Video Game Spending Statistics
KEY POINTS
- American households spent an average of $449 on video games in 2024.
- The top 20% of earners spends 2.6 times as much on entertainment products (including video games) as the average household.
- Married couples with kids spend almost 50% more on entertainment products (including video games) than the average household.
The U.S. video game market is an entertainment behemoth valued at $59.3 billion -- more than the American film, music, and book-publishing industries combined.
So how much are families spending on video games, how does wealth and family structure impact video game spending, and what are the top sellers of all time?
For that information and more, read on.
How much consumers spend on video games
A total of $59.3 billion was spent on video games in 2024, according to the Entertainment Software Association. That includes consoles, games, and accessories.
Given that there are 132 million households in the United States, a conservative average estimate of gaming spending per household is $449. This assumes that there's one gamer per household.
Spending on video games varies by family size, structure, and income. A family with kids, for example, may be more likely to spend on video games. And families with higher income could be expected to have more cash to splurge on a new console or buy new video game releases on a more consistent basis.
That's backed up by data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here's how we broke down that data.
Families spent an average of $653 on "other entertainment equipment and services" in 2023.
The "other entertainment equipment and services" category includes spending on video games, as well as a range of other products that do not fall into the other major entertainment categories of fees and admission; television, radio, and sound equipment; and pets, toys, hobbies, and playground equipment.
It's likely that not all of the $653 spent by the average American family in that category was spent on video games.
While the category encompasses more than video games, it is a useful proxy for video game spending. For example, spending grew by nearly 50% from 2019 to 2020 and by 60% from 2020 to 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when, according to the Entertainment Software Association, video game spending and time spent playing video games grew significantly.
Video game spending by income
The top 20% of earners spent $1,722 on "other entertainment," including video games, in 2023, according to BLS. The next lowest income quintile spent $657 and the lowest income segment spent just $125 over the course of the entire year. The average spend on "other entertainment" across all income levels was $653.
It's logical that households with more income spend more on video games, which clearly fall into discretionary spending. Those households tend to have more disposable income to spend on categories like entertainment.
With flagship video games and consoles becoming more expensive and microtransactions becoming the norm across platforms, it's not difficult to see the most wealthy households spending over $1,000 a year on video games.
Video game spending by family structure
Married couples with kids spent $955 on "other entertainment," including video games, in 2023, compared to the average spend of $657 across all households.
Video games have always been a staple birthday or holiday present for kids and they're a great way to keep kids entertained, so it's no surprise that families with kids tend to spend more in the category that includes video games than families without kids.
Video game spending by year
Americans spent $59.3 billion on video games in 2024. That total includes spending on consoles, games, and accessories, and is based on data from the Entertainment Software Association.
Overall spending jumped from $42.7 billion in 2018 to $57.7 billion in 2020, and grew another $3.5 billion to $61.2 billion in 2021 as Americans sought to fill their time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spending fell by roughly $4 billion from 2021 to 2022, but is far from returning to pre-pandemic levels.
The vast majority, 86.5%, of money spent on gaming in 2024 went towards games, while 8.3% of spending was on consoles and 5.4% was on accessories.
Video game revenue by segment
Global video game revenue is projected to exceed $260 billion by 2028, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Mobile gaming will remain the main driver of video game revenue, followed by console and PC gaming, BCG projects. Revenue from ads in mobile games are projected to grow from $6 million in 2017 to $34 million in 2027.
Plateauing revenue growth overall is attributed to increasing costs associated with developing and marketing top-performing games while the number of those types of games being released each year decreases.
| Year | Mobile | Console | PC | Cloud and VR | Ads in Mobile Games | Ads in Nonmobile Games | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $64 | $29 | $33 | <$1 | $6 | <$1 | $132 |
| 2018 | $75 | $34 | $33 | <$1 | $9 | <$1 | $151 |
| 2019 | $85 | $34 | $32 | <$1 | $11 | <$1 | $162 |
| 2020 | $107 | $43 | $33 | <$1 | $13 | <$1 | $196 |
| 2021 | $114 | $44 | $36 | $1 | $17 | <$1 | $212 |
| 2022 | $107 | $41 | $36 | $1 | $20 | <$1 | $205 |
| 2023 | $108 | $43 | $37 | $1 | $24 | <$1 | $213 |
| 2024 | $113 | $43 | $37 | $2 | $26 | <$1 | $221 |
| 2025 | $118 | $45 | $39 | $2 | $28 | <$1 | $232 |
| 2026 | $124 | $47 | $39 | $2 | $31 | $1 | $244 |
| 2027 | $130 | $48 | $40 | $3 | $32 | $2 | $255 |
| 2028 | $137 | $50 | $41 | $3 | $34 | $2 | $267 |
Gaming subscriptions and cloud gaming
Two trends are emerging in the video game industry that could reshape how consumers game and how they spend on gaming: video game subscription services and cloud gaming. Subscriptions make up 25% of console game and services revenue, according to BCG.
