Newzoo: GTA 6 to Help Push Games Market to 213,9 Billion Dollars
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Analytics firm Newzoo has published a forecast: the global games market will reach 213,9 billion dollars in 2026, and the November launch of GTA 6 is named as one of the key drivers of growth in the console segment. According to Newzoo, the Rockstar game will lift full-game sales by 17,5 percent — described as the strongest growth of any business model tracked in the firm’s annual industry report.
It is worth separating two layers of this story right away. The first is a macroeconomic estimate of the entire games market, made by an analytics firm before the year has ended. The second is the role of one specific game within that estimate.
The market forecast: 213,9 billion dollars
According to Newzoo’s forecast, the global games market will reach 213,9 billion dollars in 2026. That is 6,1 percent above the 2025 figure, which analysts estimate at 201 billion dollars.
Newzoo is one of the most widely cited research firms covering the games industry: its annual market estimates are regularly used by publishers, investors, and industry journalists as a reference point, though it remains a forecast rather than a final report.
GTA 6’s role in the forecast
The central point of this forecast for readers following GTA 6 is not the overall market figure itself, but the role assigned to Rockstar’s game within it.
According to Newzoo, the November launch of GTA 6 will lift full-game sales — games bought outright, rather than through microtransactions or subscriptions — by 17,5 percent. Analysts explicitly described this as the strongest growth of any business model in the report.
We previously covered how Take-Two itself discusses expectations for the game’s launch in its own quarterly filings, in our report on the publisher’s first-quarter fiscal year 2027 earnings.
Market segments: console, mobile, PC
Newzoo also breaks down its 2026 forecast by platform.
Analysts estimate the console segment at 46,9 billion dollars — 22 percent of the total market — growing by 5,1 percent. Newzoo attributes this acceleration to three factors at once: multi-game subscriptions on consoles, higher prices for games and services, and, as a separate point, the November launch of GTA 6.
The largest segment of the market, according to the forecast, remains mobile — 121,1 billion dollars, or 57 percent of the entire games market, growing by 6,8 percent. Analysts estimate the PC segment at 45,9 billion dollars — 21 percent of the market, growing by 5,3 percent.
What Take-Two itself has said
Newzoo’s forecast is an outside analyst’s view of the whole market. Separately, Take-Two has already publicly commented on demand for its own game: the publisher has described prior demand for GTA 6 as “staggering and unprecedented.”
It is important not to conflate these two statements. Newzoo does not give a separate projected sales figure for GTA 6’s first week or any other period: its analysts estimate the market and its segments as a whole, not sales numbers for one individual title.
We previously covered how stock market analysts view the company’s prospects in our report on Piper Sandler and Wells Fargo raising Take-Two’s stock price targets — another set of independent estimates that also explicitly references expectations tied to the game’s launch.
We have also previously covered how the GTA 6 launch is expected to affect the economy according to other analysts — see our report on GTA 6’s economic impact on the United States.
A forecast, not a final result
Newzoo’s forecast was published before 2026 has ended — worth keeping in mind while reading any of the figures above. The actual outcome will only be known once 2026 is over and Newzoo, along with other analytics firms, publishes retrospective data.
In brief
Newzoo forecasts the global games market at 213,9 billion dollars in 2026 — up 6,1 percent from 201 billion dollars in 2025. The November launch of GTA 6, according to analysts, is expected to lift full-game sales by 17,5 percent. The console segment is estimated at 46,9 billion dollars (22 percent of the market, plus 5,1 percent), mobile remains the largest at 121,1 billion dollars (57 percent, plus 6,8 percent), and PC is estimated at 45,9 billion dollars (21 percent, plus 5,3 percent). This is a forecast from an analytics firm, not a year-end result and not a sales estimate for GTA 6 specifically.
Frequently asked questions
How big will the global games market be in 2026, according to Newzoo's forecast?
213,9 billion dollars — up 6,1 percent from 201 billion dollars in 2025. This is an estimate from analytics firm Newzoo, not a confirmed year-end result, since the year has not ended yet.
How is GTA 6 connected to this forecast?
Newzoo estimates that the November launch of GTA 6 will lift full-game sales by 17,5 percent — described as the strongest growth among all business models tracked in the analysts' report.
How much revenue does Newzoo estimate for the console segment in 2026?
46,9 billion dollars, or 22 percent of the total market, growing by 5,1 percent. Newzoo attributes this growth to multi-game subscriptions, higher game prices, and the launch of GTA 6.
Which games market segment is the largest according to Newzoo's forecast?
Mobile — 121,1 billion dollars, or 57 percent of the total market, growing by 6,8 percent. Analysts estimate the PC segment at 45,9 billion dollars, or 21 percent of the market.
Did Newzoo state a specific first-week sales figure for GTA 6?
No. The forecast covers the whole market and its segments, not a single game. Take-Two has previously described prior demand for GTA 6 as "staggering and unprecedented," but that is a separate statement from the publisher, not a figure from Newzoo's calculations.
Is this a forecast or already the final result for 2026?
It is a forecast. Newzoo published these figures before 2026 ended, and the actual outcome may differ from the estimate — the same way the 2026 estimate differs from the actual 2025 figure.