Online gaming is popular because it pairs play with connection: people can compete or cooperate with others, keep in touch with friends and family, and access games across devices, including mobile. U.S. survey findings show that online play is widespread, while broader gaming research points to fun and relaxation as common motivations. The evidence supports several reasons—not one universal cause—and does not mean every game or platform is growing at the same rate.
How common is online gaming?
In the Entertainment Software Association’s 2025 survey of U.S. players ages 8–90, 89% said they had played video games online, and 55% said they played with others weekly. These figures describe surveyed U.S. players; they are not estimates of global participation.
Those results show that online play is a familiar part of gaming for many people in the United States. They do not, by themselves, explain why it became popular or show that all players prefer multiplayer games. (Entertainment Software Association, 2025)
Why do people choose to play online?
It makes games a way to spend time together
Playing online can turn a game into a shared activity, whether friends cooperate, compete, or simply spend time in the same virtual space. In the ESA’s 2025 U.S. survey, 49% of players said video games helped them stay connected to friends and family. That is a reported benefit—not proof that social connection alone causes gaming’s popularity or that games reduce loneliness for everyone.
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Online play can also make it easier to meet other people who share an interest in a particular game. Voice or text chat may help players coordinate, but neither chat nor a headset is required for every online game.
It offers fun, relaxation, and a break
People also play for the experience of gaming itself. In its 2024 report, the ESA found that 68% of U.S. respondents played video games to pass the time or relax, while 67% played for fun. The report also identifies immersion or escape and mental stimulation as motivations. These findings apply to video games broadly; they are not specific to online games. (Entertainment Software Association, 2024)
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Games invite active participation
Unlike entertainment that is mostly watched, games ask players to make choices and take action. McKinsey’s analysis describes this active engagement as part of games’ appeal. In a 2025 Game Theory podcast produced in partnership with McKinsey, Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke described how a personally compelling experience can draw a player in and motivate them to learn more. That is an industry leader’s perspective, not a scientific finding about why all players play.
Why does access across devices matter?
Mobile devices make gaming available in more settings than a dedicated console or PC alone. The ESA reported that 78% of players played on mobile in its 2024 facts. This is a figure for gaming generally, not online gaming specifically: mobile play may be online or offline, and online gaming also includes play on other devices.
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Mobile gaming’s scale is visible in market estimates. Sensor Tower reported $82 billion in global mobile-game in-app purchase revenue in 2024, up 4% year over year, alongside 3.5 trillion hours spent playing mobile games that year. Those figures measure mobile gaming as a whole, not online games alone, and revenue is not the same as the number of players. (Sensor Tower, 2025)
How can games keep players coming back?
Some publishers use Live Ops—ongoing events, features, or other updates after a game launches—to encourage players to return. Sensor Tower describes regular content updates and Live Ops as strategies that can support retention and engagement. They are industry practices, not proof that every frequently updated game succeeds or that updates explain online gaming’s popularity overall.
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Developers are also making games with multiplayer elements. Unity’s 2025 report summary says 64% of surveyed developers were working on online multiplayer or couch co-op games. Because that figure combines online play with local co-op, it should not be read as the share making online-only games. It reflects developer activity, not how many players choose those games. (Unity, 2025)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the popularity figures do—and do not—show
Together, the evidence points to a combination of social play, broad access, entertainment, and continued engagement as plausible reasons online gaming attracts players. It does not establish a single cause, assign a precise share of popularity to each factor, or show that every region, genre, or platform is growing at the same pace.
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The figures also cover different things: ESA survey results describe U.S. players and, in several cases, gaming generally; Sensor Tower’s figures concern the global mobile-game market; and Unity’s developer result combines online multiplayer with couch co-op. Keeping those distinctions clear matters when interpreting what “popular” means.
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