No "single model" for growth, says Newzoo

• Mobile revenue is increasingly decoupling from downloads as established games drive deeper spending from existing players.
• Global mobile downloads fell 25% year over year in H1 2026, while cost per install increased 30% to $0.56.
• Newzoo says PC, console and mobile are following different paths, with no single model for games market growth.

The global games market is forecast to reach $213.9 billion in 2026, up 6.1% year over year, with growth across PC, console and mobile following different paths.

That’s according to Newzoo’s latest forecast, which expects the global player base to grow 4.4% to 3.7bn in 2026, while the number of spenders could rise by 4.7% to 1.65bn.

With conversion holding broadly flat and average revenue per spender reaching $129.6, the expanding player base will drive most of this year’s growth.

Newzoo expects this growth engine to weaken through 2029, however, as player penetration and conversion flatten, placing greater importance on monetising the existing audience. As per AppMagic data, mobile gaming has already seen in decline in global game downloads between 2024 and 2025.

Mobile remains the largest platform, according to Newzoo. The market research firm forecasts than in 2026 the platform's playerbase will rise by 3.9% Y/Y to 3.1bn players. Mobile revenue is expected to reach $121.1bn, growing 6.8%, despite declining downloads.

The platform has the lowest player-to-spender conversion rate of the three, but deeper monetisation is helping offset the decline in downloads.

Different growth paths

Newzoo says PC, console and mobile are being shaped by different market forces. PC revenue is forecast to rise by 5.3% to $45.9bn this year.

"Premium and mid-priced games remain commercially important, sustaining full-game revenues as microtransactions regain share," said Newzoo principal games market analyst Michiel Buijsman. "PC also has the highest player-to-spender conversion rate of any platform at 55%."

Console is expected to grow 5.1% to $46.9bn, driven by major launches, the Switch 2, multi-game subscriptions and higher prices for games and services.

Mobile's growth, on the other hand, is taking a different route, according to Newzoo. While downloads are declining, deeper monetisation is leading to an increase in player spending.

“These differences reveal there is no single model for growth," said Newzoo principal games market analyst Michiel Buijsman. “Strategies that succeed on one platform may not translate to another, even when their topline trajectories look similar."

Direct-to-consumer channels are also becoming more important, with four of five tracked publishers generating at least 39% of gaming revenue directly from consumers by Q1 2026. That's similar to some of PocketGamer.biz's own findings on the topic.

Mobile player growth is also shifting geographically. Central Southern Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East & Africa are expected to account for 80% of the 117.8 million net new mobile players added in 2026. 

You can access the full report here.