U.S. Consumer Video Game Spending Totaled $57.2B in 2023

Overall consumer spending on video games in the United States totaled $57.2 billion in 2023, according to data released by the Entertainment Software Association and Circana. This figure reflects profits from all video game content categories (physical and digital full-game, downloadable content/microtransactions (DLC/MTX) and subscription spending across console, cloud, mobile*, portable, PC and virtual reality (VR) platforms), video game hardware and video game accessories.

“These figures reinforce the position of the video game industry as a growth engine for the United States economy,” said ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis. “When combined with the fact that nearly two-thirds of Americans play video games regularly, cutting across all demographics and backgrounds, these results confirm the video game industry’s impact as an economic and creative powerhouse with far-reaching cultural influence.”

Total video game sales reached $57.2 billion in 2023, up from $56.6 billion in 2022. Video game content spending ended up from 2022 ($48.0 billion compared to $47.5 billion), driven by a 13% increase in digital download spending across console platforms and an 11% increase in digital premium download segments on PC, Cloud and non-console VR platforms. Hardware sales remained steady at $6.6 billion, and accessory sales were up 4% ($2.6 billion compared to $2.5 billion).

“Great content is what drives the video game market, and 2023’s release slate was one of the best in industry history,” said Mat Piscatella, Executive Director, Video Games at Circana. “While mobile, console and PC platforms remain the way most people engage with gaming today, new technologies are expanding the ways people can play. The future continues to be very bright.”