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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Global video game market size
- Market predictions
- Football and basketball take center field, but they aren’t the only game in town
- Men gravitate toward competitive sports titles, women don’t feel the pull
- In-game spending reflects healthy games and communities of sports fans
- Sports games are one of the few gaming experiences that encourage advertising
- Opportunities
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Gaming market
- Global video gaming revenue is forecasted for slow and steady growth of 3.1%
- Graph 1: global video game industry revenue, 2019-26
- 2.1% year-on-year growth, console declines while PC and mobile grow
- Graph 2: global video game industry revenue share (billions), by device, 2024
- SteamDB data could help strategies align with demand
- SteamDB top 10 most currently played PC sports games
- Market drivers
- Sports games play a pivotal role in funding the development of other games
- Boom and Bust: Trump’s impact on the gaming industry
- Worries that pricing increases could blunt demand seem mostly unfounded
- Tabletop game makers fight for their lives against tariffs
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Sports games played
- Blurring lines between sports fandom and digital entertainment
- Graph 3: sports games playing frequency in past three months, 2025
- Even less popular sports genres maintain steady engagement levels
- Graph 4: sports games playing frequency in past three months, 2025
- Football and basketball often taking center field, but they aren’t the only game in town
- Graph 5: sports games playing frequency in past three months (NETs), 2025
- Sports games drive interest in traditional sports, especially for younger adults
- Graph 6: attitudes towards real sports (% agree), by age, 2025
- Men are more frequent sports gamers, but women are still an active audience
- Graph 7: sports games playing frequency in past three months, by gender, 2025
- An accessibility focused approach could enhance cross-generational appeal
- Graph 8: sports games playing frequency in past 3 months, by age, 2025
- Real world sports licensing is a double edged sword
- Graph 9: “I would support a new developer or studio making a game that competes with my favorite sports game franchise” (% agree), by age and gender, 2025
- Graph 10: having real player and team names in the video games I play is important to me (% agree), by age and gender, 2025
- Going beyond the face on the Wheaties box marketing
- Graph 11: sports games playing frequency in past three months, by race, 2025
- Sports game engagement
- Sports video games connect players to a culture deeper than gaming
- Graph 12: sports video game engagement, 2025
- Men gravitate toward competitive sports game titles, women don’t feel the pull
- Graph 13: sports video game engagement, by gender, 2025
- Every game doesn’t have to appeal to everyone, but there is room in the sports genre to attract wider audiences
- Graph 14: sports video game engagement, by age, 2025
- Sports gaming preference are polarized by financial situation
- Graph 15: sports video game engagement, by financial situation, 2025
- Financially well-off gamers would rather play video games than real sports
- Graph 16: “I’m more interested in playing sports video games than playing real sports” (% agree), by financial situation, 2025
- Sports fans are unevenly spread across platforms, with fewer on mobile despite its size and more on AR/VR despite its smaller base
- Graph 17: sports video game engagement, by devices used, 2025
- Spending on sports games
- In-game spending reflects healthy games and communities of sports fans
- Graph 18: spending on sports games in a typical month, 2025
- Purchases under $10 drive equal engagement across genders
- Graph 19: spending on sports games in a typical month, by gender, 2025
- Player spending has supported in-game transactions so far, that may change, so should monetization strategies
- Graph 20: spending on sports games in a typical month, by age, 2025
- Sports games are one of the few gaming experiences that encourage advertising
- Graph 21: attitudes towards advertising in sports video games (% agree), by age, 2025
- Offering players ways to customize their experiences can boost engagement, ownership, and connections socially
- Graph 22: spending on sports games in a typical month, by race, 2025
- Community participation
- Multiplayer and posting on social media is low hanging fruit for players
- Graph 23: community participation in the past six months, 2025
- With a multiplayer lynch pin, sports game communities thrive
- Graph 24: community participation in the past six months, video gamers vs sports video gamers, 2025
- Men are drawn to high-stakes, but reframing competition as a growth-focused learning process could engage more players
- Graph 25: community participation in the past six months, 2025
- Online multiplayer has broad appeal but local games lean younger
- Graph 26: community participation in the past six months, by age, 2025
- Franchise games provide steady revenue for developers and a reliable audience for advertisers in sports video games.
