Tiago Bianchi
Research expert covering internet & gaming in Latin America and Spain
Video gaming in Mexico - statistics & facts
Reaching 77 percent of its population, video games already became a standard leisure activity for at least 104.1 million Mexicans in 2022. With the second-largest gaming audience and the highest gaming penetration in Latin America, Mexico’s gaming industry generated 1.1 billion U.S. dollars of revenue in 2022, totaling 3.54 billion U.S. dollars when counting hardware sales and advertising. Such enormous earnings and reach provide the field for the success of local game streaming and fuel what is today the largest eSports sector within the region.
Overall, Mexican gamers dedicate most of their budgets to consoles, totaling 688.1 Mexican pesos spent monthly on this platform. Notably, Microsoft’s Xbox series is the most popular console model in the country, despite recently losing market share to Sony’s PlayStation. Most video game purchases in Mexico happen through downloads and in-game spending, highlighting the importance of online connectivity for local audiences, while local gamers invest around 229 Mexican Pesos in related subscriptions.
Adventure and shooter titles perform the best among Mexican mobile users, becoming the country’s favorite mobile gaming genres. Titles like Roblox and Free Fire are now the highest-grossing mobile gaming apps in Mexico, despite only recently losing their post of most downloaded mobile titles for simulation titles.
While Mexico’s overall video game sector ranks only behind Brazil’s within Latin America, its eSports is much more popular in Mexico than in neighboring countries. Powered by the penetration of the sector and the habit of watching gaming streams, Mexico currently has the biggest eSports revenue among all countries in Latin America, with 17.22 million U.S. dollars of revenue generated in 2022.
A nationwide hobby
With adults between 20 to 39 years old representing over 60 percent of the local gamers, Mexico’s vast gaming audiences are well distributed between genders and even among individuals from different household incomes. At least 37 percent of Mexican gamers claim to play at least 1 to 5 hours weekly, and another 18 percent play between 6 to 10 hours, as shooters and battle royale-like titles are the most popular gaming genres in the country.Overall, Mexican gamers dedicate most of their budgets to consoles, totaling 688.1 Mexican pesos spent monthly on this platform. Notably, Microsoft’s Xbox series is the most popular console model in the country, despite recently losing market share to Sony’s PlayStation. Most video game purchases in Mexico happen through downloads and in-game spending, highlighting the importance of online connectivity for local audiences, while local gamers invest around 229 Mexican Pesos in related subscriptions.
Mexican’s taste for mobile
Despite the known problems of inequality in Mexico’s internet access, 60 percent of local gamers play games online. As mobile connectivity rebalances the local online landscape, mobile games managed to thrive and became the country’s most profitable gaming segment, generating 519 million U.S. dollars of revenues and leveraging audiences of 45.6 million players in 2022.Adventure and shooter titles perform the best among Mexican mobile users, becoming the country’s favorite mobile gaming genres. Titles like Roblox and Free Fire are now the highest-grossing mobile gaming apps in Mexico, despite only recently losing their post of most downloaded mobile titles for simulation titles.
Streaming and eSports: a local fever
As games attract growing audiences in Mexico and mobile games increasingly turn into a staple of the country’s gaming industry, the importance of online connectivity also determines the success of local game streaming. While platforms like Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming take the lead as the most used streaming websites in Mexico, at least 36 percent of Mexican gamers watch game streaming channels. Additionally, 41 percent of streaming audiences spend on service-related subscriptions, while another 10 percent broadcast their own matches.While Mexico’s overall video game sector ranks only behind Brazil’s within Latin America, its eSports is much more popular in Mexico than in neighboring countries. Powered by the penetration of the sector and the habit of watching gaming streams, Mexico currently has the biggest eSports revenue among all countries in Latin America, with 17.22 million U.S. dollars of revenue generated in 2022.
