* Digital format sales include subscriptions, digital full games, digital add-on content, mobile apps and social network gaming. Figures for periods prior to 2018 come from previous reporting.
Citation formats
Digital and physical game sales in the U.S. 2009-2018, by format
In today’s increasingly digital world where information can be accessed in seconds, gamers do not want to waste a second before getting their hands on the latest releases. In 2018, a record ** percent of all computer and video games were sold in digital form, meaning that, once the game is downloaded, it is immediately ready to play. In contrast, only ** percent of video games were sold in physical form. This is a dramatic turnaround from less than a decade earlier, when ** percent of video games were sold as physical copies.
Digital gamers
The digital gaming industry is a continually growing market. The number of gamers playing downloaded games in the United States is expected to grow from *** million in 2017 to million in 2023, and similar growth is expected for mobile and online games. In the same timeframe, the revenue generated from downloaded games is due to increase from just under **** billion U.S. dollars to over *** billion U.S. dollars.
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Entertainment Software Association. (May 9, 2019). Distribution of computer and video game sales in the United States from 2009 to 2018, by delivery format [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from /statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/
Entertainment Software Association. "Distribution of computer and video game sales in the United States from 2009 to 2018, by delivery format." Chart. May 9, 2019. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 28, 2026. /statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/
Entertainment Software Association. (2019). Distribution of computer and video game sales in the United States from 2009 to 2018, by delivery format. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 28, 2026. /statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/
Entertainment Software Association. "Distribution of Computer and Video Game Sales in The United States from 2009 to 2018, by Delivery Format." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 9 May 2019, /statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/
Entertainment Software Association, Distribution of computer and video game sales in the United States from 2009 to 2018, by delivery format ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/ (last visited July 28, 2026)
Distribution of computer and video game sales in the United States from 2009 to 2018, by delivery format [Graph], Entertainment Software Association, May 9, 2019. [Online]. Available: /statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/