BCG: Gaming Market in 2025 & Forecast up to 2030
BCG forecasts high growth rates of Cloud Gaming & Subscription services. I'm skeptical of both.
The report is based on a survey of 2,972 respondents conducted in July 2025. The US accounts for 22% of the total sample, followed by China, Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Overall market state
According to BCG, the global games market has emerged from post-pandemic stagnation. By the end of 2025, its size will reach $263 billion.
Market growth from 2026 to 2030 is expected to be faster than in 2022–2026: +6% CAGR versus +4% CAGR.
By 2030, the market will reach $353 billion. Mobile IAP revenue will remain the largest segment. The share of subscriptions, cloud services, and streaming platforms will grow, while console hardware sales are expected to stop growing.
Around 55% of players said they increased the amount of time they spend playing games over the past six months.
The difference in market size compared with, for example, Newzoo is due to methodology. BCG includes hardware sales and advertising.
Audience profile
44% of children start playing games before the age of five (survey asked parents who play games themselves). Minecraft, the Super Mario series, and Roblox are the three most common first games for children.
57% of parents said they personally introduced their children to video games.
Players continue gaming later in life: 40% of baby boomers and 50% of Gen X play 5+ hours per week.
Consoles are the primary platform (where users spend the most time) for more than 50% of Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and millennials.
PC popularity varies across age groups. PCs are popular among Gen Z as well as Gen X, and baby boomers. The average age of the PC audience is higher, at least based on the sample.
The survey was conducted mostly in developed countries, which partly explains the strong position of consoles.
Mobile games are more popular among older audiences. For 55% of baby boomers, a mobile phone is the main gaming device.
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Generative AI: impact on development and the market
Around 7,300 games on Steam mentioned the use of AI as of August 2025. The chart shows that the share of such projects is growing and has reached 21% in Q3 2025.
AI is most often used for creating assets and visual materials (88%), text creation (18%), audio and voice (16%), UI/UX (15%), and marketing assets (13%).
Developers’ main concerns around AI are potential negative audience reactions (50%), cybersecurity issues (43%), and legal risks (33%).
Evolution and emergence of new platforms
27% of surveyed players regularly use cloud gaming.
80% of those who have tried cloud gaming were satisfied, but only 8% play primarily via cloud (more than 50% of their total playtime).
BCG projects significant growth in cloud gaming. Analysts estimate the number of users will grow from 5 million in 2025 to 65 million in 2030 (+54% CAGR), while market size will increase from $1.4 billion to $18.3 billion.
I’m skeptical about forecasts like these. Similar growth figures were promised in reports back in 2018, and they never materialized.
UGC and the creator economy
More than 40% of players said they interacted more with UGC over the past year. That said, 33% (almost as many) reported interacting with UGC less.
Only 10–15% of players are actively involved in content creation. The rest are consumers.
There is a clear correlation between age and interest in UGC: the younger the player, the more likely they are to engage with UGC in some form.
App Store regulation changes and new distribution opportunities
33% of adults and 40% of teenagers have already purchased games directly via developers’ web stores. The main motivations are discounts, bonuses, and exclusive items, as well as a desire to show brand loyalty. However, users are concerned about additional steps (such as re-entering card details) and security risks.
According to BCG, 8–9% of transactions currently go through alternative payment methods (web shops or third-party payments inside apps). By 2030, the share of payments via Google and Apple is expected to drop to 67% (from 90% in 2025).
The average commission is expected to fall from 30% to 5%.
Monetization and price sensitivity
75% of players say price strongly influences their purchase decisions.
Around 65% of the audience actively manages spending: either waiting for discounts (49%) or focusing spending on a single product (31%).
According to BCG, F2P games remain the most cost-effective form of entertainment when measured by cost per hour. It’s odd that vertical video services (TikTok being the clearest example), which are completely free, are not included here.
BCG notes that despite rising nominal game prices, inflation-adjusted prices are actually declining. Game prices peaked in 2010.
Younger players are more receptive to live-ops projects and subscription services, while older audiences prefer one-time purchases.
Although games account for 12.5% of total media spent by gamers, advertising spend in games represents only 3% of total media ad spending.
BCG expects this share to grow slightly to 3.5% by 2029.
Around 30% of players are comfortable with various forms of in-store advertising.