Annual report reveals who, why, and how more than 212 million Americans play video games

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today unveiled its annual Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report, a comprehensive look at the state of video games nationwide. Conducted in partnership with YouGov, the latest report reveals that video game play continues to grow in popularity across generations, with the average age of players rising to 37.

With 67% of Americans (ages 5-90) now playing video games one or more hours per week, video games have cemented themselves as one of the country’s preferred choices for entertainment. These and dozens of other compelling findings in this year’s report explore video game preferences across different demographics, regions, employment status and more.

“Video games play an integral role in American life today, with a large majority of Americans now playing regularly,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO, ESA. “Video games have become a powerful cultural force, while providing mental stimulation, stress relief and meaningful social connection for people of all ages.”

Featured findings from the 2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report include:

Players continue to break stereotypes for who is a ‘gamer’.

212.3 million Americans play video games every week, up 3% (7.2 million) compared to 2025.
The gender of players is split fairly equally between men and women, with 53% of men and 46% of women actively playing. Slightly more boys and men play than girls and women in all generations except Boomers (ages 62-80) where 52% of Boomer women play games compared to 47% of men.
Video games are for everyone, not just kids. While more than 80% of Gen Alpha (age 5-13) and Gen Z (age 14-29) play video games, the majority of adults are powering up as well: 71% of Millennials (age 30-45), 56% of Gen X (age 45-61) and 50% of Boomers (age 62-80) say they play weekly. Even 32% of the silent generation (age 81-90) are joining in on the fun.
Adult players are more likely to be employed full-time (39%) or to have children (35%) compared to the general U.S. population – 34% and 30%, respectively.

Parents prefer their kids play video games, and love playing with them, too.

The majority of American parents (75%) actively play video games each week, with most (81%) saying they also game with their children (52% at least weekly).
Nearly half (49%) of parents whose children play video games believe playing games teaches important skills to their children, such as problem solving and creative thinking.
Two thirds of parents say they use parental controls with that number jumping to 70% for parents of kids 12 and under.

Americans feel overwhelmingly positive about video games.

Most American adults recognize the positive benefits of playing video games, such as them being fun (85%), bringing joy (81%), offering stress relief (78%), and providing mental stimulation (79%). Younger players (Gen Z) especially believe that video games offer a great way to bring people together (88%) and build relationships (87%).
Most adults agree that playing video games helps develop problem-solving skills (76%) and teamwork/collaboration (67%), as well as adaptability/resilience (58%) and STEAM (53%) and communication skills (52%).
Nearly nine-in-ten (89%) players who play a sport both on-screen and in real life say playing the video game version of their sport improves their real-world performance.

Mobile leads the way, with people playing across genres and platforms.

Playing on a mobile device is the most popular across all age groups (80%), while PC and console gameplay is more common with Gen Alpha, Gen Z and Millennials.
Puzzle, primarily driven by older players, is the top genre on mobile (66%) and PC (60%) but falls behind action (66%), shooter (60%) and arcade (60%) games on console.

Americans believe video games offer the most value for their money.

A majority of players (63%) report that video games deliver the most entertainment value for their money, compared to video streaming services for music, TV and movies, as well as books, magazines and news articles.
Most Gen Alpha (69%), Gen Z (78%) and Millennial (67%) players have purchased in-game content, typically spending $20 per month (median).
Parents also purchase in-game content for their children (54%). Of those that do, nearly all of them (93%) require approval for in-games purchases made by their kids.
More than half (58%) of players downloaded a game for free in the past 12 months, while 43% purchased a game, 35% purchased a game subscription and 19% borrowed a game.

The full Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report is now available. For more information, visit the ESA’s website.

About the ESA
Founded in 1994, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has served as the voice and advocate for the U.S. video game industry for more than 30 years. 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 to secure a vibrant future for the industry for decades to come. For more information, visit the ESA’s website or follow the ESA on X @theESA or Instagram @theesaofficial.

About YouGov
YouGov is a global research data and analytics group. Our mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world really thinks and does. With operations in the Americas, Mainland Europe, UK and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world’s largest research networks.

Above all, YouGov is powered by reality. That stems from a unique panel of millions of registered members across 64 markets, encapsulating some 18 million shopping trips and millions of interconnected data points. Our unique approach to recruiting and engaging with our panel, combined with our state-of-the-art technology platforms, enables us to deliver real-world, real-time insights that lead to better decision-making and a competitive advantage for our clients.

As innovators and pioneers of online market research, we have a strong reputation as a trusted source of accurate data and insights. Testament to this, YouGov data is regularly referenced by the global press, and we are consistently one of the most quoted market research sources in the world. To learn more, please visit yougov.com.

2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry Methodology
YouGov and ESA conducted a 20-minute online survey in the U.S. from February 11-25 among 13,545 total respondents recruited from YouGov’s proprietary online panel. Data is weighted to be representative of the overall US population in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, education, state, census region, and the distribution of gamers vs. non-gamers, as defined above. 18+ respondents were asked about all members of their household in order to size gamers as young as 5 years old. Gamers aged 8-17 were asked to complete the survey under the supervision of a parent.

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