Segment breakdown: different engines of growth
Overall growth is uneven: console, mobile, and PC each follow distinct rhythms and logics.Console: hardware cycles driving recovery
The console segment leads with an expected growth rate of 5.5%, reaching roughly $45.9 billion in revenue. The primary driver is hardware refresh cycles—new-generation hardware launches (for example, a next-gen Nintendo device) and a general uptick in console pricing. This pattern underlines how closely console market recoveries tie to hardware lifecycles. Stable performance from sports titles on consoles also highlights entrenched monetization behaviors among specific player cohorts.Mobile: the largest pool, slow but structural change
Mobile remains the largest segment with projected revenue of $103.0 billion, but its growth is more modest at 2.9%. The report points to internal structural adjustments: evolving monetization models are reshaping how developers and publishers share revenue. A notable trend is declining income from traditional strongholds such as role-playing games (RPGs), while highly social, user-generated-content platforms (think Roblox-style experiences) continue to strengthen — suggesting mobile players increasingly favor interactive, creativity-driven experiences.PC: content-led stability with a loyal core
The PC segment is expected to generate about $39.9 billion, maintaining steady growth largely supported by strong new releases (for example, titles like Monster Hunter: Wilderness (《怪物獵人：荒野》)) and the long-tail performance of last year’s hits (such as Phantom Beast Paru (《幻獸帕魯》)). Growth in key markets, notably China, reinforces PC’s role as a content-driven segment with a loyal core audience.
Global view: the center of growth is shifting
Regionally, incumbents and emerging markets are showing different dynamics.- The Asia-Pacific region remains dominant, accounting for $87.6 billion and 46% of global market revenue.
- The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) posted the fastest regional growth at 7.5%, indicating significant upside potential.
- Latin America’s growth is also noteworthy, driven primarily by mobile and PC titles.
Key insights: how release strategy influences outcomes
The report’s deeper analysis of release strategies yields actionable insights that go beyond intuition and materially affect a game’s early performance.The value of timing windows
Games released in the traditional 2–3 month “prime window” see, on average, 34% higher player counts during their first three months compared with titles released in the August–November window. This suggests that while the “golden” release period is highly competitive, it also brings materially greater initial visibility.The optimal Early Access length
For titles using Steam Early Access, an Early Access period of roughly six months appears optimal. Longer Early Access runs often correlate with weaker post-launch engagement—likely because players experience core content too early, reducing momentum at full release.Multi-platform rollout: nuanced effects
Findings here are especially granular and have clear strategic implications:- For indie and AA titles, simultaneous PC-and-console launches tend to concentrate early players on PC: about 61% of initial players appear on PC when releases are concurrent. If the console version is delayed, PC’s share jumps to 89%, indicating that staggered releases can let one platform capture the lion’s share of an initial audience.
- For titles ported from PlayStation to PC, the pattern shifts. If the PC version launches at the same time, 56% of players still favor PlayStation; delaying the PC version raises the PlayStation retention to 87%.
