Which World Region Has the Most Gamers?

About 3.4 billion people worldwide have at least played one video game in the past six months, according to Newzoo's most recent edition of its Global Games Market Report. As our chart based on data from the market research firm specializing in the gaming industry shows, the regions with the most players aren't necessarily those that bring in the most revenue.

For example, in the Middle East & Africa region, roughly 600 million people can be called gamers according to Newzoo's methodology. Still, only a fraction of them seem to spend actual money on their gaming experiences. While the region comes in second in users, it will generate an estimated $7.2 billion in 2023. Nevertheless, Newzoo analysts see growth potential for this region, citing a player base increase of 12 percent compared to 2022.

Other markets seem to have reached a higher degree of user saturation. The Asia-Pacific region is home to the most gamers, in large parts owing to the burgeoning markets in China and India in addition to well-known gaming countries like Japan and South Korea, but only saw growth of 2.4 percent year-over-year. Globally, only about 1.5 billion players pay for their games, less than half of the total player count.

Overall, the video game market is projected to generate about $188 billion in 2023, up 2.6 percent from the year prior, but still roughly $5 billion short of the banner year of 2021, which saw increased game spending due to the movement restrictions and lockdowns cause by the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the most prominent players in the industry include Tencent, Microsoft, Sony, NetEase, Nintendo and Activision Blizzard - which will probably soon be integrated into Microsoft in a record-breaking acquisition deal.