E-Sports Market Report 2025

The e-sports market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $2.73 billion in 2024 to $3.25 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.4%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increased awareness about esports, increase in livestreaming of games, and increase in international prize pool for esports.

The e-sports market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $7.03 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increased diversity of game genres, increase in viewership, emergence of esports cafes, increase in internet accessible devices, rising sponsorships, increase in mobile gaming, and increasing awareness. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing shift towards esports due to COVID-19, evolution of esports with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies, increasing M&A activities, proliferation of investments, new esports platforms.

The growing demand for video games and heightened awareness of E-sports are driving the expansion of the E-sports market. As technology advances, the availability of video content, virtual reality products, and video game competitions is increasing. Video gaming has evolved into a significant aspect of pop culture, reshaping how young people engage with entertainment. For instance, in April 2024, the UK Interactive Entertainment, a UK-based trade association, reported that the UK video games consumer market was valued at $10.15 billion (£7.82 billion) in 2023, representing a 4.4% increase from the revised total of $9.72 billion (£7.49 billion) in 2022. Therefore, the rising demand for video games and increased awareness of E-sports are propelling the market's growth during the forecast period.

The rising penetration of the internet is anticipated to foster growth in the E-sports market. Internet penetration refers to the extent to which the internet is accessible and utilized by a specific population, region, or demographic group. The internet has not only enabled the playing and viewing of E-sports but has also been instrumental in creating a connected and engaged community around competitive gaming. For instance, in October 2023, a report by the International Telecommunication Union, a Switzerland-based specialized agency, indicated that approximately 67 percent of the global population, or 5.4 billion people, are now online. This represents a 4.7 percent increase since 2022, compared to the 3.5 percent growth recorded between 2021 and 2022. Thus, the increasing penetration of the internet is driving the growth of the E-sports market.

E-sports enterprises are making strategic investments in cutting-edge platforms to not only increase their revenue and expand their consumer base but also to gain a competitive advantage over their industry counterparts. A case in point is the collaboration between Digital Virgo, a mobile payment specialist based in France, and Etisalat Misr, an Egyptian Telecom company, in 2022. Together, they launched a comprehensive E-sports platform in Egypt, delivering high-quality educational and entertaining content.

Prominent companies in the e-sports market are directing their efforts towards the development of innovative platforms, such as the introduction of the first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) platform for esports, to solidify their market position. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent unique digital assets that validate ownership or authenticity using blockchain technology for specific items or content. As an illustration, Loco, an Indian-based live-streaming application, unveiled an NFT platform for esports in June 2022. The inaugural asset on Loco Legends is NFT esports cards, blending NFTs with free-to-play esports fantasy gaming. Users have the opportunity to acquire NFT trading cards, enabling them to buy, sell, and participate in free-to-play fantasy pools.

In 2022, Savvy Gaming Group, an Esports investment company headquartered in Saudi Arabia, made a significant acquisition by purchasing ESL, a German-based Esports organizer and production company, and FACEIT, a UK-based Esports platform, for $1.5 Billion. This strategic move allows Savvy Gaming Group to integrate ESL's expertise in crafting, broadcasting, and commercializing premium Esports ecosystems, including arena events and festival shows, with FACEIT's proficiency in developing top-tier tools for competitive gaming.

Major companies operating in the e-sports market include Activision Blizzard Inc., Modern Times Group MTG AB, Tencent, Valve Corporation, Nintendo, Team SoloMid (TSM), Cloud9, Take-Two Interactive, Riot Games Inc., Nazara Technology, Jetsynthesys, Nodwin Group, Gaming Monk, Neon Gaming Studio, Viacom 18, Sony, Xbox, BenQ, Electronic Arts, Red Entertainment‎, Sega, OLM, Inc., Gainax, Hamster Corporation, Aristocrat Leisure, Huya, Chushou TV, Panda TV, Wangyuhudong, Aipai, Mars TV, ImbaTV, EDG, FEG, Dexerto, Gameloft, Sky Betting & Gaming, SteelSeries, Team Vitality, Fnatic, Astralis, G2 Esports, Imprezart, Playkey, Mundfish, Winstrike, RAWG, Fibrum, DreamTeam, Respeecher, Ejaw Studio, Hypereight, Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, 100 Thieves, Luminosity Gaming, Enthusiast Gaming, Fandom Sports, Infinity Esports, Xten Esports, Isurus Gaming, PaiN Gaming, Infamous, Immortals Gaming Club (IGC), Webedia Arabia Group, Boss Bunny Games, YaLLa Esports, NASR Esports, NODWIN Gaming, Ekasi Esports, Mettlestate, Clan Connection, The Digital Gaming League, MWEB GameZone, Online Arena, Zombiegamer.

North America was the largest region in the e-sports market in 2024. South America is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the e-sports market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the e-sports market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Italy, Canada, Spain.

E-sports, or electronic sports, denote a genre of electronic games where competitors engage in multiplayer video game competitions that simulate real or imagined sports.

The primary categories of games in e-sports encompass multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA), real-time strategy, first-person shooter, fighting, and sports. In the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) subgenre, two teams of players compete on a pre-determined battlefield. Each player controls a singular character with a set of unique abilities that progress throughout the game, contributing to the overall strategy of the team. These games are accessible on various platforms such as PC, console, mobile, and others. The revenue sources for e-sports include sponsorship, advertising, merchandise and tickets, publisher fees, and media rights.

The e-sports market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides E-sports market statistics, including E-sports industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an E-sports market share, detailed E-sports market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the E-sports industry. This E-sports market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The E-sports market includes revenues earned by entities operating E-sports facilities. E-sports or electronic sports are team-based sports played online and are supported by electronic systems in which all the functions are performed through a human-computer interface. E-sports are played by professional gamers that are sponsored by business organizations, or sporting organizations. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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