Video games spending by young Americans is dropping sharply, report suggests

Video games spending by young Americans is dropping sharply, report suggests | GamesIndustry.biz

The average weekly spending by 18-24 year-old Americans on video games has dropped sharply year-over-year, according to…

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TL;DR

New data from Circana (via the Wall Street Journal) shows 18- to 24-year-olds in the US are slashing their weekly video game spending by nearly 25% year-over-year, compared with a more modest 13% drop in their overall retail outlay (Jan–Apr 2025). Other age groups are still spending more on games, just not quite as fast as before, highlighting how student loans, shaky job prospects and credit-card debt are pinching Gen Z wallets.

Meanwhile, rising console and game prices aren’t helping: Xbox’s Series X/S line now starts at $600 and first-party titles are creeping up to $80 (Outer Worlds 2, anyone?), while Nintendo’s Switch 2 launch games clock in at $80 and $70. Younger gamers are feeling the squeeze harder than most.