A new report by gaming website IGN Entertainment, developed alongside market research company Kantar and The University of California, Berkeley, has revealed significant trends in the modern games industry, as shaped by the habits of the average entertainment consumer in the US, UK and Australia.
Notably, one of the biggest surprises of this report is that 62% of respondents say they no longer purchase full-priced video games, raising questions about when players commit to games.
The report also noted changes to how gamers discover new titles, how they engage with these games and share them, as well as the platforms they engage with.
Gaming trends in 2026 – quick links
A picture of ‘high-consumption’ audiences
This is the first time the Generations in Play study has been published, although it has a lineage as an internal data tool for IGN, with research previously used for international tracking and client reports.
The research aims to qualify the needs and desires of engaged entertainment audiences, with strict criteria to ensure accuracy of data. Per the report’s authors, the aim is to ‘move past simple demographics to explore how different generations discover and engage with entertainment today’.
All 5500 respondents were required to meet ‘high-consumption criteria’, namely gaming, streaming content, watching YouTube or browsing social media for at least 10 hours a week, and spending at least four hours watching movies.
While this means the report does not represent the average consumer, it does provide insight into highly-engaged audiences – those more likely to watch films, play games or otherwise enjoy screen-based media in all formats.
Commitment issues
The key finding of the 2026 Generations in Play report is that the majority of engaged audiences no longer purchase full-priced games, with this trend reflected across generations. Modern economic circumstances likely also play into this, but it still reflects important shifts in spending habits.
Gen Z was the most likely to buy full-priced games on launch, with 42% of respondents, while only 38% of Millennials and just 20% of Gen X respondents said they would buy a game at full price.
According to the study: ‘The question is no longer “Will they buy?” It‘s “When will they commit?”‘
Whether gamers are making decisions due to perceived value, or needing to cut down during a cost of living crisis, the trend presents a unique challenge to the games industry, which is increasingly relying on early spending figures to chart a stable future.
These statistics raise plenty of questions about the best release strategies for multiplayer experiences in particular, which are seemingly getting ever shorter windows to make an impact before development is halted. Lately, some new titles have been assessed on the basis of the first two weeks alone.
How gamers find new titles is also changing
IGN’s Generations of Play study also revealed that the way players discover new games is changing, with ‘algorithmic assistance’ now helping digital discovery.
Players are more likely to be ‘served’ new games, rather than actively seeking them – although Gen X was noted as being relatively distrustful of AI algorithms, with 38% saying they were less likely to use AI for discovery, and 44% less likely to trust AI summaries over human recommendations.
Gen X reportedly still prioritised Google Search in their quest to discover new games, while Millennials were more likely to use YouTube and Gen Z were more likely to lean on social media.
What gamers want out of their gaming experiences is also shifting, with the study revealing generational disparities in how players engage with games.
‘[Gen X] come from a point of view of midnight opening, full-price games, console base … [They] want to get everything they possibly can, get as much juice out of that lemon as possible,’ Karl Stewart, SVP of IGNE Global Marketing told the Brands in Play podcast (via GamesIndustry.biz) about the report findings.
‘Whereas you look at Gen Z, who live in a world of platforms … Games don’t end, but social and community becomes a massive part of their DNA. So they want to be a part of a community where they’re able to say, “I’m the most informed. I know most about this game.”‘
What’s most clear in Generations of Play is that the ways people engage with gaming, and the ways they discover and play new titles, is shifting dramatically. While humans remain at the heart of recommendations, the method of sharing those recommendations is changing between generations.
That many players are no longer paying full price for games is also very intriguing, perhaps revealing more about buying habits in an era where wallets are tighter than ever, but also suggesting that players are no longer compelled to jump into a game on launch.
Per IGN, it’s important for gaming companies to recognise these evolving trends, as they’re now ‘more critical for capturing attention than traditional demographic targeting.’
