Global Report:
Video Games Transcend Entertainment, Affect Positive Change in Players’ Lives
Video games affirmed as a source of connection, stress relief and mental stimulation in one of the largest consumer surveys ever conducted of more than 24,000 video game players in 21 countries across six continents.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), in partnership with video game trade associations in Australia, Canada, Europe and South Korea, today released the 2025 Global Power of Play report. The report reveals the universal social and emotional benefits of video games, confirmed by both peer-reviewed academic research and a survey of 24,216 active (weekly) players (age 16+) in 21 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom and the United States of America (U.S).
“As one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, video games are a source of fun and entertainment for billions of players around the world. What the 2025 Global Power of Play report confirms, however, is that video games are much more than that,” said Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO of the ESA. “Proven by both academic research and one of the largest consumer surveys ever conducted of video game players, games bring immense value to our lives, provide borderless avenues for connection and improve our mental and social wellbeing.”
Globally, players agree on the positive social, emotional and mental benefits of game play:
- Having fun is the top reason people around the world say they play video games (66%), with stress relief (58%) and keeping minds sharp (45%) making up the top three reasons for playing. In the U.S., the top three reasons Americans say they play video games are to have fun (63%), for stress relief (56%) and to keep their mind sharp (47%).
- Seventy-seven percent of players globally say video games help them feel less stressed, 70% report reduced anxiety and 64% credit video games with easing loneliness by connecting them to others. Americans feel similarly, reporting games helps them feel less stressed (75%), less anxious (67%) and less lonely (58%).
- Players worldwide agree that video games provide mental stimulation (81%), provide stress relief (80%) and create accessible experiences for people with different abilities (78%). American players track global sentiment, ranking mental stimulation (80%), stress relief (80%) and creating experience for people with different abilities (77%) highest.
Players around the world turn to games for broader skill development:
- Players agree that video games help improve creativity (77%), problem-solving (76%) and teamwork and collaboration skills (74%). Adaptability (72%), critical thinking (71%) and communication skills (67%) also rank high. In the U.S., the top three skills players believe are improved by playing video games are adaptability (77%), cultural sensitivity (74%) and communication (73%).
- Half of all players worldwide say playing video games has directly bolstered their professional education through technical or behavioral skills, and 43% report that games have influenced their career or educational path. In the U.S., 45% say video games have positively impacted their careers.
- Over half (54%) of global players feel that sports video games have sharpened their real‐world abilities in that same sport; 44% of Americans agree.
Video games are not only a popular vehicle for lasting connections with children, family members and friends, but also are an avenue to forge new relationships:
- Nearly two-thirds (62%) of players worldwide agree that video games create spaces for positive connections with others; 55% of Americans agree.
- Across the world, younger players (ages 16-35) use games to make and build relationships, with 67% saying they have met a good friend, spouse or significant other through video games. Nearly three in four (73%) of that same age group say video games help them feel less isolated and lonely by connecting them to other people.
- More than half of players globally (55%) say that video games positively impact their relationships with their children, and 68% play with their children in-person at least monthly. 47% of American players say games positively impact their relationship with their children.
Profile of the global video game player (age 16+):
- The global video game player is 41 years old on average and is about just as likely to be male (51%) as female (48%). China is the country with the lowest average player age at 32; Italy has the highest at age 50.
- There are several countries where significantly more women than men play video games, including Brazil (57% to 43%) and South Africa (58% to 41%).
- Globally, the majority (55%) of players play on mobile devices. Action and puzzle games are the top two favored genres in 20 of the 21 countries surveyed.
Access the complete 2025 Global Power of Play report at www.theesa.com/powerofplay.
