The global games industry will be expected to increase by 4.6% by 2026 to $ 236.9 billion, and it is expected to reach $ 280.1 billion in 2031.
This is in accordance with a new Midia Research report, which points out that, as the International Monetary Fund has projected that the global inflation rate is 4.2% in 2025, “the world market market is essentially flat.”
When observing the software, the company predicts that income will increase 4.4% year after year to $ 203.2 billion in 2025. It highlights the earnings of “several premium releases” this year and 2026, including Grand Theft Auto 6 and “Switch 2 Window Games” as titles as titles of Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin Craed Shadows. By 2031, it is estimated that software income grows to $ 237 billion.
The PC software is “planned to overcome other segments by 2031”, reaching $ 44.5 billion in 2025 compared to $ 41.6 billion in 2024.
It is estimated that the console software will reach $ 47.9 billion this year compared to $ 45.1 billion last year, while it is forecast that Mobile will reach $ 110.9 billion in 2025 compared to $ 108.1 billion compared to 2024.
It is projected that hardware income will grow by 8.4% year -on -year to $ 20.6 billion, driven by the launch of Switch 2. This follows a 19.9% decrease in 2024 “when Xbox had problems due to its focus on services and income outside the platform and the original switch approached at the end of its life cycle.” It is estimated that hardware income will reach $ 24.6 billion in 2031.
According to Midia, a key change for the rest of the decade is a renovation of premium titles after a “supersaturation of living service games”. As a result, it is forecast that the income in the game will decrease to 67% by 2031.
The firm predicts that consoles will continue to be the most popular option for Premium Games, and the ecosystem occupies 60% of market share compared to 38% on the PC.
As for multiple games subscription services, the report says that although income can see an impulse of price increases and the possible addition of AD levels, it has “reached maturity.”
Midia emphasizes how the incorporation of Call of Duty into the Xbox game pass helped the general subscription service numbers to 16% year -on -year at $ 11.8 billion in 2024. It predicts that this amount grows even more in 2025 to $ 13.1 billion, followed by $ 18.5 billion in 2031.
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The number of global players is expected to increase in 2025 to 3.27 billion, and even more for 2031 to 4.02 billion. Midia points out that cross entertainment is adding potential consumers through adaptations such as The Last of Us of HBO and Amazon’s Fallout.
However, he predicts that “most new players will enter the market through emerging countries and regions such as Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.” Midia points out that as Internet access and online infrastructure continue to improve, more players in these areas will emerge.
“Things will remain difficult in the play market, and these challenging market conditions mean that developers are forced to think smart to succeed,” said Midia Games Rhys Elliot analyst. “Fortunately, the industry is full of some of the most intelligent, most creative and passionate minds in the world. Simply expect two digit growth.”
Elliot continued: “Driving employees who create value is myopic. After all, a great reason why Nintendo, Fromsoftware and Naughty Dog are so successful is because they retain and nourish long -term talent.
“My recommendation: less waste, less tendency trends, more innovation, more segmentation backed by data and better treatment (read: human) of people in the industry creating value. The market cannot continue attending to the same players and expect the cake to grow.”
You can find the full report on the Midia website.
