(BPT) - Did you know that more people over the age of 50 play video games in the U.S. than people who are under age 18? This is just one of the many surprising facts uncovered in the 2025 Essential Facts About the U.S. Game Industry Report from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). These findings from the annual study turn popular belief on its head, revealing that video games are a highly popular form of entertainment for players of just about any age, including people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.
More older adults are joining in on the fun
Of the over 205 million regular video game players in the U.S., more of today's players are 50 years or older than ever before. This shows a remarkable increase from 1999, when only 9% of video game players were aged 50 or older.
Here's the age breakdown for video game players today, according to the ESA report:
- Aged 50 and older: 29%
- 35-49: 20%
- 18-34: 28%
- Under age 18: 23%
Even more surprising, the report learned that more than half of Generation X (ages 45-60) and nearly half (49%) of Baby Boomers (ages 61-79) play video games every week.
What benefits do older Americans experience from playing video games?
Older players, including people from the Baby Boomer and even the "Silent Generation," have been discovering the many benefits of playing video games, beyond just relaxing and having fun like their younger counterparts.
For people aged 50 and up, some of the additional benefits derived from playing video games include mental stimulation, improved cognitive skills and new opportunities to connect with others socially. In fact, 57% players aged 65 and older agreed that video games can introduce people to new friends or relationships, whether in person or online.
Some of the top benefits that older players identified from their experiences playing video games include:
- Mental stimulation
- Joy through play
- Improved cognitive skills
- Stress relief
Multiple academic studies over the years have been backing up these findings from the ESA report, even revealing that video game play can offer lasting, significant relief for older players as a treatment for some of the effects of aging. For example, a recent study concluded that playing video games frequently over time enhanced the cognitive performance and problem solving skills in older people who have mild cognitive impairment. A study from the Brain Sciences Journal also found that training older people with video games improved their cognitive function, quality of sleep and psychiatric symptoms.
For people of all ages, enjoyment is a prime benefit when it comes to video game play. A naturalistic study drawn from observations of over 11,000 players across 29 different countries concluded that video game players experienced positive mood changes. In other words: "People feel good playing games."
Learn more about who enjoys playing video games today, what types of games they like to play and why, at TheESA.com/facts. You can also download the full ESA report here.