90 Online Gaming Statistics You Need to Know (2023)

Once upon a time, gaming was seen as the ultimate time-waster. But, with the titan that the gaming industry has recently become, gamers seem to have said “GG” to the rest of the entertainment business. 

The boom of the video game industry has brought about some astonishing stats and numbers. If you’re an avid gamer looking for some of the most significant online gaming statistics, we’ve curated a thorough list of the most interesting gaming statistics.

The video games industry is always evolving, and new records are regularly being set in the gaming market. We’ve scoured the Internet to find the latest and most interesting stats about games in the US and worldwide. Here are the top 90 gaming statistics about the video game industry that you should know!

The Top 10 General Gaming Statistics

While this list will delve deep into many stats of the gaming world, let’s kick it off slowly, with some of the most popular general facts. Here are the top ten video gaming statistics for 2023:

1. Most recent estimates state that there are approximately 3.09 billion active video game players in the world. In 2024, the number of video game players will reach approximately 3.32 billion active users worldwide. (Source)

2. In 2022, an estimated 1.07 billion users worldwide play video games online. This is an increase compared to previous years, showing the importance of the social aspect when playing games. (Source)

3. The average age of a video game player is 34 for male gamers. This number is slightly higher for female gamers, as the average age for women in gaming is 36 years. (Source)

4. An average person who plays video games spends just under $24 per month on gaming-related content, according to the latest information from 2022. (Source)

5. 75% of households in the United States have at least one gamer. (Source)

6. The total value of the global gaming market is expected to reach $492 billion by 2030, growing at a rate of 13.4% every year from 2023 to 2030. (Source)

7. Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time. It has sold 238 copies since its release in 2011. On average, users worldwide purchase around 22 million units every year. (Source)

8. An estimated survey from 2022 states that around 83% of parents play video games with their children. These numbers have been constantly growing over the years. (Source)

9. From June 2022 to January 2023, 66% of PC and/or console players spent money on a video game. (Source)

10. It’s estimated that around 90% of all video game purchases in 2022 were digital. Digital game purchases on smartphones and handheld gaming devices play a big part in this rapid increase over the years. (Source)

How Gamers Play Video Games By Device

One of the biggest debates among video gamers has always been which video gaming device is superior. From  PC gaming to gaming consoles and now mobile gaming, each fanbase can make an argument about why their gaming device is the best. While we’re not here to advertise in any device’s favor, here’s a closer look at how many gamers play on which device:

11. Over 66% of all players play games on mobile devices. This number of mobile gamers makes mobile gaming by far the most popular gaming niche, according to the latest online gaming industry statistics. (Source)

12. Released in 2000, PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling console of all time. (Source)

13. Among next-generation consoles, Nintendo Switch has been the best-selling console of 2022. To this date, it has sold more than 125 million units, making it the third best-selling console of all time. (Source)

14. According to 2023 console gaming statistics, PlayStation 5 is a more popular console than Xbox Series X/S. It has sold over 38 million units since its release, more than doubling Xbox’s sales of 18.5 million. (Source)

15. A study in late 2022 found that 30% of console players spend between 1 and 5 hours a week playing video games, while 25% of them spend between 6 and 10 hours. (Source)

16. The average stats in PC gaming are similar to those of console gamers. However, a significant number of PC gamers (around 10%) spend more than 20 hours per week playing video games. (Source)

17. Despite common misconceptions, the global 45+ age group of mobile gamers spends the most time playing mobile games. The time they play games amounts to 20+ minutes daily. (Source)

18. As of March 2023, Oculus Quest 2 is the most-sold VR headset in the video game market. This device has sold around 20 million units. (Source)

19. Laptop and PC gaming are still more popular than console gaming. About 37.9% of gamers prefer playing video games on PC. In comparison, around 25.3% of players opt for console gaming. (Source)

20. 72% of console and PC video game players use at least two platforms to play games. (Source)

