A Brazil Game Survey (PGB) has just released its latest edition, featuring the 2025 survey on the behavior of digital game consumers. This year, PGB interviewed approximately 6,282 people in Brazil, across 26 states and the Federal District, between January and February. The study is developed by SX Group and Go Gamers in partnership with Blend New Research and ESPM. Among the new features for 2025, the survey introduces three major innovations in its approach:
- Generational segmentation: more precise parameters were implemented to understand the specific behaviors of Generation Z (people aged 15 to 29), Millennials (aged 30 to 44), and other generational segments, enabling deeper analysis of consumption, preferences, and gaming habits;
- Greater detail in consumer journey: the understanding of how games fit into players’ routines was expanded, generating more insights into the relationship between gamers and products, services, and experiences offered by the market.
- Refinement of the “Parents and Children” survey: PGB now provides more detailed information on children’s gaming consumption, ensuring a more accurate look at how children interact with the digital gaming universe and their purchasing habits;
With these advancements, PGB 2025 identified that 82.8% of Brazilians claim to consume digital games, 8.9 percentage points more than in 2024 and the highest number and increase ever recorded by the study.
For the first time, games of chance appeared in various responses during the survey period. “Online casinos and betting games, such as ‘Jogo do Tigrinho,’ made their presence felt by attracting an engaged audience willing to spend and motivated by financial, emotional, and social factors,” explains Guilherme Camargo, CEO of SX Group and coordinator of ESPM’s postgraduate program.
“But precisely because these games are solely focused on luck, and as many of them also appeal to the emotional and financial state of those who ‘play,’ here we sought to understand what truly motivates consumers who seek this type of entertainment and why they view games of chance similarly to digital games,” concludes Camargo.
Another factor, according to the survey, is directly related to computer gaming consumption and game subscription services. The increase in household income and the reduction in unemployment rates contributed to higher entertainment consumption, along with the fact that computer sales surged in 2024.
PGB also reveals that 88.8% of respondents consider digital games one of their main forms of entertainment, with 80.1% considering games the primary way to have fun.
Gamer profile
“This year, we were able to observe, in practice, how certain economic movements also shifted some indicators in PGB, especially regarding the profile of those who consume digital games,” says Carlos Silva, CEO of Go Gamers and creator of PGB. “With an improvement in players’ purchasing power, we noticed that games now occupy a larger space in Brazilians’ routines, driven by hardware, software, subscriptions, microtransactions, and investments, thus expanding the experience beyond just gaming.”
Changes in the demographic profile of gamers were noticeable:
- The number of women playing digital games saw a 2.3% increase compared to last year, reaching 53.2% of the consumer base for this type of entertainment;
- The majority of the gaming audience is Millennials(aged 30 to 44), representing 49.4% of the sample;
- A middle class represents the majority of players, with 44.4% concentrated in classes B2, C1, and C2. However, there was a 1.8% drop compared to the previous edition of PGB;
- Higher-income classes grew, with class A representing 17.1% of the sample (+1.2% compared to 2024), and B1 with 19.3% (7.7% more than last year);
- The classes D and E saw a significant increase of 12.8% in one year, reaching 20.3% of the sample;
- Currently, people who identify as white are the majority of digital game consumers (53.9%), while Black and mixed-race individuals represent 43.9%.
The preferred platform for consumers remains the smartphone, at 40.8%. However, this number saw an 8-percentage-point drop compared to the previous edition. At the same time, preference for console increased by 3 percentage points (reaching 24.7%), and computer by 5.5 points (reaching 20.3%). Breaking it down by gender, women remain the majority of game consumers for smartphone, representing 48.4% while men account for 32.2%. However, men remain the majority among those who consider themselves gamers, and they also show a preference for playing on computer (36.1%).
Games of chance and their impact on digital game consumption
The numbers are quite significant: 38.2% of respondents claim to play recreational games of chance, indicating a relevant presence of this segment in the gaming market. In terms of betting frequency, 39% play at least once a week, with 14.2% playing four times or more weekly. The vast majority (89.9%) invest money in these games, with 34.6% spending between R$51 and R$200 monthly; 8.6% of those who bet spend more than R$500 per month. The time dedicated to games of chance is also considerable: 70.2% of players dedicate up to 3 hours per week, while 19.5% play more than 3 hours weekly.
“Of course, given the very name of these games and the fact that they involve microtransactions, it’s natural that part of the audience also considers casino games as entertainment, and this is reflected in the PGB 2025 results,” explains Guilherme Camargo.
The motivational factor these games create in the audience was also highlighted. About 30.4% seek the thrill of winning, and 29% use the game as a form of relaxation. The biggest motivation, however, is always making more money (43.9% play for this reason), and 24.7% see betting in these games as “an investment to improve income.”
According to Carlos Silva, it’s not accurate to say games of chance are equivalent to digital games for entertainment. “The only reason these games exist is for people to invest money and hope to receive more than they spent, with an entertainment bias. Digital games aren’t just about money transactions—they involve much more in terms of narrative construction, characters, and other elements. Microtransactions are part of the experience, and the motivations behind betting in these games versus playing digital games are different.”
The relationship between parents and children with digital games
This year, the Brazil Game Survey refined its “Parents and Children” panel to understand how children and adolescents relate to and consume digital games. Through parents who participated in the study, it was found that the so-called Generation Alpha (aged 0 to 14) already differs in several aspects compared to previous generations, starting with platform usage: 38.3% of them opt for console games, while the trend among older generations is a preference for smartphones.
“We’ve been tracking the relationship between parents, children, and games for some years, where most parents play with their children and teens, creating a digital gaming culture in the family environment,” says Mauro Berimbau, consultant at Go Gamers and professor at ESPM.
Among the children, 53.6% are aged 10 to 15, and 21.8% of them play between 8 and 20 hours weekly. Nearly half of Generation Alpha (42.7%) play online every day, and 19.2% of them claim to have spent between R$101 and R$300 on games in the last year.
“Generation Alpha already engages with digital games from a very young age, being active, engaged, and keeping up with the latest in the digital gaming ecosystem,” concludes Berimbau.
PGB 2025 is now available. To access the full free report, click here.
