Who Spends the Most on Gaming and Plays the Longest? Japan Tops with $776 Per User, While Americans Lead with Over 9 Hours Weekly

After years of impressive growth, the gaming industry hit a new milestone in 2025, with revenues surging over half a trillion dollars for the first time. More than 70% of that value comes from only six countries, China, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Germany, the world's largest gaming markets. However, there are significant differences between these gaming nations, both in the amount of money they spend on video games and their playtime.

According to data presented by Skinsluck.com, the Japanese are the world's biggest gaming spenders with an average of $776 per user annually, nearly three times the global average. Still, they fall far behind Americans in total gaming time, who spend over nine hours weekly, which is two hours more than the global average.  Here is how other major gaming markets compare to these figures.

Japanese Spend Slightly More Than Americans and South Koreans, but 3x More Than the Chinese and Twice as Much as the Britons

Since 2017, the global gaming industry has added more than one billion users, reaching a total of 2.6 billion in 2025. This massive user base spends hundreds of billions of dollars on gaming across mobile, console, and PC platforms. According to the latest Data Reportal survey, the average game spending per user hit $263 this year, but that's the global average, with huge differences even between the largest markets.

While many would assume that the United States or China, the world's largest gaming nations, lead in annual spending, that title actually goes to Japan, the third-largest gaming market. According to Data Reportal, Japanese players spend an average of $776 per year on video games, nearly three times the global average. That is slightly more than Americans, who pay $719, and South Koreans, who follow closely with $760 per user. However, Japanese game spending becomes even more impressive when compared to Europe or China. With $776 per user annually, Japanese gamers spend three times more than Chinese gamers ($256) and twice as much as British gamers ($430). Germany, the world's sixth-largest gaming market, is much closer to the global average, with $323 per user.

Here are a few more interesting facts. Swiss and New Zealanders both outspend Britons, with $544 and $453 per user, respectively. Meanwhile, Serbians and Spaniards top China, spending $272 each, highlighting just how uneven the global gaming landscape really is.

Americans Top Weekly Playtime with Over 9 Hours, 2 Hours Above the Global Average, and Twice as Much as the Japanese

And while the Japanese spend the most on video games, in terms of total playtime, no country matches the United States. The global weekly average for time spent on gaming in 2025 is just under seven hours, but Americans are far above that figure. The Data Reportal showed that U.S. gamers now spend 9 hours and 9 minutes weekly on mobile, console, and PC games combined, equivalent to nearly 40 hours a month and almost 20 full days a year.  Moreover, that is 2 hours more than the global average and twice as much as the Japanese, the biggest spenders in the gaming industry.

All other major gaming markets are also far behind the U.S. in weekly playtime. The United Kingdom and Germany are close to the global average, with six and a half hours and seven hours per week, respectively.  China and South Korea are closer to 5 hours, while Japan, despite its high spending, is at the back of the list among major markets with roughly four hours.