Roblox-led surge and outsourcing reshape a $196B games market in 2025

Global video game content sales rose 5.3% to $195.6B in 2025, even as private funding fell about 55% and layoffs persisted. Outsourcing climbed to 35.5% of content investment, with notable titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Palworld relying heavily on external work. Console spending grew modestly while platform services dominated growth; PC spending rose 30% since 2020, and China accounted for roughly 20% of global player spend. Roblox emerged as the key growth driver, and analysts foresee 2026 growth in non-core markets, advertising, direct-to-consumer and alternative payments, external development, and Roblox.