More Stats About Mobile Gamers

As smartphones became the go-to entertainment devices for many people, mobile gaming also took over people’s attention. Convenient and easily accessible, mobile games took over the video gaming industry in the past decade. Here are some intriguing stats on the current state of mobile gaming in the US and worldwide:

21. The total revenue of the mobile gaming industry is projected to reach $286 billion by the end of 2023. (Source)

22. The most revenue in the mobile gaming industry is generated in China and will reach over $81 billion by the end of 2023. (Source)

23. 57% of all video game players play mobile games. (Source)

24. RPG mobile games are the most profitable genre in the mobile gaming market in the US. They amount to over $25.5 billion in revenue, accounting for 31% of all in-app purchases.

25. While most mobile gaming genres have seen a decline in revenue in 2022, arcade games have raked in 14.8% more revenue compared to 2021. (Source)

26. Despite being available only in China, Honor of Kings is the mobile game with the highest revenue in the gaming market, at $2.2 billion. (Source)

27. Candy Crush Saga has topped the list of the top-grossing mobile games in the US in 2022. It recorded over $600 million in total revenue. (Source)

Gaming Statistics By Gender and Age

It has long been accepted that video games are primarily a hobby for the male population. However, in the last decade, there has been an increasing number of female video gamers. This is a great sign of the wider popularization of the gaming industry among the general population. Let’s look at some of the latest video game industry statistics that speak in favor of this:

28. The percentage of female gamers who play console games is slightly lower than the above percentage but was still around 40% according to the latest survey in 2022. (Source)

29.  Male gamers in the US aged between 18 and 34 most often play action games and do so on consoles. In comparison, 77% of female gamers within the same age demographic prefer playing mobile games on their smartphone, with 46% preferring casual games. (Source)

30. Age groups of 45 to 54 and 55  to 64 have seen an increase compared to every previous year. Around 75% and 65% of gamers in these two groups, respectively, plays games on at least one device. (Source)

31. 89.7% of all male Internet users in the age group of 16 to 24 worldwide in 2022 have played video games. In comparison, 87.3% of female users in the same age group have played video games. (Source)

32. Female gamers spend most of their time playing adventure, action-adventure, RPG, and casual games. Looking at male gamer demographics, the most popular game genres include shooter games, RPGs, sports, and racing games. (Source)

33. In 2022 in the US, women make up 48% of gamers, a percentage that has been growing steadily over the two decades. (Source)

34. The stats for Europe are similar, as 47% of video game players are women. (Source)

35. In the US, 36% of all people who play video games are in the average age category of 18 to 34. (Source)

Most Popular Video Games By Total Sales and Player Numbers

For many gamers, playing video games is much more than an entertaining pastime. Some video games have achieved cult status and garnered huge audiences, deservedly so. Here are some of the best-performing video games in terms of total sales and gaming revenue:

36. Grand Theft Auto V is one of the best-selling and most popular games of all time. As of May 2023, GTA V has sold over 180 units across all gaming platforms. (Source)

37. Minecraft is the most popular game among PC gamers. (Source)

38. As of March 2023, the Epic Games title Fortnite is the most popular online video game on the PlayStation 5 console. Call of Duty Modern Warfare II/Warzone 2.0 is a close second place (Source)

39. As of March 2023, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II/Warzone 2.0 is the video game with the biggest number of monthly users on Xbox. (Source)

40. The sports simulation game Wii Sports is the best-selling game on Wii, with 82.9 million units as of March 2023. (Source)

41. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the best-selling Nintendo Switch exclusive, with over 42 million units sold. Looking at both Wii U and Nintendo Switch sales, Mario Kart 8 tops the list, with over 53 million sales. (Source)

42. The Activision Blizzard game Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare is the best-selling video game in the US in 2022. (Source)

43. The free-to-play PC gaming branch of the industry generated an estimated $23 billion worldwide. This shows how prevalent in-game purchases have become among PC gamers. (Source)

