The global game subscriptions market is on track to generate over $27 billion in revenue by 2028, reflecting its growing value and significance within the gaming industry.
In 2024 alone, consumer spending on game subscriptions is projected to reach $19 billion, marking a second year of double-digit revenue growth following a post-pandemic decline in 2022, Omdia’s latest research reveals.
Games Library Services: Users access a rotating collection of games, forecasted to generate $8 billion in 2024.
In-Game/Single-Game Subscriptions: Subscriptions tied to individual titles, expected to account for $7.4 billion.
Platform Access Subscriptions: These offer primarily online functionalities, contributing $3.7 billion.
Microsoft and Sony dominated the games library services segment, with a combined 82 million subscriptions anticipated in 2024.
Cloud gaming will generate $3.7 billion in 2024, expanding to $5.8 billion by 2028. However, this growth is expected to be driven primarily by hybrid services like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus Premium, with cloud-only platforms such as Amazon Luna+ capturing a modest 3 percent share of total subscription revenue by 2028.
The total number of paid game subscriptions is expected to reach 168 million by the end of 2024, growing to 203 million by 2028, excluding in-game subscriptions. By 2028, the $27 billion spent on game subscriptions will represent 14 percent of the total global expenditure on games.
George Jijiashvili, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia, noted the strategic importance of subscriptions for leading game companies, offering consumers value through exclusive content and multi-platform accessibility.
He cautioned, however, that while subscriptions are a convenient and cost-effective option for players, the financial challenges of sustaining blockbuster game development within this model are significant. “We anticipate that subscriptions will continue to grow as a complementary revenue stream, rather than displacing other monetization methods in the industry,” George Jijiashvili said.
