PGB 2025: number of players in Brazil reaches 82.8%, and games of chance is one of the main factors

A Game Brazil Research (PGB) has just launched its latest edition, featuring the 2025 survey on the behavior of digital game consumers. This year, the PGB interviewed approximately 6,282 people in Brazil, across 26 states and the Federal District, between the months of January and February. The study is developed by SX Group and Go Gamers in partnership with Blend New Research and ESPM. Among the novelties for 2025, the research introduces three major innovations in its approach:

• Generational segmentationmore precise parameters were implemented to understand the specific behaviors of Generation Z (people aged between 15 and 29), of Millennials (between 30 and 44 years old), and other generational segments, allowing for deeper analyses of consumption, preferences, and gaming habits;
• Greater detail of the consumer journey: The understanding of how games are part of players' routines was broadened, generating more insights into the relationship of the gaming public with products, services, and experiences offered by the market.
• Refinement of the "Parents and Children" survey: the PGB now provides more detailed information on children's consumption of games, ensuring a more precise view of how children interact with the world of digital games and their purchasing habits;

With these developments, the PGB 2025 was able to identify that 82.8% of Brazilians say they play digital games, 8.9 percentage points higher than in 2024 and the highest number and increase ever recorded by the study.

For the first time, games of chance appeared in several responses during the survey period. "Online casinos and betting games, such as the 'Tiger Game,' 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 the ESPM postgraduate program.

"But precisely because the game is solely focused on luck, and as many of them also appeal to the emotional and financial state of those who 'play', here we seek to understand what truly motivates the consumer who seeks this type of entertainment, and why they view games of chance similarly to digital games," concludes Camargo.

Another factor, according to the research, is directly related to the computer game consumption and of game subscription services. The increase in household income and the reduction in the unemployment rate contributed to higher entertainment consumption, in addition to the fact that computer sales skyrocketed in 2024.

The PGB also provides data that 88,8% of the interviewees consider online games one of their main forms of entertainment, whereby 80.1% consider games their main form of entertainment.

Players' profile

"This year, we were able to observe in practice how certain economic movements also shifted some indicators in the PGB, especially regarding the profile of digital game consumers," says Carlos Silva, CEO of Go Gamers, creator of the PGB. "With an improvement in players' purchasing power, we noticed that games now occupy a larger space in the routine of Brazilians, driven by purchases of hardware, software, subscriptions, microtransactions, and investments, thus expanding the experience beyond the games themselves."

The changes in the demographic profile of the players were noticeable:

• The number of women playing digital games had a 2.3% increase There are a few ways to translate "em comparação do ano passado, chegando a" depending on the context and what you want to emphasize. Here are some options, ranging from more literal to more natural-sounding: **Most common and versatile:** * **compared to last year, reaching** (This is a direct and generally natural translation.) * **compared with last year, reaching** (Similar to above, "with" is also common.) **Slightly more formal or emphasizing the increase/decrease:** * **in comparison to last year, reaching** * **in comparison with last year, reaching** **If "chegando a" implies a specific value or number:** * **compared to last year, amounting to** (If it's a total sum.) * **compared to last year, totaling** (Similar to above.) * **compared to last year, reaching a total of** **Example usage:** * Original: "As vendas aumentaram 20% em comparação do ano passado, chegando a 1 milhão de unidades." * Translation 1: "Sales increased by 20% compared to last year, reaching 1 million units." * Translation 2: "Sales increased by 20% in comparison with last year, amounting to 1 million units." Choose the option that best fits the flow and specific meaning of your sentence. 53,2% of the consumer public for this type of entertainment;
• The majority of the gaming audience are Millennials (between 30 and 44 years old), representing 49.4% of the sample;
• A middle class represents the majority of players, being 44,4% concentrated among classes B2, C1, and C2. However, there was a 1.8% drop compared to the previous edition of the PGB;
• The higher-income classes grew, with the class A representing 17,1% from the sampling (+1.2% in relation to 2024), and the B1 com 19,3% (7.7% more than last year);
• The Classes D and E had a significant increase in 12,8% in a year, reaching  20,3% of the sampling;
• Currently, people who identify as white are the majority of digital game consumers.53,9%), while Black and mixed-race women represent 43,9%.

The consumers' preferred platform remains the smartphone, with 40.8%However, the number dropped by 8 percentage points compared to the previous edition. At the same time, the preference for console had an increase of 3 percentage points (reaching 24.7%); and the computer, by 5.5 points (reaching 20.3%). Performing a gender cross-section, women ... continue to be the majority of game consumers for smartphone, representing 48,4%, and men, 32,2%. However, men Here are several ways to translate "seguem como maioria entre" from Portuguese to English, depending on the specific context: **Most common and general translations:** * **remain the majority among** (emphasizes a continued state) * **are the majority among** (a more direct statement) * **continue to be the majority among** (similar to "remain," but with a slightly stronger emphasis on ongoing action) * **make up the majority among** (highlights their composition of the group) **More specific options, depending on nuanced meaning:** * **are still the majority among** (if there's an implication that this could change, or a mild surprise) * **constitute the majority among** (more formal, emphasizes their formation of the group) * **predominate among** (more academic or formal, focuses on their numerical superiority) * **are prevalent among** (similar to predominate, but can also imply widespread occurrence beyond just numerical majority) **To choose the best translation, consider the full sentence and its context.** **Example:** * **PT:** "Os jovens seguem como maioria entre os participantes." * **EN:** "Young people **remain the majority among** the participants." (Emphasizes it's still true) * **EN:** "Young people **are the majority among** the participants." (Direct statement) those who consider themselves gamers, in addition to registering a preference for playing in computer (36,1%).

