Marketing in the gaming industry targets a massive, globally connected audience, including 2.7 billion players worldwide in 2023, expected to rise to 3.3 billion by 2025. We’ll examine who plays and what influences spending across PC, console, and mobile—such as age, gender, and purchase behavior. Then we break down how brands reach them through channels like live streaming, esports, social-driven installs, and performance levers such as CPM, ASO, and marketing automation.
Key Takeaways
- 51% of gamers worldwide were male in 2024 (vs. 49% female)
- 27.6% of gamers worldwide are in the 18–24 age bracket (2024)
- Video game live streaming reached 53.0 billion hours watched worldwide in 2023
- PC games generated an estimated $41.9 billion in revenue in 2023
- Video game consumers spend $100–$200 per year on average in the US, per a survey summarized by Statista
- $59.7 billion in revenue for the US digital games market in 2023
- 38% of mobile game installs originate from social networks (2024 estimate)
- 48% of global gamers spent money on video games in 2023
- 2.7 billion people worldwide played video games in 2023
- Average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) for gaming video ads on YouTube in the US was $6.45 in 2024
- App store optimization (ASO) can increase conversion rates by 25% with ongoing iteration (2023 study)
- Marketing automation adoption among digital businesses reached 44% in 2024 (Gartner, 2024)
With billions of players and huge live streaming and esports growth, gaming marketing must target young audiences.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
51% of gamers worldwide were male in 2024 (vs. 49% female)https://www.statista.com/statistics/293304/number-of-gamers-by-region/
02
27.6% of gamers worldwide are in the 18–24 age bracket (2024)https://www.statista.com/statistics/273692/age-distribution-of-gamers-worldwide/
03
Video game live streaming reached 53.0 billion hours watched worldwide in 2023https://newzoo.com/insights/trends/global-games-market-report-2024
04
The global esports audience is forecast to reach 532.6 million in 2025https://www.esportsinsider.com/industry-data/newzoo-esports-audience-forecast-2025-532-6m
05
Cookie deprecation timelines have progressed: Google plans to phase out third-party cookies by 2025https://privacysandbox.com/open-web/third-party-cookie-future/
06
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) requirement launched in 2021 (iOS 14.5)https://developer.apple.com/documentation/apptrackingtransparency
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In today’s Gaming Industry Trends, measurement and targeting are being reshaped by privacy changes like Google’s planned third party cookie phase out by 2025 and Apple’s ATT since 2021 while engagement keeps climbing, with video game live streaming hitting 53.0 billion hours watched in 2023 and the global esports audience forecast to reach 532.6 million in 2025.
02 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
PC games generated an estimated $41.9 billion in revenue in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/246954/revenue-by-segment-global-games-market/
02
Video game consumers spend $100–$200 per year on average in the US, per a survey summarized by Statistahttps://www.statista.com/topics/6757/gaming-consumer-spending/
03
$59.7 billion in revenue for the US digital games market in 2023https://www.mpaa.org/film-industry-statistics/interactive-entertainment/
04
Console games account for 30% of total global games revenue (2023)https://www.newzoo.com/insights/trends/global-games-market-report-2024
05
$36.2 billion in cloud gaming market revenue forecast for 2025https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US52077324
06
$153.8 billion in mobile game in-app purchase revenue globally in 2024https://www.data.ai/en/insights/app-marketing-insights/in-app-purchases-2024
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size angle, the gaming industry’s spending footprint is expanding across platforms, with 2024 mobile in app purchases projected at $153.8 billion globally while PC games reached $41.9 billion in 2023 and cloud gaming is forecast to hit $36.2 billion in 2025.
More related reading
03 · Category
User Adoption13 stats
01
38% of mobile game installs originate from social networks (2024 estimate)https://www.businessofapps.com/data/mobile-app-marketing-statistics/
02
48% of global gamers spent money on video games in 2023https://newzoo.com/insights/trends/global-gamers-spend-money-on-video-games-2023
03
2.7 billion people worldwide played video games in 2023https://www.newzoo.com/news/global-games-market-report-2024-2-7-billion-gamers-2023
04
3.3 billion people worldwide are expected to play video games in 2025https://www.newzoo.com/news/global-games-market-report-2025-3-3-billion-gamers-2025
05
1.9 billion people worldwide are expected to play mobile games in 2025https://www.newzoo.com/insights/trends/mobile-games-are-played-by-1-9-billion-in-2025
06
73.1% of global gamers play on mobile at least occasionally (2024)https://www.statista.com/statistics/276035/percentage-of-gamers-by-platform/
07
2.3 billion monthly active users (MAUs) in mobile gaming across 2024https://www.aa.com.tr/en/business/industry-report-mobile-gaming-hits-2-3-billion-maus-in-2024/3274
08
1.7 billion people globally are expected to play mobile games in 2020https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-trends-2021/
09
1.8 billion people globally are expected to play mobile games in 2021https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-trends-2021/
10
1.8 billion people globally are expected to play mobile games in 2022https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-trends-2021/
11
1.9 billion people globally are expected to play mobile games in 2023https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-trends-2021/
12
1.9 billion people globally are expected to play mobile games in 2024https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-trends-2021/
13
2.0 billion people globally are expected to play mobile games in 2025https://newzoo.com/insights/trend-reports/mobile-games-trends-2021/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 1.9 billion expected to play mobile games in 2025 and 73.1% of global gamers already playing on mobile at least occasionally, the user adoption opportunity is clearly being driven by mobile-first reach.
report visual · Projection
Global mobile gaming user base is set to keep rising
Mobile game adoption is trending upward globally: the projected number of people playing mobile games grows year over year, peaking in 2025 and reaching the highest level in the le
1,700,000,000 people
Start
+3.3%
CAGR · 5y
1,999,634,076 people
Projected
20202025
source-verifiednewzoo.com2025
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
Average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) for gaming video ads on YouTube in the US was $6.45in 2024https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-apac/measurement-metrics/youtube-advertising-industry-insights/
02
App store optimization (ASO) can increase conversion rates by 25% with ongoing iteration (2023 study)https://www.apptentive.com/blog/app-store-optimization-study-conversion-increase-25
03
Marketing automation adoption among digital businesses reached 44% in 2024 (Gartner, 2024)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-xx
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, gaming marketers can expect that YouTube CPM averages $6.45 in the US in 2024 while effective ASO can lift conversions by 25% and broader marketing automation adoption is at 44%, suggesting that cutting unit costs and improving efficiency are key levers rather than relying on ad spend alone.
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
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Marketing In The Gaming Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-gaming-industry-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Marketing In The Gaming Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-gaming-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Marketing In The Gaming Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-gaming-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)