Half of Adult Gamers Subscribe to a Gaming Service

December 16, 2021
MorningConsult Use of Gaming Subscription Services Dec2021

Following in the footsteps of TV and film, many video game companies have started subscription services, and just more than half (52%) of adult gamers are subscribing, according to a report from Morning Consult. 

While these subscription services still have room to grow, they’re doing well with avid gamers – defined by Morning Consult as those who play video games for at least  7 hours in an average week – and younger gamers. About 3 in 5 avid gamers (62%) and Gen Z (62%) gamers subscribe to at least one gaming service, while three-quarters of Millennial gamers subscribe.

Console gamers (74%) are more likely than PC gamers (66%) to subscribe to a gaming service. This is likely due in part to some consoles requiring an affiliated subscription in order to play some games online. Indeed, 7 in 10 Xbox X and S series consoles are connected to Xbox Game Pass.

Fortunately for gaming companies, while additional data from Morning Consult shows that 72% say they game via their mobile phone, the Consumer Technology Association found that more than half of consumers report they have a gaming console. Additionally, 4 in 10 (41% of) gamers use a console, while slightly fewer (37%) use a PC. This share is even higher among avid gamers (53% of whom play on console), gamers ages 18-34 (61%) and gamers ages 35-44 (55%).

Time and Spending on Gaming Increasing 

Time with gaming has been growing, jumping 33% year-over-year in 2020, and the average gamer spends 16.5 hours per week with the activity. Gamers are also older than some may expect. While gaming is usually considered a young person’s activity, per Morning Consult, 43% of gamers 18-34 are considered avid gamers while 44% of 35-44-year-old gamers are avid players.

As time with gaming increases, so does spending on video games. More than two-fifths (43%) of avid gamers report spending at least $100 per year on consoles or games, while about 1 in 3 are spending that amount on accessories (32%) or in-game purchases (29%). Even as they invest more in their gaming experience, 70% of gamers say prices on games and consoles need to change.

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