J. Clement
Research lead covering internet and gaming
Video gaming market in the United States - Statistics & Facts
Video gaming has long become a mainstream entertainment option in the United States. In 2024, the video games market in the United States generated more than 113 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenues. Digital video game sales are the main driver of video game revenue in the United States, having long surpassed physical sales and this trend only accelerated due to the pandemic. After a post-COVID contraction of the market, the U.S. consumer need for new games and hardware continues seemingly unabated.
Gaming publishers are also doing their best to grab a slice of the holiday and post-season spending – many annual releases of long-running franchises are scheduled between October and December (Activision’s Call of Duty, EA Sports FC, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series, to name a few), and other major game releases have also benefitted from hitting the market during this period.
With so many options and a nearly endless stream of new gaming releases, the gaming market in the United States is in the position to reach as many gamers as possible, enabling game producers to connect with a wide range of audiences and giving consumers choices beyond choices on how to spend their gaming time and money.
U.S. consumer spending on video games
Gaming industry revenue is cyclical and usually peaks during the holiday season at the end of the year. In August 2024, the total retail revenue of the video game industry in the United States amounted to 4.2 billion U.S. dollars, with games content being the strongest-performing segment. Total monthly consumer spending on video games peaked at 7.91 billion U.S. dollars in December 2023, highlighting the importance of the holiday season quarter.Gaming publishers are also doing their best to grab a slice of the holiday and post-season spending – many annual releases of long-running franchises are scheduled between October and December (Activision’s Call of Duty, EA Sports FC, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series, to name a few), and other major game releases have also benefitted from hitting the market during this period.
Gaming software sales in the U.S. are dominated by AAA franchises
Blockbuster gaming franchises dominated U.S. video games sales in August 2024. Sports gaming titles Madden NFL, EA Sports College Football 25, and the EA Sports FC (formerly known as FIFA) are mainstays among the top-selling games in the United States, with the top spots that month being claimed by the newly released Madden 25, highlighting the impact of the NFL regular season. In 2023, U.S. consumer spending on video game content totaled 48 billion U.S. dollars.The PS5 is the leader in the U.S. gaming hardware segment
In June 2024, the PlayStation 5 was by far the best-selling gaming console in the United States. Currently, the PS5 is ahead of the Xbox X/S in terms of unit sales. The annual revenue of the video game console market in the United States amounted to approximately 7.85 billion U.S. dollars. Average revenue per capita of the video game consoles market in the United States amounted to 23.18 U.S. dollars in 2024 and is projected to surpass 26 U.S. dollars in 2029.Puzzle and casino are the strongest mobile gaming segments
With low entry barriers, comparatively low cost of access, and a wide range of genres, it is hardly surprising that mobile gaming is the most common type of gaming in the United States. The mobile gaming market in the United States is thriving, and U.S. mobile gaming revenue is set to surpass 19.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The most popular mobile gaming genres in the United States based on user spending were match and casino games.With so many options and a nearly endless stream of new gaming releases, the gaming market in the United States is in the position to reach as many gamers as possible, enabling game producers to connect with a wide range of audiences and giving consumers choices beyond choices on how to spend their gaming time and money.
