According to Newzoo, for the first time in 2025, global revenue from the game industry will break the $200 billion mark to $16.1 billion. The market grew by 9.1 per cent over the same year, and the mobile end remained the largest segment of the industry. Mobile end income reached $113.3 billion in 2025, an increase of 10.7 per cent over the same period.
The report notes that the growth of the mobile end exceeds previous expectations in terms of direct consumer income, small game ecosystems and performance of telecoms. However, despite strong growth at the mobile end, global downloads have declined, suggesting that growth at the mobile end is achieved through more liquidity patterns rather than simply expanding the user community.
The report also highlights the rising cost of user acquisition. According to Adjustt, the global cost per installation increased by 30 per cent in 2025 to $0.56 per year, while the ratio between paid and natural installation increased by 61 per cent.
The report indicates that moving end income in 2025 will exceed the sum of PC and mainframe. The PC end income amounted to $43.6 billion, an increase of 12 per cent over the same period, while the host income grew by 2.8 per cent, to $44.7 billion. Newzoo expects that mobile-end income will continue to grow and that the plate will reach $121.1 billion in 2026.
The report emphasizes that direct consumer channels are becoming an important source of revenue, and cites the data from Appcharge, which show that annual D2C transactions reached $1 billion by March 2026, up from $500 million in July 2026.
The report also notes that the combined game and the 4X strategy game are expanding simultaneously, with Chinese distributors leading in both categories through real-time operational strategies and higher user access. Newzoo also noted that China ‘ s small game profit model was another factor driving growth.
However, the report also warns that rising memory costs are impacting the entire industry. Global smartphone deliveries fell by 6 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, and higher hardware costs could have an impact on the growing market in which the medium-end level equipment plays an important role.
Europe is one of the highest-performing regions in the mobile sector, with an increase in income of 15.5 per cent over the same period, continuing the trend of growth above global averages for three consecutive years. In addition, the Middle East and the African region as a whole experienced the fastest growth rate, reaching 15 per cent, while Latin America grew by 9.6 per cent.
Newzoo predicts that the global game market will continue to grow to $23.4 billion by 2028. This growth rate will be influenced by a number of factors, including rising hardware and component costs, the commercial impact of GTA6 and the continued expansion of mobile-end liquidity.
