How Many People Play Video Games [Video Game Statistics]

As Freddie Mercury used to sing: Don’t stop me now!

One thing is for sure: no one can stop the video gaming industry from thriving! That’s why we are here today – to examine the flow of video game statistics and give you a fresh insight into those that matter the most in 2021.

First, let’s have a quick look around:

• 2.5 billion people played video games in 2016.
• 70% of video gamers are aged 18 or higher.
• In 2019, 63% of mobile gamers are female.
• 85% of the video gaming industry revenue comes from free-to-play games.
• 60% of American adults prefer to play on their smartphones.
• 52% of gamers play on their personal computers.
• In 2019, the gaming industry has generated total revenue of $151.9 billion.
• According to mobile app statistics from our app launch checklist, in 2019 around 2.1 billion individuals were playing mobile games.

Statistics are positive about the state of video games in 2019: they are one of the favorite modern pastimes for people all over the world.

Let’s give the remote to video game industry statistics. Prepare to be amazed!

Fascinating Video Game Facts

Now:

How many people play video games in 2019?

Let’s see what do those pesky 2019 video game statistics have to say for themselves?

1. 2.5 billion people played video games in 2016.

(Source: We PC)

• In 2017, 88% of the total revenue of the video game industry came from software sales.
• The US video game market is expected to reach a revenue of $90 billion in 2020.
• 75% of Americans have at least one video gamer in their household.

The world of video games is a perfect escape from reality. Many people nowadays seek refuge and spend time in fantasy realms, fighting crime, or playing football. According to video game sales statistics, more and more people are looking to gaming as a favorite pastime activity.

2. The average age of a woman gamer is 34.

(Source: Entertainment Software Association)

• 46% of gamers are female. 54% of all gamers are male. (So politically incorrect of us to only use the two!)
• The average age of a male gamer is 32.
• In 2019, 63% of mobile gamers are female.
• The average age of video gamers in the EU is 31.

In 2019, women of all ages are playing video games. Enjoying games has never been easier. Mobile gaming is on the rise, guys. (Next time you are on the subway you can make a little statistic of your own – how many girls are playing mobile games. I already tried. Check out how many women play video games down below!)

3. 65% of American adults are video gamers.

(Source: Entertainment Software Association)

• 36.7% of video game players are college-educated.
• 72% of male video game players are in the age group of 18-29.
• 78% of gamers claim that video games are mentally stimulating, while simultaneously relieving stress.

Video games are at the top of their game, pun intended. Since the turn of the century, gaming has influenced our society a great deal. People of all ages, education and social statuses play games.

Now, let’s talk money:

4. In 2016, the US video gaming market value was $17.68 billion.

(Source: Statista)

• In 2018, the total value of the video games sales market was $43.4 billion.
• In 2019, the global esports revenue will top the $1 billion thresholds for the first time.
• The South Asia gaming market is estimated to generate up to $4.6 billion in 2019.

Gaming industry statistics for India are also very positive, they claim that their gaming industry is valued at $930 million and is expected to grow up to 41% annually.

The online gaming population is growing fast and it’s making it rain. Stay tuned to find out the amount of money that some of the most famous games are making. The video game market is exploding nowadays.

Now:

How many Americans play video games?

5. In 2018, more than 166 million adults played video games in the US.

(Source: Entertainment Software Association)

According to app usage statistics, both males and females spend more than 60 minutes playing a game on their mobile phones on a daily basis.

• In 2019, around 2.4 billion people will play mobile games.
• 52% of gamers play on their personal computers.
• 42% of Americans play video games every week.
• Over 300 million Facebook users play Facebook games every month.

We are living in the Golden Age of gaming. Esports enjoy an unprecedented audience and the number of people who play video games is constantly rising. The market is expanding rapidly – people enjoy their gaming time. Especially kids:

6. 92% of US teenage boys play games on a console.

(Source: Pew Research Centre)

• 84% of US teens have a console at home or have access to one.
• 97% of US teenage boys play video games on some kind of device.
• 41% of US teens claim they spend too much time playing video games.

Yup! Kids love their gaming. They are a source of entertainment, spending time with friends, or just some activity away from the classroom.

They are competitive, and if used well, games can teach the new generations a good set of values. Of course, there is the other side of the coin – gaming addiction is a real thing. As always – we’re searching for the middle ground.

7. 46% of all gamers in the world are aged 36 or higher.

(Source: Filmora Wondershare)

• 49% of the women in the age group 18-29 are video gamers.
• 63% of all gamers prefer to play with other people.
• 74% of parents believe that gaming has an educational impact on their children.

Competition in esports gives us adrenalin that few other activities can provide. Video gaming is for all seasons and all ages. Regardless of the time of the day and the device you own – the rush of not knowing what will happen next remains the same.

In other words:

Video gaming gave new meaning to words like a pastime, hobby, and even sports.

By now we learned how many people play video games in the US, so let’s continue with other stats…

Now:

Types of Video Gaming: Devices and Generations

Born to play, forced to work.

We’ve all seen those words on t-shirts or bags. After you have spent 800 hours on a single game in Steam or Twitch, you are one of the pack. There’s no way back!

What’s your pick?

8. 60% of American adults prefer to play on their smartphones.

(Source: Entertainment Software Association)

• 70% of generation X gamers prefer to play on their smartphones.
• The mobile gaming penetration in the US is expected to cross the threshold of 60% in 2019.
• Mobile is accountable for 51% of the global gaming market.
• 38% of game developers create games for mobile devices.

According to the statistics on video gaming, users definitely prefer smartphones and desktops for gaming. Since the future of gaming is online, in the years to come, most games will be played on the cloud. No downloads, no expensive devices.

