The video game industry is much bigger than the box office

The hype for GTA 6 underscores just how colossal the video game industry is

7/17/24 9:11AM

The trailer for a video game just hit 200 million views on YouTube.

The 90-second clip of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) — packed with footage from the long-awaited next installment of the iconic game franchise — broke the milestone some 7 months after it was released, as fans continue to scrutinize the teaser for clues about the game that won’t be released until fall 2025.

For context, the most popular trailer for last summer’s blockbuster hit Barbie has 85 million views on YouTube, while Oppenheimer racked up 71 million views.

The excitement surrounding GTA 6 is a good reminder of just how colossal the gaming industry is. Indeed, the Entertainment Software Association and Circana reported that last year US consumers spent more than $57 billion on video games… roughly equivalent to the total US box office revenue for the last seven years combined.

Video games vs. box office — Sherwood News

Indeed, for every dollar spent at US cinemas last year, the video game industry raked in over $6.

GTA 5, which has sold more than 200 million units, stands as one of the best-selling video games of all time. Released by Rockstar Games nearly 11 years ago, the game’s long-standing appeal has become legendary. The rise of video game streaming and gaming personalities has helped keep GTA 5 alive, with the title currently ranked as the most-watched game title on streaming platform Twitch in the last 7 days, per TwitchTracker.

Millie Giles

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Nintendo’s Switch 2 is outrunning the original’s US sales pace by 68%

Unlike its current-generation console rivals, Nintendo’s Switch 2 still hasn’t seen a tariff price hike in the US. Even if it had, though, it would probably still be selling like crazy.

According to new Circana data on October video game industry sales, Nintendo’s new handheld sold 328,000 units in the US last month. Its current pace, per Circana Senior Director Mat Piscatella, is 68% ahead of the original Switch — which is a lock for Nintendo’s bestselling console ever — and even beating the record sales pace of Sony’s PlayStation 4 by 3%.

Hardware - Video game hardware spending in October grew 36% when compared a year ago, to $351M. Switch 2 was again able to offset declines across Switch (-52% versus a year ago), Xbox Series (-37%) and PlayStation 5 (-22%).
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) November 20, 2025 at 9:02 AM

Per Piscatella, US hardware (console) sales jumped 36% from last year to more than $350 million, despite double-digit falls from the original Switch, the PS5, and Microsoft’s Xbox.

Last month, Nintendo boosted its annual production target to 25 million units by the end of March 2026, Bloomberg reported.

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