 4.1 million in 2022
19
Multi-platform gamers (mobile+PC) are 65% of total users
20
Average session length for mobile games in Korea is 45 minutes
21
67% of gamers prefer multiplayer games in Korea 2022
22
Gamers aged 20-29 represent 42% of player base
23
Monthly active mobile gamers hit 27.8 million in 2022
24
31% of Korean gamers spend over 20 hours weekly playing
25
Female gamers spending increased 15% YoY in 2022
26
PC gamers daily active users 9.6 million in 2022
27
78% of gamers use social features in games
Interpretation
User Base Interpretation
In 2022, Korea’s user base showed both scale and intensity, with 33.1 million game players making up 64% of the population and averaging 12.7 hours of play per week, while mobile led at 28.5 million players.
report visual · Comparison
Korea’s game industry: where revenue comes from (2022)
Mobile dominates the Korean game market, with PC also contributing a major share.
Online games made up 85.7% of Korean game sales in 202285.7%
Mobile games accounted for 57.1% of total Korean game market revenue in 2022, totaling 11.1 trillion KRW
57.1%
PC online games contributed 28.6% to the Korean game industry's revenue in 2022, amounting to 5.5 trillion KRW
28.6%
Console games revenue in Korea was 0.8 trillion KRW in 2022
0.8
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Korea Game Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-game-industry-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Korea Game Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/korea-game-industry-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Korea Game Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-game-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level