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US adults will spend 10.6% of their mobile time playing games this year, per our forecast. But we expect just 3.9% of US mobile ad spend will go to the category in 2023.

On April 9, Former Meta policy executive Sarah Wynn-Williams told a US Senate subcommittee that the tech company actively targeted teens based on their emotional state. 23% of 13-24-year-olds spend their screen time gaming, followed by 21% who spend it with online video, according to a January 2025 HubResearch Report.

The average US adult spends just over an hour playing video games per day, according to our estimates. Such a sizable share of attention offers a prime opportunity for brands to advertise in games—especially since traditional barriers to brand advertising have been lowered. Big changes have opened opportunities for brands across platforms.

Gaming offers a long runway of opportunity for advertisers. In 2025, US digital gamers will spend nearly as much time playing as social network users spend on social platforms each day (1 hour, 48 minutes versus 1 hour, 51 minutes, respectively). But at $8.76 billion, US gaming ad revenues will account for just a fraction of the $102.66 billion that social networks garner in ad spending.

Nearly half (49%) of online gamers are millennials, putting the generation ahead of all others, according to July 2024 data from Comscore.

Digital gaming is popular across generations. But Gen Zers and millennials are more likely to game on multiple platforms, seek community around the hobby, and pass the habit on to their children.

Xbox didn’t necessarily need these newfound profits to compete in the gaming industry, but being free from Google’s revenue cuts on in-app purchases could enable smaller game developers to thrive.

AppLovin beat Q1 expectations and exited gaming: The company is now all-in on adtech, led by AXON’s rapid growth.

Gen Zers and millennials have normalized gaming into adulthood, but smartphones have opened the door for older generations.

Gaming opportunities for advertisers flourishing: IAB PlayFronts unveiled insights into how marketers can meet gamers where they’re at.

AppLovin is setting its sights on ecommerce: Executives plan to attract spenders and grow revenues with a slew of ad product launches.