Gaming sector posts solid growth in first half of year

China's gaming market generated 188.45 billion yuan ($28 billion) in actual sales revenue in the first half of 2026, up 12.17 percent year-on-year, as the number of users expanded to 684 million during the same period, according to a recent report.

The China Game Industry Report for the first half of the year was presented at the 2026 China Digital Entertainment Congress held in Shanghai on July 30. The event was part of the 23rd China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, also known as ChinaJoy, which concluded on Monday. The report was released by the Game Publishing Committee and the Expert Committee on Game Industry Research of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association.

From January to June, Chinese self-developed games earned 163.36 billion yuan in the domestic market, up 16.3 percent year-on-year. In the overseas market, the revenue generated from these games exceeded $12.37 billion, up 30.22 percent year-on-year.

The United States, Japan and South Korea remained the top three markets abroad, respectively accounting for 32.31 percent, 14.05 percent and 7.48 percent of overseas revenue.

Mobile games dominated the domestic market with revenue share of more than 70 percent, earning 135.21 billion yuan, up almost 8 percent year-on-year. Computer games earned around 45.29 billion yuan, up 27.92 percent year-on-year.

Esports games generated 89.62 billion yuan, up 11.1 percent year-on-year, and mini-program mobile games surged over 36 percent compared with last year to generate 31.66 billion yuan.

The report also included the latest data on China's board game market for the first time. From January to June, sales revenue generated by the segment increased marginally to reach 3.87 billion yuan, up 4.03 percent year-on-year. Digital and physical board games respectively accounted for 51.6 percent and 48.4 percent of the total earnings.

Zhang Yijun, first vice-chairman of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, said the nation's favorable policies, continuously optimized gaming ecosystems, cultural integration, and application of innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have been spurring growth of the sector over the years.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has included the gaming sector in the national development framework for the first time.

Sun Shoushan, chairman of the association, said the move reflects a renewed recognition and repositioning of the gaming sector's functional value at the national level. It signifies that the industry is accelerating its transformation into a sector that integrates cultural communication, technological innovation and the digital economy, he added.

The four-day ChinaJoy expo and conference attracted more than 900 companies from 35 countries and regions. AI was the highlight of the expo, with a new "Vision Future" zone that showcased cutting-edge technologies, including humanoid robots, smart wearable devices, spatial computing, and integrated AI hardware and software applications.

wangxin2@chinadaily.com.cn