With more than 3.5 billion gamers worldwide, the video game industry is a ripe area for companies to spend their ad and marketing dollars on a large, captive audience. But according to a new report from Dentsu Gaming, less than 5% of global media investment goes toward the gaming biz.
Meanwhile, that same research finds that time spent playing games is up 6% year over year.
Published Tuesday, Dentsu’s 2025 Gaming Trends Report (titled “Gaming, Your Marketing Cheat Code“) findings are based on Dentsu’s Consumer Navigator series, which includes 8,600 global consumers across 10 markets, as well as data from GWI.
“Our moniker is, everybody’s a gamer, whether you’re on Duolingo or Words With Friends or doing crossword puzzles,” Dentsu’s executive vice president and global gaming lead Brent Koning told Variety. “Like, the New York Times is one of the biggest publishers of video games. It’s this mental state which we’re living in. But only 5% of global media is spent on gaming. And so that’s really the crosshairs of what we’re trying to zone in on is, how do we get that to be more representative of how many people are actually playing games? Because gaming is truly proven. We’ve got measurement, we’ve got tools, we’ve got analytics. And so when you look at what I call, like the big G gaming industry, it’s much more about just people playing video games. In the repot, we talk about fandoms and what those fandoms are doing to drive commerce.”
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Koning pointed to “A Minecraft Movie” as the current biggest example of that trend within the gaming entertainment industry, but said the massive ticket sales Warner Bros. saw aren’t the main takeaway, but the subsequent increase in time spent playing the Microsoft-owned game.
“When I look at what ‘Minecraft’ did, it’s not the box office that’s actually impressive, it’s the engagement with the platform in gaming,” Koning said. “Almost 20% week on week increase of daily active players. That is the most fascinating stat.”
See below for Dentsu’s highlighted findings from its 2025 gaming trends report, “Gaming, Your Marketing Cheat Code,” and read the ad firm’s report in full here.
Gaming is a Cultural and Commercial Powerhouse
- There are over 3.4 billion gamers worldwide, with time spent in games up 6% year-over-year
- Despite this massive engagement, gaming still captures less than 5% of global media investment, highlighting a significant opportunity for brands
Transmedia Fandoms Are Driving Cultural Relevance
- Over 60 game-based productions were in development in 2024, with at least 44 more planned for 2025
- The release of A Minecraft Movie generated a $301 million global opening weekend and led to a 17% week-on-week increase in Minecraft’s daily active players
Gaming is the New Social Network
- 70% of gamers say games help them connect with others, and 36% watch gaming content to learn, laugh, and belong
- Platforms like Roblox, Discord, and Twitch are central to Gen Z’s social lives, with 2.5 hours/day spent on Roblox and 1.62 billion friendships formed monthly on the platform
Gaming Drives Commerce and Brand Discovery
- 43% of gamers say a gaming partnership improves their perception of a brand
- 44% of Twitch viewers have purchased a product recommended by a streamer
- Gen Z and Millennials are 64% more likely than older generations to discover new brands through mobile game ads
Player Motivations Shape Engagement and Strategy
- The top reasons people play games are relaxation (55%) and achievement (20%), with motivations varying by region and device
- These motivations also drive viewership: relaxation-based content saw a 22% YoY increase, and over 4 billion livestreaming hours were watched in the past year
