Study shows more than half of adults have spent money on free games

MORE people are gamers than you might think, and a new study shows that free-to-play games aren’t free for most people.

While gaming is still seen as a niche hobby by many, a new report shows that 62% of Americans over 18 play video games.

The 2024 State of Gaming report by Comscore, shows that Millennials are the most likely to play video games, with 49% of gamers falling into this age range.

Some of the more interesting parts of the study show the rise in the popularity of free-to-play games.

Free-to-play and live service games currently dominate the industry, as more companies try their hands at the lucrative business model.

However, many of these games fail, as only a few games like Fortnite, Roblox and Call of Duty account for the majority of these players.

While the games themselves cost nothing to download and play, they make money by offering in-game microtransactions for things like battle passes and character skins.

We already knew that these microtransactions were lucrative for companies, but it’s shocking just how many people spend money on them.

It was often believed that the majority of profit was made from a few ‘whales’, a small number of people who spend a large amount on these games.

However, the report shows that 82% of gamers spent money on in-game microtransactions in 2023, meaning that over half of adults overall spent money on free-to-play games.

The survey suggests that free-to-play games are not actually free for the vast majority of people who play them.
If you want to read more about free-to-play games, check out how you can play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for free.