Games of chance and their impact on digital game consumption

The numbers are quite significant: 38,2% **two of the interviewed individuals state they play recreational games of chance, indicating a relevant presence of this segment in the gaming market. In terms of how frequently they bet,** 39% The most natural and common translation of "jogam pelo menos" into English is: **play at least** Here's why and some other possibilities depending on context: * **"play at least"**: This is the most direct and generally applicable translation. "Jogam" is the third-person plural of "to play," and "pelo menos" means "at least." **Examples in context:** * "Eles **jogam pelo menos** uma vez por semana." -> "They **play at least** once a week." * "Os jogadores devem **jogar pelo menos** 30 minutos." -> "The players must **play at least** 30 minutes." Once a week, with 14,2% The most accurate and natural translation of "jogando" from Portuguese to English depends on the context. Here are the most common possibilities: * **playing** (most common, refers to games, sports, music, etc.) * *Ele está **jogando** futebol.* -> He is **playing** soccer. * *Ela estava **jogando** baralho com os amigos.* -> She was **playing** cards with friends. * *O DJ está **jogando** umas músicas agora.* -> The DJ is **playing** some songs right now. * **throwing** (refers to the act of propelling something through the air) * *Ele está **jogando** a bola.* -> He is **throwing** the ball. * *Cuidado para não **jogar** lixo no chão.* -> Be careful not to **throw** trash on the ground. * **gambling** (specifically refers to games of chance for money) * *Eles passaram a noite **jogando** no cassino.* -> They spent the night **gambling** at the casino. * **dumping / discarding** (when something is being thrown away) * *Você está **jogando** fora a comida?* -> Are you **dumping** the food (away)? / Are you **throwing away** the food? * **acting (a role) / performing** (less common, but possible in specific theatrical contexts) * *Ele está **jogando** um papel difícil na peça.* -> He is **playing** a difficult role in the play. * **flirting / messing around** (informal, when referring to someone trying to get attention or being playful) * *Ele vive **jogando** pra ela.* -> He's always **flirting** with her. (or "He's always trying to impress her.") To give you the best translation, please provide the full sentence or context in which "jogando" is used. four or more times weekly. The vast majority (89,9%invests money in these games, considering that 34,6% spend between R$51 and R$200 monthly; 8,6% of those who bet spend more than R$1,400 per month. The time spent on games of chance is also considerable: 70,2% of the players dedicate up to 3 hours per week, while 19,5% The verb "jogam" in Portuguese can be translated in several ways to English, depending on the context. Here are the most common translations: 1. **They play** (most common, refers to multiple people playing games, sports, etc.) 2. **You play** (plural "you," referring to multiple people being addressed directly) 3. **They throw** (if the context refers to throwing an object) 4. **You throw** (plural "you," if referring to throwing an object) To give you the most accurate translation, I'd need the full sentence it's used in. more than 3 hours per week.

"Of course, given the very name given to these games and the fact that they contain microtransactions, it's natural that part of the public also considers casino games as a form of entertainment, and that this is also reflected in the results of the PGB 2025," explains Guilherme Camargo.

The motivational factor that this type of game causes in the public was also raised. About 30.4% seek the thrill of victory, and 29% use the game as a form of relaxation. The biggest motivation, however, is always to win more money (43.9% play for this), and 24.7% see betting on these games as "an investment to improve income."

According to Carlos Silva, it's not possible to say that games of chance are equivalent to digital games for entertainment. "The sole reason for these games to exist is for a person to invest a sum of money and hope to receive more than they spent, with an entertainment bias. Digital games are not just about money transactions; there's something much greater in them in terms of narrative construction, characters, and more – microtransactions are parts of the experience, and the motivations that lead someone to bet in these games versus playing digital games are different."

The relationship between parents and children and digital games

This year, the Game Brazil Survey refined its "Parents and Children" panel to understand how children and adolescents are engaging with and consuming digital games. Through participating parents, it was identified that the so-called Alpha Generation (between 0 and 14 years old) already differs in several aspects compared to previous ones, starting with the use of platforms: 38,3% of them opts for the games in console, while the trend among older generations is a preference for smartphones.

"For some years now, we have been following the relationship between parents, children, and games, where most parents play with their children and teenagers, creating a digital gaming culture in the family environment," says Mauro Berimbau, a consultant at Go Gamers and a professor at ESPM.

Among the small ones, 53,6% are aged between 10 to 15 years, and 21,8% They play against each other 8 and 20 hours per week. Almost half of Generation Alpha (42,7%) plays online every day, and 19,2% they claim to have spent between R$ 101 and R$ 300 with games in the last year.

"The Alpha generation has contact with digital games from a very young age, being active, engaged, and following the new developments in the digital games ecosystem," Berimbau concludes.

The PGB 2025 is now available. To access the full free report, click here..