Shanghai (TDI): The first half of 2025 has turned out to be a remarkably strong period for China’s gaming industry as new figures show the sector brought in over 168 billion yuan (roughly $23.5 billion), marking a noticeable 14% rise compared to last year’s same stretch.
The data was made public during the ongoing China International Digital Entertainment Conference, where developers, analysts, and investors are gathered in Shanghai to take stock of the country’s booming digital entertainment scene.
In just six months, the number of people playing video games in China reached nearly 679 million, illustrating the industry’s deep penetration into everyday life.
What’s equally significant is how Chinese-made games are performing abroad. In overseas markets, they generated more than $9.5 billion between January and June, a boost of over 11 percent.
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The United States, unsurprisingly, ranked as the top destination, contributing almost one-third of those earnings. Close followers included Japan and South Korea.
A report issued by the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association described this performance as part of a broader trend, with Chinese content increasingly resonating beyond its borders.
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For context, the previous year saw China’s domestic gaming revenues exceed 325 billion yuan, keeping it firmly positioned as the largest gaming market worldwide.
The Shanghai conference is expected to host multiple panels in the coming days on subjects ranging from cloud-based gaming to the role of artificial intelligence in storytelling.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
