Most Americans Play Video Games for an Hour Per Week

Two-thirds of Americans play an hour or extra of video video games per week, in response to a brand new report revealed Wednesday by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

Per the gaming business lobbying group, 212.3 million folks within the U.S. between the ages of 5 and 90 play video video games each week. That stat, present in ESA’s 2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry, is up 3% (or 7.2 million folks) in comparison with the prior yr’s report.

Conducted in partnership with YouGov, ESA’s new report discovered that the typical age of gamers has risen to 37.

Additionally, the information exhibits that 63% of gamers surveyed say video video games “deliver the most entertainment value for their money, compared to video streaming services for music, TV and movies, as well as books, magazines and news articles.”

The outcomes additionally discovered that 39% of grownup avid gamers are employed full-time and 35% have youngsters, making them extra represented in each classes in comparison with the overall U.S. inhabitants, which stands at 34% and 30%, respectively.

“There are a lot of small nuggets, which are pretty interesting, in the report. For example, the level of employment and the engagement that people who play games have in society,” ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis instructed Variety. “I think one of the things we’re trying to do with these reports is to grow the understanding of the impact games have in society. There’s a perception people had 10, 15, 20 years ago, around games, and when you look at the actual facts about who today’s gamer is, whether you call it a gamer or someone who loves playing games, we are really mainstream. We are really part of every part of society. We are part of the fabric of society, and data like the Essential Facts Report allow us to not only make that claim but to produce data that supports the fact that games are a part of the fabric of society.”

ESA’s chosen topline knowledge factors from its 2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report embody: