Highlights
- China gaming market revenue hit RMB 350.79B in 2025, up 7.68% YoY, with 683M players setting a new all-time high.
- Mobile games led revenue share, while client-based games, esports, and console gaming posted strong double-digit growth.
- Chinese game exports climbed to $20.45B, with self-developed mobile titles thriving in Japan, South Korea, the U.S., and European markets.
China’s domestic gaming market posted record revenue of RMB 350.79 billion (~ $49.8 billion USD). According to the 2025 China Game Industry Report, released in Dec 2025, the industry saw a 7.68% year-over-year (YoY) increase in revenue, while the number of players climbed to approximately 683M, a new all-time high.
Zhang Yijun, Vice Chairman of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, said the market’s growth reflected improved product quality and stronger long-term operational capabilities among developers.
Additionally, he pointed out that optimized game operations, mini-program games, and the raise in interoperability of cross-platform products also contributed to increased user spending and deeper engagement. Beyond domestic numbers, Chinese video games also performed well abroad, with exports reaching $20.45B in sales, highlighting China's expanding global importance.
China’s self-developed games market grew 11.64% YoY in the domestic market, reaching RMB 291.09B (~$41.3B). In both domestic and international markets, mobile games continued to dominate. China’s prominent studios, such as NetEase, Tencent, and miHoYo, have contributed most to the growth with their shift towards the international market.
China Domestic Gaming Market Segment-Wise Growth
The 2025 data shows growth spread across major categories rather than concentrated in a single format. Mobile games continued to dominate the domestic market, generating roughly RMB 257.07B (~$36.4B) and accounting for around 73.3% of total revenue.
Client-based games recorded significant gains, driven by heightened engagement in competitive and massively multiplayer online (MMO) titles. In 2025, the domestic client-based game market saw a 14.97% YoY growth and generated RMB 78.16B in revenue (~$1.1B).
China's console segment, while comparatively smaller, posted the fastest growth rate among major categories with 86.33% YoY increase. Additionally, the domestic esports game market saw 18.96% YoY revenue growth upon generating RMB 170.05B (~$24B).
Export Growth and Global Footprint in Overseas Markets
The self-developed mobile games market overseas reached $18.47B in 2025, a 13.16% YoY increase. Across the top 100 titles, strategy games (including SLGs) accounted for 49.96%, a notable year-over-year rise, and remained at the top. Shooting games and role-playing games (RPGs) accounted for 9.69% and 9.39% of the top 100 self-developed mobile games, respectively, in foreign markets by revenue.
The overseas performance gains were propelled by a mix of mobile and PC titles popular in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, where localized content and competitive pricing boosted adoption. Titles with strong live-service frameworks, similar to domestic success, performed well in international markets.
Regional trends show Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. will remain the main overseas markets for Chinese mobile games, accounting for a total of 57.81% of the overseas market. The major European markets, including France, Germany, and the U.K., will account for a combined 8.84%.
Looking ahead, Zhang Yijun framed the industry’s outlook as structurally improving and resilient, with China’s gaming market continuing to balance domestic diversification with international momentum.
Disclaimer: Data used in the copy was obtained from Chinese sources, and is machine-translated.
