Highlights
- 62% of dedicated gamers skip full-price releases, per a joint report from IGN Entertainment, Kantar, and UC Berkeley.
- Only 20% of Gen X buys games at launch price, compared to 38% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Z.
- Gen Z sees games as social platforms, favoring multiplayer, while Gen X prefers single-player.
A majority of highly engaged gamers no longer buy video games at full price, according to a new report from IGN Entertainment, Kantar, and UC Berkeley that examined consumer habits across the US, UK, and Australia.
The Generations in Play report found that 62% of surveyed players do not regularly purchase full-price releases.
The data also showed a sharp generational divide in buying behavior. Only 20% of Gen X players aged 46 to 61 noted they still purchase games at launch pricing, compared to 38% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Z consumers.
In a statement to VGC, Christopher Dring of The Games Business stated that the findings reflect a market where players already have more content competing for their attention. “Consumers are ‘full’ in terms of things to play, watch, and read,” he said, adding that games “have a habit of launching unfinished or in need of a patch or two,” reducing the urgency around day-one purchases.
‘Generations in Play’ Report Highlights Changing Consumer Habits
The report identified broader differences in how generations discover and engage with games. Gen X respondents relied more heavily on Google Search for discovering titles, while Millennials favored YouTube, and Gen Z leaned toward social media platforms.
Player preferences also varied across age groups. Gen X consumers showed a stronger preference for single-player games, while Gen Z players gravitated toward multiplayer and community-focused experiences.
Meanwhile, Millennials were nearly evenly split between both categories.
Karl Stewart, senior vice president of global marketing at IGNE, mentioned that the report focused on dedicated entertainment consumers rather than casual audiences. He described the surveyed group as players who actively choose gaming as a primary use of their disposable time.
The study also found differences in attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI). According to the report, Gen X respondents were 38% less likely to use AI for game discovery and 44% less likely to trust AI-generated summaries compared to younger players.
Stewart pointed out that Gen Z increasingly sees games as social platforms built around community participation and ongoing engagement. The findings arrive as publishers continue expanding subscriptions, live-service models, and long-term content strategies across the gaming industry.
