Lack of time is the top reason for quitting games; video streaming is the main replacement leisure activity.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) released the “2025 Game User Survey” on December 18, providing updated data to support game industry policy-making and business strategy in response to rapid changes in technology and the market.
The annual survey aims to improve the reliability and practical value of game user statistics by continuously refining questionnaire items. This year’s research was conducted with 10,000 game users aged 10 to 69 nationwide who had played games at least once within the past year. The survey focused on usage patterns, overall user experience, and spending capacity, among other topics.
PC and Console Usage Up, Overall Game Participation Down
According to the survey, the overall game participation rate over the past year fell to 50.2%, a 9.7 percentage-point decrease from the previous year. Over the last five years, the market also showed a downward trend, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -6.8%.
By platform, however, trends diverged. Among game users:
- PC game usage rose to 58.1%, up 4.3 percentage points year-on-year.
- Console game usage increased to 28.6%, up 1.9 percentage points.
- Mobile game usage declined to 89.1%, down 2.6 percentage points.
Average daily playtime also decreased slightly: weekday playtime fell by 7 minutes (171 → 165 minutes), while weekend playtime dropped by just 1 minute (253 → 252 minutes), suggesting weekend engagement remained relatively stable.
Platform-specific playtime revealed stronger momentum for PC gaming. PC playtime reached the highest level in the past five years, continuing to rise to 117.9 minutes on weekdays and 193.4 minutes on weekends.
Meanwhile:
- Mobile gaming averaged 90.9 minutes on weekdays and 116.4 minutes on weekends, both down year-on-year.
- Console gaming averaged 53.4 minutes on weekdays (down) and 103.8 minutes on weekends (up).
KOCCA interpreted the near-stable weekend playtime—despite declining overall participation—as an effect of increased PC and console usage, which helped offset the broader downturn.
Main Reason for Leaving Games: “Not Enough Time”; Video Streaming as the Alternative
To better understand why people stop playing games, the 2025 survey added new questions targeting non-gamers. The most common reason for not playing was “lack of time” (44.0%).
When asked what they do instead of gaming, an overwhelming 86.3% chose watching video content such as OTT streaming services, TV, movies, or animation. The results suggest that video viewing has become the primary substitute for gaming among those who disengage.
Cyberbullying Experiences Decline, Most Users “Ignore It”
The survey also covered negative in-game experiences such as cyberbullying. The share of respondents reporting cyberbullying or similar harm fell to 46.4%, an 8 percentage-point decrease from the previous year. Over the last three years, the rate has steadily dropped: 56.2% (2023), 54.4% (2024), and 46.4% (2025).
The most common forms of harm included verbal abuse (38.3%) and sexual discomfort (17.6%). Among those affected, 57.3% said they did not respond and “let it pass,” while 28.7% reported the incident to the game company.
KOCCA said it hopes the findings will be actively used to support business strategy development and industry support policies, and that it will continue providing domestic and global insights to help the Korean game industry grow.
Meanwhile, this 2025 Game User Survey Report can be found on the KOCCA website ( www.kocca.kr ).
