| Study Period | 2019 - 2030 |
| 2024 Market Size | USD 12.6 Billion |
| 2025 Market Size | USD 18.0 Billion |
| 2030 Forecast | USD 107.2 Billion |
| Growth Rate (CAGR) | 42.7% |
| Largest Region | Asia-Pacific |
| Fastest Growing Region | Asia-Pacific |
| Nature of the Market | Fragmented |
| Largest End User Category | Casual Gamers |
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The global cloud gaming market size will be an estimated USD 12.6 billion in 2024, and it will grow at a CAGR of 42.7% during 2024–2030, reaching USD 107.2 billion by 2030. Cloud gaming's growing popularity, combined with the introduction of enhanced, cross-platform gameplays, is expected to drive the market growth.
Moreover, the rising penetration of the internet, as well as the easy access to cloud-based games, are contributing to the rising demand for them. Furthermore, 5G provides higher bandwidths and lower latency, allowing gamers to stream XR games seamlessly. Additionally, the growing adoption of smartphones is expected to augment the market growth globally.
With the launch of 5G services in multiple countries, cloud gaming firms are expected to leverage mobile ubiquity and fast 5G connections to provide AAA-quality gaming to smartphone users. Cloud games from game publishers and rising number of mobile network operators will also drive the growth of the market globally.
The increasing popularity of social media games is also expected to boost the market growth. A substantial chunk of the global populace plays games on social networking sites, including Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit. Furthermore, cloud gaming allows users to access games through remote servers instead of having to install them on a computer or console, thus eliminating the need for storage and to purchase the most-recent gaming PC or console.
In addition, with this, cloud gaming provides higher speed, improved user insights, and scalability. It also aids in the restructuring of content on a variety of smart devices, in turn, improving the delivery of content across all media.
During pandemic times, the cloud gaming user base grew as it offered one of the best entertainment options for people confined in their homes. There has been a substantial increase in the number of downloads of various applications, as well as the amount of time spent in playing online games. Furthermore, as a result of COVID-19, the market has seen an upsurge in the number of smaller services venturing into cloud gaming, especially in the mature markets. While these services are on a smaller scale, they increase the number of consumers who have access to cloud gaming.
For instance, ATechnos’ GoGames.Run, a premium cloud gaming as a service platform, has over 500 games under categories such as board, casual, action, arcade, sports, and mystery, including amplified and VR games with more-realistic and intense action, for users of all ages. Therefore, even in post-COVID-19 times, the market is growing with a rapid pace.
The smartphones category is the highest revenue generator in the market, accounting for approximately 40% revenue share in 2024. This category will also witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period, of 43.1%.
This is attributed to the steady surge in mobile gaming activities in the last five years because of its cost-effectiveness. Moreover, it is preferred as it is way expensive to continuously upgrade PCs and consoles to uphold the game performance.
Furthermore, the surge in the demand for mobile games is a direct result of the numerous technological advancements in cloud gaming, such as the introduction of AR, VR, and 5G. The launch of 5G networks and the emergence of unlimited data plans are the prime factors assisting the success of cloud gaming across the globe, as maximum gamers today prefer playing games on their mobile devices, rather than PCs or tablets.
The report offers analysis for the following devices:
In 2024, the video streaming category dominates the market with a share of 70%, and it is also the faster-growing category, with a CAGR of 43.2%. Video streaming is becoming popular as it helps in eliminating the need for additional hardware devices. Furthermore, video streaming services enable users to access and play games from any platform and from any location, via the internet, with reduced latency. Vendors have increased their focus on developing platforms that provide a better gaming experience, thereby driving the cloud gaming market on a global level. Furthermore, many key players, such as Shadow, GeForce Now, LiquidSky, and Vortex, are supporting video streaming games.
Concurrent with the cloud industry, the market is characterized by high investments by key industry stakeholders. For instance, in March 2021, Tencent and Sony, along with Square Enix, invested in Ubitus to enhance its cloud gaming technology.
The following service types are included in the report:
Casual gamers hold the largest share in the market, in 2024. This is attributed to the increasing number of people playing games as a way to pass time, relax, and pursue their hobby. Additionally, the available of a horde of freemium games, which are essentially free to play but require payments to acquire boosts, leads to the dominance of this category.
The avid gamers category will have the highest CAGR, over this decade. Gaming is more than a hobby for these people, who are also more likely to play premium games and make in-app purchases. Further, the availability of subscriptions to vast games libraries attracts the attention of these players. Moreover, these games often boast social features and multiplayer sessions, thus further making them popular among avid gamers.
We have studied the following end users:
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The below-mentioned countries and regions are covered in the report:
The global cloud gaming market is fragmented as it has several players, who are launching new products, acquiring similar companies, and entering into partnerships, in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Since developing video games does not require a major hardware setup, regional IT vendors face low market entry barriers. Moreover, these games are not subject to many compliance regulations, except for data security, which are still emerging and yet to be standardized in the developing world. Additionally, the vast array of games available for different kinds of people allows companies to easily enter the market. The cloud-based nature of the market further reduces operational costs for vendors, who are not required to maintain an expansive IT infrastructure to host the data.
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