44. The free-to-play mobile video game market is even more lucrative, as 2023 estimates predict a global revenue of over $83 billion. (Source)

45. According to the latest data from PlayStation (albeit from 2021), there are over 3.2 million PS NOW members. (Source)

Esports Gaming Taking Over The Gaming Industry

No gaming statistics page would be complete without a look at the Esports market. The global Esports audience has been growing exponentially over the years, leading to some unbelievable numbers, with an even more promising future. Here are ten interesting facts about the Esports market and Esports players:

46. In 2022, the total revenue of this part of the online gaming industry topped $1.38 billion. The Esports video game market is expected to grow as much as $1.87 billion by 2025. (Source)

47. There were an estimated 532 million Esports fans in 2022. This number is predicted to grow to over 640 million people by the end of 2025. (Source)

48. The Chinese Esports market is the largest in the world and is worth $360.1 million. The US market is worth $243 million. (Source)

49. The US was the leading Esports country worldwide in 2022 in the overall number of gamers who play professionally. It has 3,731 active Esports professional players. (Source)

50. China was the highest-earning Esports country in the world in 2022, with total prize money of $46.05 million. (Source)

51. Dota 2 and Arena of Valor were the two leading games in 2022 by cumulative prize pool value. Their prize pools were $32.85 and $32.73 million, respectively. (Source)

52. Russia remained the highest-earning country in Europe for Esports players, with $9.49 million worth of prize money won in 2022. Germany is second with $6.93 million. (Source)

53. Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Apex Legends were the most followed Esports franchises in the US in 2022. (Source)

54. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the leading Esports mobile game by viewer hours in 2022. It had over 331 million viewer hours, nearly three times as much as the second-best PUBG Mobile. (Source)

55. PUBG Mobile is the leading battle royale Esports game by viewer hours with over 112 million viewer hours worldwide. (Source)

Video Gaming Stats By Region

Most of the video game stats from above were focused on how gamers globally play video games. But, to get a better feel of how gamers in specific big markets enjoy online gaming, let’s see the extent to which different regions play video games:

56. Asia-Pacific region is the largest video game market in the world, estimated at around $84.8 billion. (Source)

57. US and China are responsible for 49% of all gaming revenue in 2022. (Source)

58. Despite being two relatively small markets, Latin America and the Middle East are the only two regions that have seen a revenue bump in 2022. (Source)

59. Germany’s video game market is the largest one in Europe, with an estimated 2022 revenue of $6.6 billion. (Source)

60. Brazil is the third-largest country by the total number of digital gamers worldwide. However, it’s only in tenth place in total revenue, at $2.6 billion. (Source)

When Playing Video Games Becomes Problematic – Video Gaming Addiction Statistics

Playing video games can certainly be a fun pastime, regardless if you’re into console or PC gaming, or prefer playing mobile games. However, for some video gamers, the fun can turn into addiction when healthy gaming practices are disregarded. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the latest addiction stats in the video gaming industry:

61. Social simulation and MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games are considered to be among the most addictive ones. (Source)

62. Between 3% and 4% of gamers are addicted to playing video games. (Source)

63. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the increase of addictive behavior in video games. Binge gaming increased by 13% compared to 2020 and pre-COVID. (Source)

64. Teenagers and children are more susceptible to addiction to video games. They make up around 8.4% of video gamers with an addiction. (Source)

65. Teenage boys are more likely to suffer from addiction to video games than girls. About 11% to 12% of boys are addicted to video games, compared to 6% to 7% of girls. (Source)

66. Gaming addiction is most problematic in gamer demographics from 20 to 35 years of age. The average gamer who battles with addiction is 24 years old. (Source)

67. After the uptick in gaming activity in 2020 and 2021, the average playtime on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam dropped about 23% in 2022. Experts say that this is a corrective back to pre-pandemic video gaming stats. (Source)

Online Gaming Stats

With video games being more social than ever, online gaming has become a very popular form of playing video games. Here are some interesting stats and facts about online gaming in 2023:

