Hyper enthusiast, price-insensitive players are really keeping things going, especially in the non f2p gaming space.According to Circana's Q3 2025 Future of Games, only 4% of US video game players buy a new game more often than once per month, with a third of players not buying any games at all.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2025-10-02T16:54:18.096Z
More than 60% of US game players only buy two games or fewer per year, survey finds
Only 4% buy more than one game a month, Circana’s data says
The majority of video game players in the United States only buy one or two games a year, a survey has found.
Market research company Circana’s senior director Mat Piscatella shared data from its Q3 2025 Future of Video Games survey, specifically its data on purchasing frequency among players in the US.
According to the data, 18% of players in the US buy a new video game about once every six months, while 12% buy one about once a year.
The survey also found that 33% of players buy a new game less often than once per year, meaning a combined 63% of players buy two games or fewer every year.
On the other end the scale, 22% of players buy a new game around once every three months, with 10% saying they buy one roughly every month. Just 4% said they buy more than one game a month.
Commenting on the findings, Piscatella suggested that those 14% of players who buy one game or more per month are mainly responsible for the continued trajectory of full price games.
“Hyper enthusiast, price-insensitive players are really keeping things going, especially in the non free-to-play gaming space,” he noted.
Piscatella also pointed out that if these numbers seem unusual, it’s likely because anyone who follows him already falls into that 14% bracket of players who buy a game or more per month, and therefore may not be aware of the bigger picture.
“Before replying, know that even seeing this post likely puts you into that hyper enthusiast bucket, so the actions of you and your immediate cohort likely do not match those of the general gaming audience,” he explained.
In a separate post related to his point on “hyper enthusiast, price-insensitive players”, Piscatella suggested that the reason game prices are rising and Deluxe Editions are becoming more commonplace is because that 14% of players are less likely to worry about the cost of games, meaning most pricing is focused on them.
“Been talking about this trend for years when it comes to games spending,” he wrote. “Why are there premium gamepads, $149 collector’s editions, Pro consoles and general rising prices? Because the price-insensitive, affluent players are the ones doing more of the spending as everyone else shifts more to free-to-play.”
Another report published by Comscore last year found that 82% of American video game players had made an in-game purchase in the past 12 months, highlighting that while some players may not necessarily be buying a lot of games, they’re still putting money into the industry, albeit through in-game purchases in free-to-play titles.
