Newzoo projects the global games market will reach $213.9 billion in 2026, a 6.1% year-on-year increase, with more than half of consumer spending concentrated in China and the United States. The firm's Global Games Market Report goes live in full on September 10.

What's driving the 2026 forecast?

Console revenue accounts for 22% of the market at $46.9 billion, up 5.1%. November's Grand Theft Auto 6 launch is forecast to push full-game spending up 17.5%, what Newzoo calls "the strongest growth of any business model."

Mobile retains the largest platform share at 57%, reaching $121.1 billion on a 6.8% YoY rise. Higher per-player spending and direct-to-consumer expansion drive the segment. A separate FastSpring and Omdia survey found 96% of studios now run or plan to run a D2C web store, citing brand visibility, loyalty and first-party data access as motives.

Microtransactions reclaim the top business-model slot. Premium and mid-priced releases will "sustain full-game revenue" in parallel.

How is PC holding up?

PC trails at 21% market share, hitting $45.9 billion. The 5.3% YoY growth falls short of Newzoo's previous 12% CAGR estimate for 2025, a clear deceleration for the segment. PC expansion will be "geographically broad," led by Asia-Pacific, Latin America and MEA, with no single 2026 release matching GTA 6's console pull.

What does player growth look like?

Player growth will slow from a 4.4% YoY rise in 2026 to a 3.2% CAGR through 2029, when the global base is projected to reach 4.07 billion. Newzoo frames future growth as retention- and monetization-led, not acquisition-led.

By platform, mobile players reach 3.10 billion (84% of the player base), PC players 977 million (26%), and console players 651 million (18%). Penetration rises from 61.5% to 62% as the online population itself expands 3.5% to 5.97 billion. Asia-Pacific remains the largest region; the Middle East and Africa grow fastest.

Stone Kite takes shape in Los Angeles

Bungie co-founder Jason Jones and Destiny 2 narrative director Margaret Stohl have launched Stone Kite, a transmedia studio. The team's first IP, One Zero One, adapts an original Jones manuscript into a four-part comic series. New issues release free online in early 2027, followed by additional media projects across entertainment.

Stohl serves as CEO. Her credits span games, film, and the Beautiful Creatures novel series. She previously co-founded 7 Studios with Lewis Peterson before its acquisition by Activision.

The founding team includes former media SVP Stephen Wacker, president Lewis Peterson, film and TV VP Matt Johnson, and narrative creative director Jeanine Schaefer. Stone Kite is working with more than 250 creators across disciplines, including director Jay Roach, comic book writer and artist Christian Ward, illustrator Kyle Lambert, author Stephen Graham Jones, and screenwriter Akela Cooper.

"Stone Kite is about breaking down those old media silos," Stohl said. "Instead of starting in one medium and adapting outward, we bring the best global creators from different disciplines into the room from day one to shape the world together."

What happens next?

The full Newzoo report drops September 10, GTA 6 ships in November, and Stone Kite's first issues go live in early 2027. Watch whether D2C web-store adoption translates into margin gains for mid-sized publishers, and whether the GTA 6 full-game bump holds into Q1 2027 — those two signals will set the tone for 2027 guidance calls industry-wide.