U.S. Consumer Video Game Spending Totaled $60.4 Billion in 2021

  • 01.18.2022
  • Press Releases

New Data Shows Consumer Spending Up 8% from $56.1 Billion in 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 18, 2022 – Overall total consumer spending on video games in the U.S. totaled $60.4 billion in 2021, an 8 percent increase over 2020, according to new data released today by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and The NPD Group. This figure includes revenues from all content categories (including full-game, post-launch and subscription spending across console, cloud, mobile*, portable, PC and VR platforms), hardware and accessories.

“The growth and impact of the video game industry over the past year underscores the sustained trends we have seen for several years, namely that people of all ages and demographics are playing video games for joy and competition, connecting with others, learning and mental stimulation, as well as much needed stress relief,” ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said. “The video game industry drives a dynamic and growing entertainment ecosystem that not only provides engaging interactive content, but also spurs local economic growth through live esports competitions, educational opportunities and high-wage careers.”

Gains were seen across console and PC subscription spending, digital post-launch content spending across console, PC and VR, as well as hardware and accessories. Overall, content spending in 2021 reached $51.7 billion, an increase of 7 percent over 2020. Hardware rose to $6.1 billion, a 14 percent increase. Accessories generated $2.7 billion in consumer spending, a 2 percent increase.

“The video game industry continued to thrive in 2021, energized by new platforms and content joining some existing consumer favorites. Due to strong demand, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles remained hard to find throughout each platform’s first full year in market, while existing platforms such as Nintendo Switch, PC and Quest 2 delivered strong sales and engagement,” NPD games industry analyst Mat Piscatella said. “Video game players enjoyed a wide range of options in the variety of games to enjoy, platforms to play them on, and ways to engage with them. Sales gains were seen across several segments, from hardware to accessories, and from subscription services to digital post-launch recurrent spending.”

Mobile data provided by Sensor Tower showed U.S. consumer spending in mobile games increased 14 percent from 2020.

“U.S. mobile games spending maintained its pandemic-boosted momentum from 2020 through 2021, with December capping off a stellar year for the U.S. mobile game market as the third largest month for spending in the past three years and the best December on record. All of this despite headwinds, including a clampdown on attribution data many feared would disrupt the very underpinnings of the industry,” Sensor Tower Head of Insights Randy Nelson said. “The outlook for 2022 sees a continuation of this growth velocity, on a wave of emerging trends that are growing the overall player base, such as console cross-play and high-spec mobile reimaginings of popular console franchises.”

Top Games in the U.S. in 2021

PC/Console (full-game sales only) – Best Sellers
RankTitle
1Call of Duty: Vanguard
2Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War
3Madden NFL 22
4Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl
5Battlefield 2042
6Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
7Mario Kart 8
8Resident Evil: Village
9MLB: The Show 21^
10Super Mario 3D World
11Far Cry 6
12FIFA 22
13Minecraft
14Animal Crossing: New Horizons
15NBA 2K22
16Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
17Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
18Back 4 Blood
19Mortal Kombat 11
20Forza Horizon 5
Mobile – Top Grossing
RankTitle
1Candy Crush Saga
2Roblox
3Coin Master
4Garena Free Fire
5Pokémon GO
6Genshin Impact
7Homescapes
8Lords Mobile: Tower Defense
9Call of Duty: Mobile
10Clash of Clans
11Candy Crush Soda Saga
12State of Survival
13Bingo Blitz
14PUBG Mobile
15Gardenscapes
16RAID: Shadow Legends
17Project Makeover
18Slotomania
19Jackpot Party
20Fishdom

*Mobile spending provided by Sensor Tower

Digital sales not included

^Xbox Digital sales not included

# # #

About the ESA

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) serves as the voice and advocate for the U.S. video game industry. Its members are the innovators, creators, publishers and business leaders that are reimagining entertainment and transforming how we interact, learn, connect and play. The ESA works to expand and protect the dynamic marketplace for video games through innovative and engaging initiatives that showcase the positive impact of video games on people, culture and the economy. For more information, visit the ESA’s website or follow the ESA on Twitter @theESA.

About The NPD Group

NPD offers data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help our clients grow their businesses in a changing world. Over 2,000 companies worldwide rely on us to help them measure, predict, and improve performance across all channels, including brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, and B2B. We have services in 19 countries worldwide, with operations spanning the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, books, B2B technology, consumer technology, e-commerce, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, home improvement, juvenile products, media entertainment, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, toys, and video games. For more information, visit npd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup.

About Sensor Tower, Inc.

Sensor Tower is the leading provider of market intelligence and insights for the global app economy. Founded in 2013 and based in San Francisco, CA, Sensor Tower provides enterprise-level data on mobile apps and publishers through our Store Intelligence, Ad Intelligence, Usage Intelligence, and App Intelligence platforms, which offer download, revenue, share of voice, and engagement metrics at unparalleled accuracy for the world’s most important markets. For more information, visit sensortower.com. Follow us on Twitter: @sensortower.

Contact

Karen Elliott
202.650.7288
kelliott@theESA.com

Share this post

FacebookLinkedInXCopy LinkEmail