Boston Consulting: Games market to recover from pandemic slump in 2026, revenue to hit $350m by 2030

New research forecasts that the global games market will generate $350 million by 2030, a 6% increase over the period.

That’s according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group, which believes that the games industry is bouncing back from its post-pandemic slump.

37% of global games revenue in 2025 is set to come from mobile in-app purchases; this segment of the industry is set to bring in $130 billion for the year. Alternative app stores, which have proliferated since legal judgements forced Apple and Android to support them, are one reason for this revenue, with Boston writing that one-third of adults and 40% of teenagers have bought something from a developer-owned web app store. While the numbers of people playing on mobile are projected to increase only slightly, developer and publisher revenues are expected to rise significantly due to greatly improved margins on third-party storefronts.

The company believes that cloud gaming is set to get more of a foothold in the industry and go mainstream within the next five years; in 2025, Boston has cloud games revenue pegged at around $1.4 billion, but this is set to grow 1,207% to $18.3 billion over the next five years. By that point, the sector is projected to have over 50 million users. The firm describes this as a shift away from a hardware-specific business to “multi-screen experiences”, with the report highlighting a clear preference for subscription-based and live-service games in the Gen Alpha demographic (born 2010 onwards).

Boston also believes that making games is set to be “increasingly democratised” via user-generated content and AI. The company claims that 20% of games launched on “an online gaming platform” during the last quarter were built using AI and that “an estimated 50%” of studios are looking at what the tech can do when it comes to development.

UGC, in the form of both user-created game modes and content created using games, is flagged as a significant source of growth, with the opportunity extending beyond the youngest players. Of those surveyed, 15% of gamers in
their 60s or older said that they had watched someone else’s stream, and 28% of the same group were interested in UGC although they had not yet tried it.

Finally, the firm says that more people are playing games than ever before, though does not put a figure on how many gamers there are. Boston believes that this shows that the medium is “gaining penetration” in the lives of consumers at a time when interest in social media and television are on the decline.

“The gaming industry is turning a corner, and we are optimistic about what comes next,” Boston partner and report coauthor Giorgo Paizanis said.

“Growth is picking up and the post-pandemic slump is fading. While recent revenue gains have been driven largely by pricing, gamers remain passionate—and their growing share of leisure time spent playing proves it. Parents who grew up gaming are still playing and introducing their kids as early as age five, while rising accessibility across screens and platforms is allowing people to play in more moments.”

Boston managing director, senior partner and report coauthor Ernesto Pagano added: “In the next five years, we expect an explosion of new gaming content and players. Cloud gaming, user-generated content, AI, and the opening up of app stores will transform how games are built and distributed. Players will expect more—fresh experiences, vibrant communities, and the freedom to play across devices wherever they go. Studios that embrace this moment of change have an opportunity to define gaming’s future.”