America Plays
People from all across the U.S. regularly play video games.
Percentage of Americans Who Play Video Games 1+ Hours Per Week
(Any Platform)
Everybody Plays — Across Every Demographic
From Gen Alpha to the Silent Generation, video games are loved by everyone.
Player Gender
Among all players
Male
Female
Ethnicity of Adult Players
Among total players 18+
LGBT+ Self-Identification of Players
Among total players 18+
Percentage Who Play Video Games 1+ Hours Per Week Generation by Gender
American Families Play Together
Parents prefer their kids play video games, and love playing with them.
75%
of parents play video games
and of those who do:
Reasons Why Parents Play Video Games With Their Children
Among 81% who play with their children
0%
of parents whose kids play video games say that they are aware of ESRB ratings
0%
of parents set controls to limit spending
0%
of parents who have purchased in-game content for their children require approval for purchases
73%
of parents prefer their children spend time playing video games instead of on social media
7 in 10 of all parents say playing video games offers more potential benefits for their children compared to social media
ESRB Ratings Assigned in 2025
In 2025, 90% of the 6,761 ESRB ratings assigned were E, E10+, or T.
NOTE: Includes ratings assigned for boxed (physical) video games and downloadable titles playable on consoles. Ratings numbers provided by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
Player Attitudes And Behaviors
The top two reasons that Americans play are to relax and to have fun, while older generations also play to keep their mind sharp.
Motivations for playing video games:
Among total players 18+
Pass the time or relax
To have fun
Use my brain / Keep my mind sharp
Benefits of Playing Video Games
Percentage agree – Among total adults age 18+
Skills Developed Through Video Games
Percentage agree – Among total adults age 18+
Player Communities
Who players are playing with online
Among 70% of players 8+ who play with others
0%
of Gen Alpha plays with their parents
0%
of parents play with their children
0%
of players 18+ play with a spouse or significant other
82%
of players say there is a video
game for everyone!
0%
of players age 8+ have played with others (online or offline)
0%
of those players age 8+ play video games online with friends they know in-person
0%
of players age 8+ play video games with others at least weekly
Share of Playing Time by Day of the Week
Percentage Among total players 18+
Business Of Games
Video games have been an important driver of the U.S. economy for decades, now outpacing consumer spending on movies, TV, and music combined.
U.S. Video Game Industry Sales, 2002-2025 (in billions)
$60.7 billion
Total consumer spending on video games In 2025
$52.3 bn
on content
$5.4 bn
on hardware
$2.95 bn
on accessories
According to players, games offer the most value for their money compared to other forms of media and entertainment.