- Graph 27: “I always buy the latest copy of my favorite sports video game franchise” (% agree), by age, 2025
- Reasons to avoid sports games
- No game appeals to every player so variety and competition are key
- Graph 28: reasons to avoid sports games, 2025
- Real world deals make breaking into the sports genre a challenging task
- Graph 29: traditional sports league licensing limits competition in the sports game genre (% agree), by age, 2025
- In gaming, those who criticize the most often also care the most
- Graph 30: reasons to avoid sports games, by gender, 2025
- Ads can make a game feel like the ball park compared to overbearing salesmanship of microtransactions
- Graph 31: attitudes towards sports video games (% agree), by gender, 2025
- Older gamers may have had limited exposure to video games, making complex simulation games less intuitive
- Graph 32: reasons to avoid sports games (select), by age, 2025
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Leaning on the thrill of being drafted, EA announces Madden 26 and College Football 26 in a combo trailer
- Nintendo’s big bet with the sequel to the Switch’s best seller
- Bundling remakes of classic sports games could revitalize old series
- Makers of indie hit Sifu challenge the dominance of soccer staples
- While it’s not a sports game, this surprise indie hit is looking like this year’s Balatro, and a Game of the Year contender
- Marketing and advertising
- Mc Donald’s gets in on the Minecraft action as video game movies continue to prove popular
- EA Sports expanding its in-game advertising and brand partnerships
- Get creative with ads in sports games if they still pass the ball park vibe test
- Graph 33: attitudes towards advertising in sports video games (% agree), 2025
- Nintendo’s own Seattle Mariners will be hyping the Switch 2 this season
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APPENDIX
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
- US video game consumers
- Gaming devices usage
- Graph 34: gaming devices usage, 2025
- Console brand usage
- Graph 35: console brand usage, 2025
- Gaming frequency
- Graph 36: gaming frequency, 2025
- Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Top reason for playing video games, aside from the entertainment value
- Graph 37: top reason for playing video games, aside from the entertainment value, 2025
- Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Graph 38: Mintel gamer segments – motivations, 2025
- Gamer segments – Achievers and Explorers
- Gamer segments – Socializers and Competitors
- Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency
- Graph 39: Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency, 2025
US Sports Games Market Analysis
The US sports video game market in 2025 is experiencing steady growth, following the global industry’s trend of modest revenue increases—from 2019 to 2024.
Mobile and PC gaming drive most growth, while console revenues slightly decline. With more than half of gamers playing sports games weekly, popular genres like football and basketball lead engagement. Despite economic pressures like inflation and tariffs, demand remains strong, exemplified by the rapid sell-out of the Nintendo Switch 2. Forecasts expect around 3% annual growth through 2026, with a shift toward free-to-play models and innovative monetization, including immersive in-game advertising, to sustain momentum in the sports games market.
US Sports Games Market Consumer Trends
In 2025, US sports video game consumers show strong engagement, with around 70% playing weekly and 39% daily. Men play and spend more, but women and older gamers are growing audiences, especially through casual and fitness-related content. Younger Black gamers are highly engaged and tend to spend more. Authenticity is important, with players valuing real teams and athletes but also wanting more competition in the market for sports games. In-game ads are broadly accepted as natural and immersive. Community participation, particularly in online and local multiplayer, remains vital for player retention. There’s a clear trend toward collaborative gameplay and inclusive monetization models that promote sustained engagement within the US sports games market.
Purchasing the US Sports Games Market Report 2025 offers key insights into consumer behavior and market trends in the US sports games market. This analysis helps developers, brands, and advertisers optimize strategies and capture growth opportunities in a competitive sports games market by understanding player engagement, spending, and emerging trends.
About The Report
The US Sports Games Market Report 2025 delivers comprehensive insights into consumer engagement, spending patterns, market dynamics, and advertising opportunities within the US sports video game industry. It covers detailed analysis of player demographics, gaming frequency, preferences by sport and device, community participation, and attitudes toward in-game advertising and monetization. The research draws on extensive surveys of US gamers aged 18 and older, capturing diverse perspectives across gender, age groups, and ethnicities. This Sports Games Market Report is valuable for game developers, marketers, advertisers, and industry stakeholders seeking to understand market trends, optimize product offerings, and develop targeted strategies to connect with the highly engaged sports gaming audience.
Key Topics Analyzed in the Report
- Consumer engagement levels with sports video games
- Spending habits and in-game purchase trends
- Gender differences in sports gaming preferences
- Impact of licensing on sports game competition
- Advertising opportunities within sports video games
- Community participation and gaming demographics
- Market dynamics and revenue projections
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Brian Benway. As a Gaming Analyst, Brian researches and analyzes the video game industry across genres and platforms. Brian has been with Mintel since 2017. His education background in Game Design and Animation informs his expertise and consumer insights in the gaming sector.
Download Report SummarySports games are a cornerstone of the industry with a highly engaged audience, whose openness towards in-game ads could shift monetization strategies.
Brian Benway
Senior Tech and Gaming Analyst
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