China’s gaming industry surged in the first half of 2025, posting its fastest growth in five years, fueled by hit mobile titles, rising e-sports revenues and the continued boom in mini-games, reports Caixin. According to an report released Thursday by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association at the ChinaJoy Digital Entertainment Conference in Shanghai, the domestic gaming market generated RMB 168 billion ($23 billion) in revenue from January to June, up 14.1% year-on-year. The country counted 679 million gamers, a modest 0.7% rise, marking the fourth straight year of user growth below 1%.
Industry leaders attributed the increase in revenue to a stronger-than-expected performance from new releases, stable earnings from long running “evergreen” titles, and the expansion of e-sports and mobile mini-games. Zhang Yijun, vice chairman of the association, also cited supportive government policies and rising cross-sector consumption as contributing factors.
Mobile games remained the industry’s primary growth engine, generating RMB 125.3 billion—up 16.6%—and accounting for 74.6% of total revenue. This marks the strongest half-year mobile growth in five years, after several periods of stagnation or decline.