Washington DC – Video games are having a moment in the US – but the players are getting older.
The average American video game player is now 37 years old – up from 29 about two decades ago – as the industry reports activity climbing back to its highest levels since the pandemic-era boom, a new report reveals.
The findings, from the Entertainment Software Association’s annual Essential Facts report, challenge enduring stereotypes about who plays games while underscoring the industry’s recovery from a post-pandemic slowdown.
“It mirrors in large part the demographics of the nation,” ESA president and chief executive Stanley Pierre-Louis told AFP, noting that more than half of all players in the US are now 35 or older.
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The steadily rising average player age reflects both the aging of a generation that grew up with consoles and a wave of older adults who have since picked up the hobby.
The gender split also defies the stereotypical image of the young male gamer.
Men account for 53% of players and women 46%, with women actually outnumbering men among Baby Boomers, the ESA said.
Overall, 67% of Americans play video games for at least an hour a week – a figure broad enough to encompass everything from blockbuster console titles to casual mobile games like Wordle.
Revenues – totaling $60.7 billion in 2025 – have rebounded to their highest point since 2021, when pandemic lockdowns drove an outsized surge in both players and spending.
After a pullback as restrictions lifted, the industry has returned to growth, Pierre-Louis said.
