Video Games Get Less Than 5% of Global Ad Spend Despite 3.4 Billion Players

Last Updated on 1 July, 2025

A new report from Dentsu, reveals a surprising gap between the size of the gaming audience and where ad money is going. Globally, about 3.4 billion people play video games, but less than 5% of all advertising budgets are spent in gaming environments.

Here’s what makes this so noteworthy:

• The gaming market is now bigger than both music and film combined, with annual revenues hitting around $196 billion in 2023.

• In the U.S., for example, only about 3.7% of digital ad spend—roughly $6.7 billion—is going to in-game ads.

• Despite this low allocation, in-game ads are powerful—they have nearly 100% viewability, and players often give them full attention while gaming.

Brent Koning, Executive Vice President and Global Gaming Lead at Dentsu, emphasizes that:

“There are too many opportunities for brands to ignore in gaming today.”

Dentsu’s report points out that gamers are no longer just teens—they span all age groups. Many are high-income earners, like parents or luxury buyers . More than half of luxury consumers say they play games on their phones.

Still, publishers are showing progress. For example, Unity reported a 26.7% increase in ad revenue per daily user, especially in casual mobile games.

What’s holding brands back? well, Many marketers grew up before gaming went mainstream, so they’re still cautious and unfamiliar. They worry about complexities like device diversity, gameplay formats, and measurement systems.

One thing is certain, the potential is massive and all brands worldwide should benefit from it.

You can read firm’s full report here.