Global ad spend on gaming lags behind despite 3.4 billion players: Dentsu
Games are increasingly becoming social platforms in their own right. According to the report, 70% of gamers say games help them connect with others. Platforms like Roblox, Discord and Twitch play a central role in Gen Z’s social lives.
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Despite boasting over 3.5 billion players globally and seeing a 6% year-on-year increase in time spent gaming, the video game industry remains a largely untapped frontier for advertising, according to Dentsu’s newly released 2025 Gaming Trends Report titled “Gaming, Your Marketing Cheat Code".
The report reveals a glaring disconnect, gaming commands massive engagement and cultural relevance, yet attracts less than 5% of global media investment.
Dentsu’s insights, drawn from its Consumer Navigator series surveying over 8,600 consumers across 10 markets, paint gaming as both a cultural and commercial powerhouse. With blockbuster transmedia successes like The Minecraft Movie, which opened to $301 million globally and spiked Minecraft’s daily active users by 17%, gaming is cementing its status as a pillar of global entertainment. More than 60 game-based productions were in development in 2024, with at least 44 additional releases expected in 2025, reinforcing the medium’s growing storytelling and IP influence.
Importantly, games are increasingly becoming social platforms in their own right. According to the report, 70% of gamers say games help them connect with others. Platforms like Roblox, Discord and Twitch play a central role in Gen Z’s social lives, with players spending an average of 2.5 hours per day on Roblox and forming 1.62 billion friendships on the platform monthly.
The study also emphasizes gaming’s influence on commerce. About 43% of gamers report that gaming partnerships improve their perception of brands and 44% of Twitch users have purchased products recommended by streamers. Notably, Gen Z and Millennials are 64% more likely than older generations to discover new brands through mobile game ads, highlighting the medium’s growing importance in digital marketing strategies.
Player motivations are key to this engagement, with 55% citing relaxation and 20% citing achievement as top reasons for playing. These preferences also shape content trends—relaxation-themed content saw a 22% rise in viewership, contributing to more than 4 billion hours of livestreamed gaming content watched globally in the past year.
Despite the explosive growth and cultural dominance of gaming, Dentsu’s findings underscore a critical gap as brands and media buyers are still underinvesting in a channel that offers deep engagement, loyal fandoms and growing influence across entertainment, commerce and community.
