State of Gaming 2026: Mobile, PC, & Console Trends

Gaming is in the midst of a transformation. Mobile is shifting towards monetization over downloads volume, while PC and console surge ahead of GTA VI’s release. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, this is your guide to the State of Gaming across mobile, PC, and console in 2026.

If you want to skip ahead, download the full report for free here.

Still reading? Here are 7 key takeaways from State of Gaming 2026.

#1. Mobile brings reach, PC/Console brings depth

Games were downloaded 52 billion times in 2025, with the vast majority of those downloads coming from mobile devices. 42 billion were on Google Play, showcasing Android market penetration share worldwide — more than 4x the App Store, though the App Store saw 75% higher gaming in-app purchase (IAP) revenue. The last 2 billion were attributed to PC/Console. However, unlike the largely free-to-play mobile market, PC and Console downloads are often tied to premium game purchases, meaning each download typically carries greater revenue impact.Steam saw the most downloads of the group — 37% more than PlayStation, the next-largest PC/Console platform. However, PlayStation and Xbox together show that demand on Console is still higher than PC, bringing in 1.17 billion combined downloads.

#2. Mobile shifts towards monetization over downloads volume

2025 marked a third straight year of revenue growth across the App Store and Google Play. Time spent rose slightly even as downloads fell, pointing to a market shifting from new-user volume to lifetime value expansion.

IAP revenue growth skewed toward Europe, while the US  was flat. Revenue is reported in US dollars (USD), so exchange rate moves may influence regional comparisons (for example in parts of East Asia.) Engagement diverged by market: time spent rebounded in the US and Japan after 2024 declines, while China Mainland fell. Within Europe, the UK strengthened while France was flat and Germany softened. With installs down, teams can’t depend on user acquisition for growth as much in the past, and should prioritize retention and reactivation.

#3. Steam sees record breaking years in multiple metrics

On PC, Steam posted record highs in terms of premium game revenue, downloads, and titles released. On the surface, revenue growth appears concentrated in AA and AAA publishers, particularly in the Action and Shooters genres. However, the 2024 release of Black Myth Wukong complicates the story a bit. While developed by Game Science — classified as an Indie publisher under our taxonomy — the title operated at a AAA scale and generated outsized revenue in 2024. As a result, 2024 Indie totals were meaningfully elevated. This makes year-over-year comparisons more nuanced: although Indie revenue gains appeared softer in 2025 at first glance, excluding the impact of Black Myth Wukong reveals that Indie publisher revenue continued to grow year over year. 

#4. YouTube ad spend share moves from PC/Console to mobile

The majority of mobile game ad spend continues to flow to mobile app networks like Applovin and AdMob, while PC/Console spend is more concentrated in social and video channels, with YouTube capturing the largest share.

Even so, YouTube’s share of mobile ad spend increased year over year, aligning with the broader shift toward monetization, retention, and targeting high-value audiences over maximizing download volume. In contrast, YouTube’s share declined for PC/Console, though it remains the category’s top channel by spend. Instagram gained significant PC/Console share, reinforcing that short-form video placements and targeting are a strong fit for trailer-style creative and efficient retargeting of high-intent players.

#5. Strategy takes over mobile

Strategy drove the biggest 2025 revenue gains across major regions, powered by a surge of 4X Strategy hits from Eastern publishers. The trend was led by power players like Last War: Survival and Whiteout Survival. Puzzle posted strong gains, especially in Europe, with Royal Match reaching the top spot and Gossip Harbor delivering the largest uplift. Shooters grew in Asia on the back of new launches, led by Delta Force.

Strategy was the only genre to grow downloads across Asia, North America, and Europe, reinforcing its momentum across key metrics. All other genres saw downloads declines across major regions, especially Lifestyle, Simulation, and Puzzle.

#6. Battlefield was the best-selling PC/Console game of 2025 in an intensely competitive year for shooters

Battlefield 6 was in a tier of its own in 2025, pulling in double the units sold by any AAA title other than EA SPORTS FC 25 and 26. This was an intense year for shooters, with multiple entrants from heavyweight publishers taking on dominant incumbents. Aside from Battlefield 6, NetEase’s Marvel Rivals was the #3 most downloaded game of the year by a small margin, and Tencent’s cross-platform Delta Force was the #3 shooter by downloads. Add in Valve’s Deadlock and AA sensation ARC Raiders and you have a perfect storm of new shooters bulling into the space. Still, the top shooters by average monthly active users on PC/Console in 2025 were Fortnite, Counter-Strike 2, Call of Duty, and PUBG, with Battlefield 6 taking #5. Disruptors still have a ways to go before they can truly claim victory.

#7. Games targeting friend groups (via content creators) are the tsunami that won’t stop

Looking back at that last chart, you might notice that while Battlefield 6 is in a category of its own, there’s another tier on the left side occupied by breakout Indie hits R.E.P.O. and PEAK. These games epitomize the chaotic co-op frenzy that took friend groups by storm in 2025. These experiences are optimized for clippable moments for content creators. Unique combinations of humor, high stakes fails, and horror provide opportunities for social media posters to farm clips, collaborate with other creators, and ultimately draw new viewers to their channels. This dynamic has the dual effect of giving these Indie games the reach they need to find an audience at scale. To top it off, it’s not hard to convince audiences to give the game a shot when it costs $10 or less.

The full State of Gaming 2026 is just a click away. Inside, we dive deep into the data, and cover all the  trends and topics we didn’t have a chance to in this blog post.

Take a look inside to find:

• Live Ops trends

• Marketing and advertising trends across PC/Console and mobile

• Filters to zero in on the markets you care about

• A look at the gaming audience across mobile, PC, and console — breaking them down by age, gender, and what apps they have installed

• A case study taking a closer look at Battlefield 6 and other top shooters of the year

• And so much more!

Download the full report HERE.