A new report by the market intelligence and consulting firm Midia Research shows a positive prospect for the video gaming sector over the next years. The study, Global Games Forecasts 2025-2031, anticipates the global games industry will increase by 4.6% in 2026 to USD 236.9 billion, and is expected to reach USD 280.1 billion in 2031.
Moreover, software revenues will rise by 4.4% year-over-year to USD 203.2 billion in 2025. It highlights gains from “several premium releases” this year and in 2026, including Grand Theft Auto 6 and Switch 2 launch-window games, as well as titles such as Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. By 2031, software revenue is estimated to grow to USD 237 billion. PC software will outpace other segments towards 2031, reaching USD 44.5 billion in 2025 compared to USD 41.6 billion in 2024. Console software is estimated to reach USD 47.9 billion this year compared to USD 45.1 billion last year, while mobile is forecast to reach USD 110.9 billion in 2025 compared to USD 108.1 billion in 2024.
Hardware revenues are projected to grow by 8.4% YoY to USD 20.6 billion in 2025, driven by the Switch 2 launch. In 2031, these revenues will be USD 24.6 billion.
According to Midia, a key change for the rest of the decade is a refocus on premium titles following an oversaturation of live-serve games. As a result, in-game revenue is forecast to decrease to 67% by 2031. The firm predicts that consoles will continue to be the most popular choice for premium games, with the ecosystem taking up 60% of the market share compared to 38% on PC. As for multi-game subscription services, the report says that while revenues may see a boost from price increases and the potential addition of ad-based tiers, it has reached maturity.
Besides, the document highlights how Call of Duty’s addition to Xbox Game Pass helped overall subscription service numbers rise by 16% YoY to USD 11.8 billion in 2024. It predicts this amount to grow further in 2025 to USD 13.1 billion, followed by USD 18.5 billion in 2031.
The number of global players is expected to increase in 2025 to 3.27 billion, and even further by 2031 to 4.02 billion. Midia notes that cross-entertainment is adding potential consumers via adaptations such as HBO’s The Last of Us and Amazon’s Fallout.
However, it predicts that most new players will enter the market via emerging countries and regions such as Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. As Internet access and online infrastructure continues to improve, more players will emerge from these areas.