The global gaming market is on track to achieve record-breaking revenue in 2026, with projections indicating a staggering $213.9 billion in spending. This surge is largely attributed to the highly anticipated release of GTA VI which is expected to generate between $3.25 billion and $5.2 billion in its debut week alone.
Analysts from Newzoo predict that the game will significantly boost revenue from console sales, with a projected 17.5% increase in physical and digital editions. This growth is unparalleled among other business models in the gaming industry this year.
Regional Spending Trends
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to lead in gaming expenditures, with a projected $100.7 billion in spending, marking a 6% increase from the previous year. North America follows closely, with gamers anticipated to spend $56.9 billion a 5.4% rise. However, the fastest growth is observed in the Middle East and Africa where spending is projected to increase by 10.3% to $8.5 billion.
Globally, the number of gamers is expected to reach 3.7 billion by the end of 2026, a 4.2% increase. By 2029, this number is projected to rise to 4.07 billion. Currently, the majority of gamers, 3.1 billion play on mobile devices, while 977 million play on PCs and 651 million on consoles.
Sweden’s Gaming Market Growth
In Sweden, the gaming market has also seen significant growth. During the second quarter of 2026, gaming companies with a Swedish license recorded a total turnover of SEK 7.4 billion representing a 5.1% increase compared to the same period in 2026. The commercial online gaming and betting segment was the largest contributor, generating just under SEK 5 billion in turnover.
The Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen noted that the reported figures are preliminary and could be adjusted later. The commercial online gaming and betting segment increased by slightly more than 7% year-on-year, continuing to represent the largest share of Sweden’s regulated gambling market.
State-operated lotteries and slot machine games produced SEK 1.43 billion in turnover, remaining broadly unchanged compared to the second quarter of 2026. Games operated for public benefit purposes, including lotteries and hall bingo, generated SEK 863 million combined, while hall bingo turnover remained stable at approximately SEK 51 million.
Land-Based Gaming and Self-Exclusion
Land-based commercial gaming also recorded growth during the quarter, generating SEK 73 million marking an increase of almost 13% compared to the same period last year. The number of individuals registered with Sweden’s national self-exclusion service, Spelpaus.se decreased slightly during the second quarter, with just under 138,000 people having excluded themselves from gambling through the system.
European Gaming Industry Revenue
The European gaming industry generated €30 billion in 2026, with digital purchases accounting for 91% of total revenue. This expansion included data from 16 countries, up from the original five markets of the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. The new countries included Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Revenue for the original five markets declined by 4% year-on-year to €25.7 billion down from €26.8 billion in 2026. Germany led all countries with €6.5 billion in revenue. In 2026, 123,000 people were employed across 8,700 studios in the EU and UK, with women comprising 24% of the workforce.
Mobile and tablets were the leading platforms, with an 82% usage rate, followed by consoles at 47% and PC at 34%. Mobile and tablets also generated nearly half of total revenue. Electronic Arts led the console market in 2026, with EA Sports FC26 and FC25 taking the top two spots, followed by Battlefield 6.
In 2026, 199 million Europeans played games, with women accounting for 46% (91.5 million). The UK was the largest individual market, with 25 million players. Average weekly playtime was 8.39 hours down from 9.4 hours in 2026. Children aged 6 to 11 averaged 11.35 hours while those aged 12 to 17 averaged 14.30 hours.
