According to the latest South-East Asia Game Market Model, published by the market research firm Niko Partners, the South-East Asia (SEA) Game Market is projected to grow steadily to nearly $6.5 billion by 2029, at a time when the global game industry is facing macroeconomic uncertainties.
The report indicates that the region ‘ s game revenues will reach $5.37 billion in 2024, an increase of 5.2 per cent over the same period. Income is projected to grow by 1.8 to $5.47 billion in 2025, reaching $6.47 billion in 2029 — an increase of over $1 billion over five years. By the end of 2024, there were approximately 285.82 million game players in the region, which is expected to increase to 290 million by 2025 and to reach 324.4 million by 2029. Average annual income per user (ARPU) increased by 2 per cent to $18.80 per year in 2024 and is expected to increase to $19.96 by 2029.
A recent survey of game players in the six major SEA markets conducted by Niko Partners shows significant changes in behaviour. The average weekly playtime decreased from 21.8 hours to 15 hours per year. The average weekly play time has dropped significantly from 21.8 hours in the previous year to 15 hours, which may be related to work-life balance, increased competitive entertainment (e.g. short video) and economic uncertainty. In addition, the proportion of non-payment players (no purchase by free game users) increased by 10-20 percentage points in each country. Nine per cent of paid players used a third-party platform for in-playing; 87 per cent preferred local content and native languages, with Viet Nam (93.4 per cent) and Thailand (91.5 per cent).
In a broader context, the SEA region is part of the larger Asia and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) game ecology, which generated $86.6 billion in income in 2024 and is expected to reach $96 billion by 2029, a compound annual growth rate of 2.1 per cent. Thailand is the largest and fastest-growing market for SEEA, with revenues projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2029.