68. About 57% of all gamers prefer playing single-player games over playing games online. (Source)

69. The number of those who prefer single-player games is skewed toward the older generation. Over 70% of gamers over 55 prefer single-player. On the other hand, only about 40% of gamers between 16 and 24 years of age prefer single-player games to multiplayer online gaming. (Source)

70. Latest estimates of the online gaming landscape state that around one billion gamers enjoy games online worldwide. (Source)

71. The 2022 UK online gaming stat breakdown shows that over 70% of players of an average age between 12 and 24 prefer playing online games. (Source)

72. The Xbox Network (Formerly known as Xbox Live) has over 120 million active monthly gamers worldwide, as of December 2022. (Source)

73. From May 2022 to May 2023, PUBG ranked as the most popular online multiplayer game in the world. As to how many gamers play it on average, this number ranged between 280 and 300 million gamers every month for the past year. (Source) 

74. Fortnite and Roblox ranked as the second and third most popular games on the multiplayer games list. Both recorded over 200 million monthly players, on average. (Source)

75. PlayStation remains the most dominant console for online gamers in terms of overall subscribers. According to data from December 2022, over 46 million gamers subscribe to PlayStation Plus. In comparison, 25 million Xbox players subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass service. (Source, Source) 

Cloud Gaming – The Rising Trend in the Entertainment Industry

While the first cloud gaming platform launched years ago, most gamers have only recently jumped on this booming trend. A part of the reason why tens of millions of users worldwide have switched game purchases for gaming on demand is the rapid advances in this niche. Here are some stats that speak to this:

76. Nvidia’s GeForce Now platform has more than 25 million users. (Source)

77. Global cloud game market revenue in 2022 is estimated at $2.38 billion. This number is expected to rise to over $8.1 billion in 2025. (Source)

78. The US market generates the most revenue from this branch of the gaming industry, with expected revenue of $1.2 billion for 2023. (Source)

79. According to Microsoft’s CEO, by the end of 2022, more than 20 million gamers have used Xbox’s cloud-based platform to play games. (Source)

80. Unlike its above-mentioned competitors, which are seeing increasing success among online gamers, Google Stadia was shut down in January of 2023 due to poor reception. On average, it had just about 200,000 users every month. (Source)

Other Interesting Gaming Facts

Some of the facts we’ve shared above are expected, while others are quite impressive and downright unbelievable. Still, there are some interesting stats that don’t fall under any of the above categories but we don’t want to exclude them from this comprehensive page. So, here are a few more intriguing facts about the gaming industry:

81. The acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2022 is the biggest deal in video gaming history. It was worth $68.7 billion. (Source)

82. As of early 2023, Steam has more than 50 thousand games in its library. After 20 years of being online, Steam remains one of the leading go-to places for everyone who wants to play games. (Source)

83. Players from China spend the most time playing video games on average, totaling slightly over 12 hours per week. Americans play video games for around 7 hours per week, slightly higher than the global average. (Source)

84. From May 2022 to May 2023, the most-watched game on Twitch was League of Legends. It recorded over 1.4 billion hours of watch time during this period. (Source)

85. The game with the most streamers on Twitch during the same period was Fortnite, recording over 3.8 million streamers. (Source)

86. xQc was the most-watched Twitch streamer between May 2022 and May 2023. He had over 185 million hours of watch time during this period. (Source)

87. Action-adventure video games and shooter games are the two most popular video game genres across all gaming devices in the industry in 2022. (Source)

88. Only about 20% of gamers play online games with a VPN. This is a larger percentage compared to previous years, but still significantly lower than it should be. (Source)

89. Most online gamers who use a VPN to play video games say that they do so to protect their privacy. (Source)

90. In a recent online poll, over 60% of online gamers state that the VPN they play video games with should primarily be fast. At 58%, the second-most-important factor was the price of the service. (Source)