Video Game Demographics - Who Plays Games in 2024?

Video games have become an intrinsic part of our everyday lives. There are so many genres and types, and they’re all so accessible. You can play on almost any device - on your phone, on your tablet, on your TV. You can play alone or with friends, you can play offline or online, you can even watch other people play in real-time.

So, what kind of people are more likely to be gamers? The only way to answer is to examine current video game demographics.

But be warned - the results may surprise you.

Not so long ago, the image of a nerdy-looking teenager playing alone in front of the TV sprung to mind when video games were mentioned. That’s no longer the case. Nowadays, people with completely different social backgrounds contribute to the ever-increasing global gaming community. The following stats best illustrate this diversity.

Before we dive deep into the numbers, here’s a taste of what’s to come:

Astounding Stats About The Demographics of Video Games

• The global gaming revenue will be around $533 billion in 2027.
• There are slightly over 3 billion active video gamers in the world in 2023. 
• The average gamer is 34 years old
• 70% of gamers are age 18 or older
• 60% of Americans play video games daily
• 45% of US gamers are women
• 70% of parents believe video games have a positive influence on their children’s lives

Gaming fever is spreading. Let’s see who’s already caught it!

Fascinating Facts About Gamers

First, we need to find out who the average gamer is.

1. There will be 3.32 billion people playing video games by 2024.

(Source: Statista, Finances Online)

That number will be 0.51 and 0.36 billion more than it was in 2020 and 2021, respectively. According to the forecast, there will be around a 6% growth year-on-year between 2020 and 2024. 

Clearly, video gaming is not slowing down anytime soon. It has been on an upward curve since 2015 when there were only 1.99 billion players.

2. 38% of US gamers are aged between 18 and 34.

(Source: Statista, GameIndustry.biz)

Under-18s make up 21%, while 26% of the people playing video games in the US are aged between 34 and 54.

And if you’re wondering how regularly people play video games in the US, video game industry statistics show that 64% of US adults and 70% of those under 18 play video games regularly.

3. 54% of gamers in 2022 use their smartphones.

(Source: Statista)

American households have a preference for devices they use when playing video games, be it Xbox, PlayStation, PC, or phone. 

But which one’s the most popular?

According to a consumer survey by Statista, over half of people gaming in 2022 use their smartphones.

4. There are 2 gamers in each game-playing household in the US.

(Source: ESA)

People prefer playing video games with others. It’s just more fun.

And it’s not necessary to play with people your age. There’s a second generation of gamers already coming of age - and it’s not unusual to find that parents and children share the same passion for video games.

After all:

5. The average gamer is 34 years old, owns a house, and has children.

(Source: ESA)

Be honest, would you have guessed that 34 is the average age of gamers?

There is, however, a difference when it comes to men and women. The average female video game player is 36. The most active group among women are those between 18-35 - they make up 13% of the gaming community.

At the same time, the average male video game player is 34. The most active age group is boys under 18, representing 17% of all gamers.

The dissimilarities between the sexes are even more pronounced when talking about purchasing games.

6. Men are 3X more likely to purchase a game than women.

(Source: Earnest)

The reason lies in the way women think about gaming. Admittedly, there is an increase in the number of female players in recent years, but they still consider this to be just another way to spend their free time.

Only 6% of women identify as ‘gamers’, compared to 15% of men.

Guys love playing video games. It’s only natural for them to purchase more games.

7. Mobile games revenue is expected to surpass the $100 billion mark by the end of 2023.

(Source: Statista)

Mobile devices are rapidly becoming more powerful, translating to immense growth in the video game industry.

As a matter of fact, smartphones and smartwatches accounted for more than 50% of the gaming market by the end of 2020.

As mobile penetration rates and smartphone usage continue to grow globally, were likely to see revenues of more than $100B in the next year.

8. The PlayStation was the most popular console in 2020.

(Source: Finances Online)

The PlayStation held a massive 57.5% market share in 2020, making the Sony premier gaming console the one to beat.

A close second was the Xbox, accounting for 42% of the global console market.

9. The console market grew to $48.95 billion in 2022.

(Source: GlobeNewswire)

According to video game industry statistics, the console market grew by $7.19 billion between 2021 and 2022. By 2026, that amount will be $103.93 billion, after a 9.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).

Who Plays Video Games the Most?

We’ve traced the contours of the average gamer. Now let’s color it in with some details.

10. 72% of gamers are 18 or older.

(Source: Statista)

Furthermore, the group aged 18-35 apparently plays the most, considering 29% of gamers belong there.

It’s amazing to see how many adults over 35 actually play video games. 43% of gamers in 2018 fell in that group. 20% of the overall number were between 36-49 while 23% were 50 or older.

11. 32% of women video gamers play five times a week on mobile.

(Source: Newzoo)

The percentage of female gamers in 2022 that play video five days a week is 32%. That’s 4% more than their male counterparts.

And what sort of experience do ladies look for in a game?

Well, we all know they’re problem solvers by default, which translates to their gaming choices. 33% like puzzles, while only 20% of men do so.

12. 70% of parents say video games have a positive influence on their child’s life.

(Source: ESA)

How things change, right? I still remember my mom yelling at me: “Stop with the games and get back to your homework!”

Still, parents are careful about the game’s content and how long kids play. Today they can even use antivirus software to control what their kids do on their devices. 72% of parents limit their child’s time playing games. 94% explicitly confirm they pay attention to the video games their children play. On top of that, 90% of parents are present when their son or daughter is getting a new video game.