Gaming subscription services operate like Netflix or any other video streaming service. Subscribers pay a monthly subscription fee and get access to a library of games. The most popular services are Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus.
Tens of millions of gamers subscribe to those services and the model has become a steady revenue source for Microsoft and Sony.
Microsoft reported 34 million players had signed up for Game Pass as of February 2024, the last time it reported their Game Pass numbers. The company attributed a 13% increase in revenue from Xbox content and services to "first-party content and Xbox Game Pass" in its SEC filing covering the quarter ending in Sept. 30, 2023.
Sony reported 47.4 million PlayStation Plus subscribers at the end of March 2023, the last time it reported those numbers.
The top tier of Xbox Game Pass also provides gamers with access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which allows players to stream Xbox games onto internet-connected devices even if they don't have an Xbox. If the cloud model catches on, it could make gaming more accessible and affordable to families who don't want to splurge on a high-end console or PC.
The best-selling video games and consoles
Best selling video games of 2024
EA Sports College Football 25 was the top-selling game for PC and console in 2024, while Royal Match was the top-grossing mobile game that year, according to the Entertainment Software Association.
| PC/Console (Top Selling) | Mobile (Top Grossing) |
|---|---|
| EA Sports College Football 25 | Royal Match |
| Helldivers II | Roblox (Roblox Corporation) |
| NBA 2K25 | Candy Crush Saga |
| Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero | Last War: Survival |
| EA Sports Madden NFL 25 | Whiteout Survival |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III | Coin Master |
| EA Sports FC 25 | Township |
| Elden Ring | Pokémon GO |
| EA Sports MVP Bundle | Jackpot Party – Casino Slots |
| EA Sports FC 24 | Evony |
PC and console games are listed as top selling while mobile games are listed as top grossing, because many of the most successful mobile games are free to download and play and generate revenue via in-game microtransactions. PC and console games on this list, however, must be purchased to play.
The best-selling video games of all time
The all-time classic Tetris tops the list of best-selling video games of all time, with 520 million copies sold since its release in 1984.
The other all-time best sellers were released after 2005, and some of the relatively older games like Minecraft, Skyrim, and Grand Theft Auto V have had impressive staying power.
| Game | Initial Release Year | Copies Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Tetris | 1984 | 520 million |
| Minecraft | 2009 | >300 million |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 2013 | >200 million |
| Wii Sports | 2006 | 82.9 million |
| PUBG | 2017 | 75 million |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | 2014 | 70.43 million |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2018 | 64 million |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | 2011 | >60 million |
| Terraria | 2011 | 58.7 million |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 2015 | >50 million |
The best-selling consoles of all time
Sony's PlayStation 2 narrowly squeezes out the Nintendo DS for the best-selling video game console of all time.
Sony and Nintendo dominate the list, accounting for nine of the top 10 most-sold consoles in history. Keep in mind that this list does not include PC sales, the platform of choice for a significant number of gamers.
| Console | Company | Year Released | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 2 | Sony | 2000 | 155 million |
| Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 2004 | 154 million |
| Nintendo Switch | Nintendo | 2017 | 143.42 million |
| Game Boy & Game Boy Color | Nintendo | 1989, 1998 | 118.7 million |
| PlayStation 4 | Sony | 2013 | 117.2 million |
| PlayStation | Sony | 1994 | 102.5 million |
| Wii | Nintendo | 2006 | 101.6 million |
| PlayStation 3 | Sony | 2006 | 87.4 million |
| Xbox 360 | Microsoft | 2005 | 84 million |
| Game Boy Advance | Nintendo | 2001 | 81.5 million |
Credit and debit cards for gamers
Whether gaming is your own hobby or a go-to gift for your kids, it's likely that you'll be spending a decent chunk of change on hardware, games, in-game features, or accessories.
Despite gaming revenue surpassing that of movies and music, there are only a few credit and debit cards designed specifically for gamers. Those cards could be worth looking into if you're a consistent spender on gaming and have some loyalty to a particular console.
The best credit cards for gamers vary based on platform of choice and the type of purchases expected, such as spending on hardware, accessories, games, or in-game purchases. While Xbox and PlayStation offer their own rewards cards, they aren't as competitive in other respects as some of Motley Fool Money's top-rated credit cards.
Check out Motley Fool Money's full list of credit card reviews before making a decision on which card is right for you.
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Sources
- Boston Consulting Group (2024). "Leveling Up for the New Reality: The Gaming Report."
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024). "Consumer Expenditure Survey."
- Entertainment Software Association (2025). "Essential Facts."
- Gamerant (2025). "The Best-Selling Video Game Consoles of All Time, Ranked."
- IGN (2025). "The 10 Best-Selling Video Games of All Time."
- Nintendo (2024). "Dedicated Video Game Sales Units."
Our Research Expert
Jack Caporal is the Research Director for The Motley Fool and Motley Fool Money.