China gaming market hits RMB188.5bn in H1 2026

Gaming in China has reached 684 million users in the first half of 2026 – roughly one in every two Chinese consumers – and generated RMB 188.5 billion in market revenue, up 12.17% year on year. At this scale, gaming operates as a national medium comparable to short video and social media in its power to aggregate attention, build communities and influence consumption decisions well beyond the screen.

These findings are outlined in Unlocking the Chinese Gamers 2026, a report published in August 2026 by the Centre of Excellence under Omnicom Media China. The research adopts a mixed-method approach, combining desk research, syndicated industry data and social listening analysis, and draws on datasets from Euromonitor and GlobalWebIndex (GWI).

According to the research, China had 684 million gamers in the first half of 2026, a YoY increase of 0.82%. This growth rate is lower than the previous year's 1.35%, mainly due to diversified online entertainment alternatives and a diminishing demographic dividend.

Domestic game revenue, however, is seeing robust growth. It reached RMB 188.45 billion in the first half of 2026, representing a 12.17% YoY rise, driven by higher-quality, more abundant game content and the rapid expansion of mini-programme games.

Across all categories, mobile games remain the largest revenue contributor, making up 72% of total revenue in the first half of 2026. PC client games follow with a 24% share, while PC web games and console games each account for 1%. The market share of PC client games has climbed slightly from 22% in 2025, showing an upward trend.

In the first half of 2026, domestic mini-programme game revenue reached RMB 31.66 billion, a YoY increase of 36.01%. Meanwhile, WeChat mini-game MAUs surpassed 500 million, with the average daily usage duration per user exceeding 60 minutes. The sector is evolving from casual offerings toward mid-core and hardcore genres, fuelling growth in the light gaming segment.

The industry is also witnessing accelerated AI integration. AI-tagged games on Steam have exceeded 10,000, accounting for approximately 8% of all platform titles, with 2,000 new AI-integrated games added within four months. The AI adoption rate in game research and development has reached 86.4%. The global gaming AI market is projected to reach US$51.26 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.1%.

Game IP-derived merchandise, locally referred to as the "Guzi economy", has reshaped gaming consumption logic, shifting user behaviour from pure gameplay to emotional consumption. It is projected to reach RMB 276.69 billion in 2026 and further rise to RMB 309.89 billion in 2027. 

Overseas expansion has become a core growth driver for China's gaming industry amid slowing domestic user growth. In H1 2026, overseas revenue from China's self-developed games reached US$12.37 billion (approximately RMB 83.5 billion), a YoY increase of 30.22%.

Gamer segments

The report further categorises Chinese gamers into two core groups based on gaming frequency and session duration. Light-to-mid-core gamers, who constitute 74% of the total player base, and heavy-core gamers, who account for the remaining 26%.

Among light-to-mid-core gamers, the 35-44 age group takes the largest proportion at 25.9%, followed by the 25-34 age group at 21.8% and the 45-54 age group at 20.6%. Gamers aged 45 and above have emerged as a key incremental market for the gaming industry, with their market share jumping from 21.6% in Q2 2024 to 28.8% in Q2 2025 and 37% in Q2 2026.

In contrast, nearly half of heavy-core gamers are under 30, a demographic facing significant real-life pressure, for whom gaming serves as a primary form of escapism.

For light-to-mid-core gamers, 51.5% said relaxation as their main gaming motivation, followed by killing time (38.7%), entertainment (35.4%) and socialising with friends (27.7%). For heavy-core gamers, relaxation also ranks first at 40.2%, followed by entertainment (39.5%) and killing time (33.8%).

Light-to-mid-core gamers hold a positive yet cautious attitude towards the value of gaming. On one hand, 40.9% agree that "games are a good way to make friends and socialise", while 29.5% acknowledge that excessive gaming can be harmful.

Heavy-core gamers, by contrast, advocate for gaming culture and strive to improve public perceptions of gaming. A total of 35.9% believe gaming holds cultural value, while 36.9% argue that video games qualify as art and deserve corresponding recognition.

Notably, the proportion of female heavy-core gamers has risen from 43.4% in 2024 to 46.4% in 2025. Shifting social attitudes, evolving family structures, and the mainstream popularity of esports and gaming livestreams are driving more women to become heavy-core gamers.

Lucy Zhang, chief relationship officer, Omnicom Media China, said: "What stands out from this year's research is how quickly the conventional definition of a 'gamer' is becoming outdated. Gaming today cuts across age, gender and lifestyle, and the differences within the gaming population are increasingly as important as the similarities."

"The real value of insight lies in understanding the motivations, behaviours, and interests behind how different people engage with gaming and, more importantly, what those behaviours reveal about how they spend their time, attention and money in the wider consumer ecosystem," added Zhang.

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