13. 67% of parents play video games with their children at least once a week.

(Source: ESA)

As I already mentioned, the first generation of video gamers are parents now. That doesn’t mean they’ve given up on games.

But why are people gaming with their kids? Here are the top reported reasons:

1. “It’s fun for all of us.“
2. “My child asks me to.“
3. “It’s a good opportunity to socialize with my child.“
4. “I enjoy playing video games as much as my child.“
5. “It helps me monitor what they’re playing.“

What’s your reason? (Assuming you’re a parent, that is.)

14. 56% of the most frequent gamers play multiplayer games.

(Source: ESA)

They play in multiplayer at least once a week. And they spend an average of 7 hours playing with others online - an hour more than playing in person. So who are these “others” to them?

42% of frequent gamers play with friends, 19% play with family, 17% play with parents, and 16% play with their spouse.

As 55% of gamers point out - video games help connect them with their friends.

15. 35% of multiplayer gamers prefer shooter games.

(Source: ESA)

Second are action games with 28%, followed by casual with 27%.

We’ve all had one of those days when we wanted to shoot someone with a big gun. If it’s your friend, that’s even better.

Who Is Buying Games?

Now, let’s turn our attention to some interesting video game industry statistics. We’ll see who is buying games and what’s their favorite way to buy a new one.

16. The gaming industry’s market value will reach $339.95 billion by 2027.

(Source:Mordor Intelligence)

Video game industry statistics show it will surpass the $300 billion mark in value in five years. That will be a CAGR of almost 8.94% during the 2022-2027 prediction period. 

There have been some profound technological advancements in the sector for a better appeal. Most companies now rewrite and launch code on different platforms such as Xbox, PCs, and PlayStations and provide games via the cloud to improve user experience.

17. 36 years is the average age of a game purchaser.

(Source: Digital Australia)

This is a bit higher than the average gamer’s age, which is 34.

Further examination reveals that men are more willing to buy games - as 64% of the most frequent game purchasers are male.

18. People aged 18-24 are most likely to purchase a game.

(Source: Earnest)

In a survey by Earnest, where they analyzed data provided by thousands of applicants for student loan refinancing, 16.3% of the aged 18-24 stated they had spent money on games. They were followed by those aged 25-27 with 14.0%, and 28-30 years old with 12.2%.

The group spending the least on games was those aged 35-40 with 8.6%. Funnily enough, there was a rise in the percentage of people over 40 - 9.4%. The cause could be parents buying games for their children.

19. People with high school diplomas or higher are more likely to make a video game purchase.

(Source: Earnest)

If divided by education level, the biggest group of game purchasers is that of people with a High School Diploma - 18.5%. Next are people with Associate Degrees (16.9%), followed by those with a Bachelor’s one (14.7%).

The general correlation is that people with advanced degrees are less likely to make a game-related purchase.

20. 66% of people say the quality of the graphics is important when choosing a game to purchase.

(Source: ESA)

63% of interviewees say the price is an important factor to them. Finally, 61% find value in a game with a good story.

Other factors influencing the purchase of a game include “being a part of favorite series” (51% say it’s important) or its “online gameplay compatibility” (50%).

Fun fact: 42% of gamers purchase games without trying them, compared to 30% who first download a trial or a demo version.

21. 83% of game purchases are in digital format.

(Source: Statista)

This includes subscriptions, full games, add-on content, mobile apps, and social network games. In contrast, only 17% of video games were purchased in physical form.

To put this in perspective, only 31% of all sales were in digital format in 2010.

Who’s Gonna Be the Next Player?

Let’s take a quick look at what to expect from future developments in the gaming world.

22. Experts predict that mobile gaming revenue to reach $201 billion in 2025.

(Source: Statista)

In addition, it will have a CAGR of roughly 8.74% between 2022 and 2025. As a result, it will grow to $201 billion during the projection period.

23. 63% of Canadians and Americans play mobile games.

(Source: NPD)

How many people play video games in North America?

63% of the US and Canada's population. That’s about 229 million active gamers between the two countries. Weekly playtime has gone up by 27%, contributing to 16% more revenue than in 2020.

24. Free-to-play (F2P) games will have a $25 billion revenue by the end of 2022.

(Source: en.comprating)

Income from F2P has grown by 50% since 2012. In 2022, it will reach a ¼ of a trillion. Meanwhile, that of consoles, PCs will amount to about $7 billion on a retail scale.

Curious Facts About Gamers

We stumbled upon some curious statistics while doing our research. We couldn’t keep them just to ourselves.

25. People with a yearly income, higher than $90,000, are less likely to buy games.

(Source: Earnest)

The numbers are fairly consistent among the other groups. But once the income goes over $90,000, the percentage drops from an average of 12% to just 9%.

26. Dentists are least likely to purchase a video game.

(Source: Earnest)

When it comes to different career paths - dentists are the least likely to spend money on games. Only 5.8% of dentists have gaming expenses.

27. 65% of US women ages 10-65 play mobile games.

(Source: GameAnalytics)

And they make up 49% of all mobile gamers.

Conclusion

Video games are silently becoming part of our everyday lives. And it’s not only teenagers who are playing. People of all ages, sexes, and walks of life are joining in the frenzy.

And with 2.6 billion gamers around the world, it could get a bit confusing. We handpicked the stats we mentioned so we can bring some order into the chaos this industry has become.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the read!

It’s time to conclude our journey into the fascinating world of video game demographics.

See you soon!