Dentsu’s 2025 Gaming Trends Report reveals that advertisers invest less than 5% of global media and advertising budgets into the video game industry, despite the presence of more than 3.5 billion gamers worldwide.
The report, titled “Gaming, Your Marketing Cheat Code,” bases its findings on Dentsu’s Consumer Navigator series, which includes input from 8,600 global consumers across 10 markets, as well as data from GWI.
The same report notes that players have increased the time they spend playing games by 6% year over year.
Commenting on the research, Brent Koning, Dentsu’s executive vice president and global gaming lead, says,
“We call everyone a gamer, whether they’re on Duolingo or Words With Friends or doing crossword puzzles.
We all live in this mental state. But advertisers only spend 5% of global media on gaming.
How do we make that more representative of how many people actually play games? Because gaming has truly proven itself.
“We use measurement, tools, and analytics. So when I talk about the ‘big G gaming industry,’ I refer to more than just people playing video games. In the report, we explore fandoms and how those fandoms drive commerce.”
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Koning points to “A Minecraft Movie” as the current biggest example of that trend within the gaming entertainment industry. He says Warner Bros. achieved massive ticket sales, but the most important takeaway is the subsequent increase in time players spent on the Microsoft-owned game.
“When I look at what ‘Minecraft’ did, I don’t find the box office the most impressive. What fascinates me is the engagement with the gaming platform. Daily active players increased by almost 20% week on week. That is the most fascinating stat,” he adds.
Here is a breakdown of the research:
- Developers worked on over 60 game-based productions in 2024, and they plan at least 44 more for 2025
- A Minecraft Movie generated a $301 million global opening weekend and drove a 17% week-on-week increase in Minecraft’s daily active players
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Gaming Is the New Social Network
- 70% of gamers say games help them connect with others, and 36% watch gaming content to learn, laugh, and belong
- Gen Z spends 2.5 hours/day on Roblox, where users form 1.62 billion friendships monthly on the platform. Platforms like Roblox, Discord, and Twitch play a central role in their social lives
Gaming Drives Commerce and Brand Discovery - 43% of gamers say a gaming partnership improves their perception of a brand
- 44% of Twitch viewers have purchased a product that a streamer recommended
- Gen Z and Millennials are 64% more likely than older generations to discover new brands through mobile game ads
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Player Motivations Shape Engagement and Strategy
- People play games primarily for relaxation (55%) and achievement (20%), although motivations vary by region and device
- These motivations also drive viewership: Relaxation-based content saw a 22% YoY increase, and viewers watched over 4 billion livestreaming hours in the past year
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