The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Circana, and Sensor Tower have released new data confirming United States consumers spent USD $58.7 billion on video games in 2024. The number is down on prior years, with consumers spending USD $59.3 billion in 2023, but not significantly so.
Data further suggests that spending on video games his risen 106% in the last decade overall, with data from 2014 revealing just USD $28.4 billion in sales. Overall, there’s been a major pattern of growth, with this being maintained at a relatively steady pace, even with a slight dip, year-on-year.
“Interactive entertainment continues to make a significant, positive mark on both U.S. culture and our economy,” Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA President and CEO said in a press release. “These latest numbers confirm the enduring popularity of video games across all demographics, and the innovative nature of an industry that is committed to making the excitement and fun of games accessible to everyone who wants to play.”
Most notably, the reported data reveals mobile game spending accounts for “approximately half” of all video games spending, with this growing year-on-year. Per the ESA, US consumers spent around USD $26 billion on mobile games in 2024. Conversely, hardware and console sales were down this year, accounting for USD $4.9 million of spending.
Read: Australians spent AUD $4.4 billion on video games in 2023
Per Mat Piscatella, Executive Director, Video Games at Circana, 2024 marks the “second highest video game content consumer spending total in U.S. history.” Content, in this context, refers to mobile spending, new release console and PC breakout titles, and in-game spending.
The top games of 2024 in the United States, per this data, were:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- EA Sports College Football 25
- Helldivers 2
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- NBA 2K25
- Madden NFL 25
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
- EA Sports FC 25
- Elden Ring
- EA Sports MVP Bundle
The top mobile games included: Monopoly Go!, Royal Match, Roblox, Candy Crush Saga, Last War: Survival, Whiteout Survival, Coin Master, Township, Pokemon GO, and Jackpoint Party: Casino Slots.
What many will note from this data is that video games spending appeared to remain relatively steady in 2024, despite the doom and gloom of economic outlooks in major AAA game studios. If consumers are still spending around the same amount of money on games – albeit in different avenues – how has such a crisis, and a need for thousands of layoffs and studio closures, developed?
While the United States is only one part of the global video games industry, it contributes a significant portion to the total market, and comprises a large number of consumers.
The data presented by the ESA will certainly need to be analysed, to discover more about consumer behaviour, and what may have changed over the last few years. Whether that means analysing the success of mobile titles – many of which rely on gacha systems – or looking to the biggest gaming hits of the year, is a matter for studios to consider.
For now, it does appear consumer spending on video games, at the least in the United States, remains relatively steady, with new avenues expanding, as others contract. You can ready more about this data on the ESA website.
