CivicScience has the world’s largest proprietary database of real-time declared intent, allowing brands to activate high-performing advertising that drives up to 80% better performance. See how CivicScience partners achieve superior marketing outcomes here.
From quick mobile puzzles to sprawling open worlds, there’s a video game for nearly every interest, and more Americans are making gaming part of their daily lives. New consumer-declared data from CivicScience show more than one-quarter of U.S. adults (26%) game daily, up from 16% in 2022. Even more notably, the share of Americans who ‘never’ play has fallen from 54% in 2022 to a yearly average of 36% so far in 2026.
Daily gaming habits by age reveal a few shifts. Adults under 45, unsurprisingly, set the pace, though daily gaming has dipped slightly among Gen Z adults (18-29) since last year. Millennials (30-44) now narrowly lead Gen Z as the most frequent gamers, and the share of Gen Xers (45-64) who game daily has doubled since 2022 (from 13% to 26%).
Gaming Means More to Americans Than Something to Beat
Former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin surprised football fans by revealing a Minecraft city he’s spent 12 years building, a hobby he describes as therapeutic. He’s far from alone in feeling that way about gaming. When CivicScience asked gamers about their primary reason for playing video games, half cited reasons tied to mental well-being: 37% said they game ‘to relax and de-stress,’ and 13% said they see it as a form of escape. Another 14% said gaming offers a sense of community and a way to connect with others. More than 1-in-5 gamers (22%) cited the entertainment and immersive environment games provide, while other gameplay-related reasons, such as ‘for competition and challenge’ (10%) and ‘because I’m good at them’ (3%), were far less common.
Why GTA VI Is a Key Opportunity for Sony and Advertisers
This momentum is setting the stage for one of the gaming world’s most anticipated games in years, Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI), slated for a November release. According to the latest CivicScience data, 13% of U.S. adults say they are ‘very’ likely to buy GTA VI, and 6% say they’ve already pre-ordered it. Its predecessor, GTA V, has now sold over 230 million copies worldwide since its 2013 launch.
GTA VI’s release could also extend the time Americans spend on their consoles beyond gaming. With Live TV on PS5, Sony is adding more than 100 free, ad-supported channels directly to the PlayStation, giving players more reason to stay on the device between gaming sessions. CivicScience data show that many console owners already use their consoles for more than gaming: 23% say they ‘always’ watch TV shows, movies, or other video content on their consoles after playing a game. That share more than doubles to 48% among console owners who are ‘very’ likely to buy GTA VI, with only 6% of these likely buyers saying they ‘never’ do.
Additional consumer-declared data highlight an opportunity for advertisers to reach this plugged-in audience as GTA VI’s release approaches. Likely GTA VI buyers and those who frequently watch video content on their consoles after gaming aren’t shy about spending right now, and they’re more likely than U.S. adults overall to travel for leisure three or more times a year. These audiences also show far stronger recall of online advertising and a greater tendency toward spontaneous online shopping, so a well-timed ad may be all it takes to spark a purchase.
As gaming settles further into Americans’ daily routines, the console is competing with the TV remote and the smartphone for consumers’ downtime. For brands, GTA VI’s launch offers a timely opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience that’s spending freely, at the moment its attention is already locked in.