If you are curious about smartphone trends we have created an interesting smartphone stats article where we talk about smartphone usage, growth, revenue, demographics, and more.

Now:

9. 62% of video gamers choose to play on a PC or Mac.

(Source: We PC)

• 52% of game developers work on projects for PC or Mac.
• 90% of American gamers play on their smartphones, among other devices.

That’s not all:

PC Gaming vs Console Gaming Statistics: What They Say

10. 49% of gamers prefer to play on a console.

(Source: Entertainment Software Association)

• 69% of millennials often play on consoles.
• In 2017, Sony PSP was the most popular console with 19.64% of the console gaming market.
• Pc gaming is about to increase to $35.7 billion, which is +4%.
• Pc Gaming has reached 1.3 billion players.
• 49% of US adults play games on consoles.
• In 2018, Wii Sports was the best-selling console with 82.65 million units sold worldwide.
• In 2020 Steam had up to 120 million monthly active players.

Consoles have fallen a bit out of favor nowadays. But they still charm users all over the world with their interactivity and ease of play.

On the other side, they are expensive, and sooner or later, with the advances of online gaming – they will become less and less popular.

Video Game Demographics

Nowadays even toddlers play games. (If only there were statistics about whether baby girls or baby boys played more often… well, we are still waiting for such, but that’d be fun!)

11. 70% of video gamers are aged 18 or higher.

(Source: Statista)

• 36 is the average gamer age of the most frequent game buyers.
• Adult women represent 33% of the global population of gamers. That’s more than the total of male gamers under the age of 18.
• Gamers in the age group 15-19 play video games for an average of 81 minutes on weekends.
• The primary motivation for playing video games for 14.1% of male gamers is competition.

It used to be that mostly teenagers played games. They still do, but they’re far from the main audience now. People in their 20s and up have more money to spend, and a lot of them are happy to spend some of it on games.

Have you heard about Gen Z-ers?

• Gen Z includes individuals born between 1997-2012, and according to Gen Z statistics, 44% of them expect to use 5G for gaming purposes. They are more interested in participating in the gaming world than any other generation, especially when it comes to multi-player games.

12. 57% of parents in the US play video games with their kids at least once a week.

(Source: Entertainment Software Association)

• In 2018, 58% of Candy Crush players were women.
• 65% of US women in the age group of 10-65 play mobile games.

Yup! Isn’t that cool? Spending some quality time with your kids and relaxing at the same time. Enjoying a mutual passion for gaming is an amazing way to bond with your progeny.

Games & Stats

Let’s cover the favorite games of players all over the world. And sprinkle them with some video game statistics.

According to the video game market:

13. In 2016, 27.5% of all games sold in the US were shooter games.

(Source: We PC)

• 56% of the most dedicated gamers play multiplayer games.
• 60% of the favorite video games of millennials are sports games.
• 61% of millennials prefer playing racing games.

The variety of games nowadays is absolutely stunning. Live streaming has changed the way we play.

14. In January 2019, there were 30,000 games on Steam.

(Source: PC Gamer)

• More than 15 million users visit Twitch daily.
• In 2018, 45% of the global population of mobile gamers spent money on games.

Before we move on to the latest video game trends, let’s have a look at some stats about 2 of the AAA games of recent years:

15. In 2018, Overwatch was played by a staggering 40 million people.

(Source: Statista)

• In 2018, the prize budget for Overwatch tournaments reached $6.59 million.
• In March 2019, more than 250 million gamers played Fortnite Battle Royale.
• The digital revenue of Fortnite for 2018 was $2.4 billion. This is the game with the biggest revenue of 2018.
• 68% of Fortnite players made an in-game purchase.

In 2019, the odds are that either you or a friend or relative of yours is a dedicated Overwatch or Fortnite player. It’s the age we live in, and it’s awesome. Companies like Blizzard and Epic Games surprise their fans with amazing season features that keep gamers hooked! (Did you enjoy the Overwatch Summer Games this year? Lúcioball was awesome, am I right?)

Video Gaming Trends

There is a lot to look forward to in the near future of gaming. Like:

• Cloud gaming – online game streaming. In the near future, gamers won’t need expensive rigs to play top games with high FPS.
• New alternatives to Steam – Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite Battle Royale, are developing their own platform for online gaming.
• Game Stadia – one of Google’s latest innovations. It’s kind of like Netflix for games.

According to video gaming sales statistics:

16. By 2021, the total number of gamers in the world will be close to 2.8 billion people.

(Source: Broadband Search)

• 2.8 billion is more than 25% of the global population. No wonder businesses are considering gamification to improve sales on the marketing side and improve the productivity and creativity of their employees on the production side.
• In 2019, the gaming industry has generated total revenue of $151.9 billion.
• In 2019, online gaming is expected to conquer 47% of the desktop and console gaming revenue.
• Nintendo has a net value of $85 billion which makes it the largest gaming company financially.

According to online gaming statistics, the future of online gaming is as secure as the success of the next Taylor Swift video… so to speak. Gamers are looking for multiplayer shooters or sports games that are shorter in duration, have amazing and complex characters and give them the experience of a lifetime.

To Sum Up

Oh, those video game statistics were a hoot and a half, weren’t they?

In the course of the last decade, the global video game market share has been climbing at a steady rate. And it seems that it won’t lose momentum any time soon.

Video games industry statistics have announced their verdict: mobile gaming is on the rise and the future of gaming is on the cloud. Most gamers are aged 18 and higher, and women are playing video games more than ever before.

Enjoy your gaming, everyone!

It’s a great time to be alive!