US Gaming Influencers and Streaming: 2026
80% of video game playing adults aged 18-34 found watching gaming content as enjoyable as playing.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for gaming influencers & streaming – US
- There isn’t an overwhelming demand for specific content
- There are as many reasons to comment as there are individuals on social media
- Younger adults are more likely to support multiple accounts/personalities
- Age is the primary driver of social media based gaming content enjoyment
- Opportunities for brands-as-patron, not paywall
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THE MARKET
- Global video game market size
- Consumers and the economic outlook
- Global and US gaming market
- Entertainment Software Association essential facts
- 2025 global video gaming revenue’s slow and steady growth of 3.4%
- Graph 1: global video game industry revenue, 2022-28
- Switch 2’s success drove 5.5% year-on-year growth for consoles in 2025
- Graph 2: global video game industry revenue share (billions), by device, 2025
- The post-COVID-19 paradigm shift in the gaming industry
- Market drivers
- EA introduces EA Advertising
- UK may ban adults from speaking to children in games
- Audiences desperately cling to games and panic buy hardware
- Meta and YouTube defeated in social media addiction trial
- The dead internet is no longer just a theory, consumers believe it’s already here
- Graph 3: “I worry that too many social media comments are being made by AI and bots now” (% agree), by age, 2026
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THE CONSUMER
- Gaming content on social media
- Age is the primary driver of social media based gaming content enjoyment
- Graph 4: “Watching gaming content on social media is just as enjoyable as buying and playing games myself”, by age (% agree), 2026
- Younger audiences are the most engaged with every type of content measured
- Graph 5: types of video game content typically watched on social media, by age, 2026
- Middle aged men are driving gendered preferences in gaming content
- Graph 6: types of video game content typically watched on social media, by gender, 2026
- Younger gamers more likely to see social media shaping their identity
- Graph 7: “My political opinions and worldviews could be shaped or changed by social media posts about video games” (% agree), by age, 2026
- Motivation to comment
- There are as many reasons to comment as there are individuals on social media
- Graph 8: motivation to comment on social media posts made by video game related accounts followed, 2026
- In a world of fake news and misinformation, people crave anchors of reliability
- Graph 9: “I get suspicious when comments on social media platforms seem to be too positive” (% agree), by gender, 2026
- Younger adults are often more engaged, which extends to gaming content on social media
- Graph 10: motivation to comment on social media posts made by video game related accounts followed, by age, 2026
- Click-bait reaction content often blamed for social media negativity
- Graph 11: “Reaction content for clicks is driving negativity on social media” (% agree), by age, 2026
- Social media subscriptions
- Monetization pleas make relationships feel more like quid pro quo
- Graph 12: attitudes towards supporting social media creators and content, 2026
- Less than half of all gamers will spend any money supporting content
- Graph 13: number of social media accounts/personalities supported financially, by gender, 2026
- Younger adults more likely to support multiple accounts, but still only a handful
- Graph 14: number of social media accounts/personalities supported financially, by age, 2026
- Social media is what you make of it, we built our feeds brick by brick
- Graph 15: “The social media accounts I follow reflect me as an individual” (% agree), by age, 2026
- Women may tend to support fewer creators, but demonstrate same spending
- Graph 16: amount spent to support social media accounts/personalities, by gender, 2026
- Younger paying subscribers are a step above the typical follower rabble
- Graph 17: amount spent to support social media accounts/personalities, by age, 2026
- Preferred influencer promoted merchandise
- Authenticity on social media is paramount, particularly for younger adults
- Graph 18: “I only buy products influencers promote if I believe they actually use them” (% agree), by age, 2026
- Promotions should be authentic but unique, beyond typical shopping habits
- Graph 19: preferred influencer promoted merchandise, by gender, 2026
- Age doesn’t dramatically change the types of products desired until 55+, when gaming interest drops
- Graph 20: preferred influencer promoted merchandise, by age, 2026
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Remember Commodore 64? Now it’s the anti-smartphone
- Summer Game Fest is growing fast, but costreaming is a bigger hit
- Seasonality is a powerful force that shapes consumer and market behavior
- Graph 21: attitudes towards seasonality in video games (% agree), by age, 2026
- Top streamers on Twitch and YouTube
- Graph 22: top channels on Twitch by viewership, May 2026
- Graph 23: top channels on YouTube by viewership, May 2026
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APPENDIX
- Report scope
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology – US
- Abbreviations and terms
- US video game consumers
- Gaming device usage and frequency
- Graph 24: gaming device usage and frequency, 2026
- Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency
- Graph 25: Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency, 2026
- Console brand usage
- Graph 26: console brand usage, 2026
- Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Top reason for playing video games, aside from the entertainment value
- Graph 27: top reason for playing video games, aside from the entertainment value (any rank), 2026
- Gamer segments – Achievers and Explorers
- Gamer segments – Socializers and Competitors
- Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Graph 28: Mintel gamer segments – motivations, 2026
80% of video game playing adults aged 18-34 found watching gaming content as enjoyable as playing. This poses challenges for the industry as it may impact game sales and in-game spending, but isn’t all bad. Summer Game Fest 2026 peaked at 3.8 million concurrent viewers, with creator coverage expanding to over 6,000 channels. Authenticity drives behavior among 18-34 year olds, 73% only buy influencer-promoted products they believe the creator uses, and 66% grow suspicious of overly positive comments. Global gaming revenue is expected to continue growing, shifting focus toward retention over acquisition, yet new global legal and regulatory changes affecting digital game ownership and access to social media will have implications for brands and advertisers.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Impact of social media on gaming content consumption
- Differences in gaming content preferences by age and gender
- Economic pressures affecting consumer spending on gaming
- Legal challenges related to digital game ownership and streaming
- Monetization strategies of social media platforms and creators
- Role of authenticity in influencer marketing
- Shifts in gaming industry revenue and player demographics
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