Skip to content
Market Guides9 min read

How to Launch Your Game in the US: The 2026 Guide

By Jan Rojek

The Manhattan skyline in New York at night, reflected in the river

The United States is the biggest prize in game marketing and the hardest place to win it. American players spend more than almost anyone, but they are also the most heavily targeted audience in the world. In 2025 and 2026 the rules also changed: players can now pay outside the app stores, children's privacy law got stricter, and TikTok got new owners. This guide covers what a publisher needs to know before launching a game in the US in 2026.

Key takeaways

  • US consumers spent $60.7 billion on video games in 2025, up 1.4% — the second-highest total on record (ESA, 2026). Circana expects $62.8 billion in 2026, a new record.
  • 212 million Americans play at least an hour a week — 67% of the population. The average player is 37, and 46% are women.
  • Smartphone games are the largest single segment at $26.7 billion. The US accounts for roughly a third of the world's smartphone game revenue.
  • Since 2025, games can link players to their own web shops from US apps — web shops are now a real revenue channel.
  • The updated COPPA rule on children's data has applied in full since April 2026, and about 20 states have their own privacy laws in force.
  • The US is the most competitive market for user acquisition. Creative quality and measurement decide the cost of every player.

How big is the US games market in 2026?

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reports $60.7 billion in US consumer spending on video games in 2025: $52.3 billion on content, $5.4 billion on hardware and $3 billion on accessories (ESA, 2026). Smartphone game content alone was $26.7 billion, and spending on subscriptions grew by around 20%.

For 2026, Circana forecasts $62.8 billion (+3%) — above the 2021 record — driven by the Nintendo Switch 2 and Grand Theft Auto VI, due on 19 November 2026, which Circana says has the highest purchase intent it has ever measured (Circana, 2026). For other publishers, that means heavy competition for attention and ad inventory around the GTA VI launch — worth planning around.

Who plays games in the US?

According to the ESA's 2026 report (ESA):

  • 212.3 million Americans play at least one hour a week — 67% of the population.
  • 80% of them play on smartphones.
  • The average player is 37; the split is 53% men and 46% women. Half of Baby Boomers play weekly — and among them, women outnumber men.
  • Younger players (Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Millennials) spend a median of about $20 a month in games.

The US audience is broad enough that "gamers" is not a target. Campaigns work when they speak to a specific group — the strategy player in their 40s, the puzzle player in her 60s, the RPG fan in his 20s — with a message made for them.

Which genres and games lead in the US?

Puzzle games are the most-played genre on smartphones (66% of players) and PC (60%); on console, action (66%) and shooters (60%) lead (ESA, 2026).

The top-grossing smartphone games of 2025 were led by Monopoly Go, Royal Match, Last War: Survival and Candy Crush, with Roblox and Coin Master close behind (mobilegamer.biz, 2025). Four of the top ten smartphone games by revenue were 4X strategy games made in China (Circana, via GameDev Reports). The best-selling games overall in 2025 were Battlefield 6, NBA 2K26 and Borderlands 4.

The US top charts are dominated by games that have been there for years and spend heavily to stay there. A new game gets in through the gaps: a sharper angle, a specific audience, or a genre twist the leaders don't cover.

How do Americans pay — and what changed in 2025?

Across US e-commerce, digital wallets now lead with 40% of online payments, ahead of credit cards at 32% (Worldpay, 2025).

The bigger change is in the app stores:

  • Apple: after the Epic v. Apple ruling, Apple can no longer block buttons or links to outside purchases in US apps. The Ninth Circuit upheld this in December 2025. At the time of writing (September 2026), Apple charges no commission on those link-out purchases while a court sets what it may charge (AppleInsider, 2026).
  • Google: since October 2025, Google Play in the US may not require its own billing or ban outside links; its programmes for links and alternative billing started in December 2025 (Google Play Help).

Direct-to-consumer web shops reached an estimated $17 billion worldwide in 2025 (Pocket Gamer.biz, 2025). For user acquisition, this matters twice over: a web shop improves the margin on every paying player, and a player who registers on the publisher's own landing page is a player the publisher can reach again.

What rules apply when launching a game in the US?

Ratings

US games carry ESRB ratings (E, E10+, T, M, AO); app stores apply them through IARC (ESRB).

Children's privacy and dark patterns

The Federal Trade Commission is the key regulator for games. Two cases set the tone:

  • Epic Games (2022): $520 million in total — a $275 million COPPA penalty and $245 million in refunds over "dark patterns" that led players into unwanted purchases (FTC).
  • HoYoverse / Genshin Impact (2025): $20 million, a ban on selling loot boxes to under-16s without parental consent, and a requirement to disclose loot-box odds (FTC).

The updated COPPA rule has required full compliance since 22 April 2026. It widens what counts as a child's personal information and requires separate parental consent before sharing it with third parties, such as ad networks (Federal Register).

State privacy and age-check laws

There is still no federal privacy law, but about 20 states have comprehensive privacy laws in force in 2026 — Indiana, Kentucky and Rhode Island joined on 1 January 2026 (MultiState, 2026). California's rules are the strictest. Texas now requires app stores to verify age and get parental consent for minors, and Utah, Louisiana and California have similar laws starting in 2026–27.

Advertising rules

The FTC's Endorsement Guides require clear disclosure of paid creator content, and its rule against fake reviews carries fines of up to $53,088 per violation (FTC).

Tracking after ATT

Only about 32% of US iPhone users allow apps to track them in games (Adjust, 2025). Measurement that relies only on device IDs misses most iOS players — which is why tracking from the landing page onward has become more important.

What does it take to stand out in the US?

The US is the most expensive and the most crowded market for user acquisition. It rewards three things:

  • Volume of creative. Ads wear out fastest in the US, because the audience sees so many of them. Campaigns need a constant supply of new creatives.
  • Specific angles. A generic "epic strategy game" message competes with everyone. A clear benefit for a clear audience competes with far fewer.
  • Precise measurement. Every dollar needs to be followed to the paying player, because a campaign that looks cheap on clicks can be expensive on payers.

Which marketing channels work in the US?

  • Meta, Google and YouTube remain the core of most US campaigns.
  • TikTok now runs in the US through a new joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture, which closed on 22 January 2026 with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX as major owners (TikTok Newsroom, 2026).
  • Native advertising on large US news and portal sites — through networks such as Taboola and Teads (formerly Outbrain), and on Yahoo and MSN — reaches older players with money to spend.
  • Streamers on YouTube, Twitch and increasingly Kick, which reached 4.5 billion hours watched in 2025 (Streams Charts).
  • Events: Summer Game Fest (Los Angeles, June), PAX West (Seattle, September) and the GDC Festival of Gaming (San Francisco, 1–5 March 2027).

How Nomads Digital approaches a US launch

The US is one of Nomads Digital's core markets. Five of our six published case studies ran there — including Star Trek Fleet Command, always-on for 21 months, Rise of Kingdoms and RAID: Shadow Legends.

For a US launch we:

  1. Find the gap first. Which competitors are buying which audiences, with which angles — and which audiences they leave out.
  2. Build a high volume of creatives from our own AI production pipeline, so fresh ads are always ready to replace the ones that wear out. See creative production.
  3. Warm up players before the landing page. Our interactive funnels let players pick a hero and make choices first — the players who reach the landing page are the ones who chose to keep going.
  4. Measure to the paying player, from click to registration, install, retention and payer — every day, per audience and per creative.

Read more about how we run game user acquisition.

Launch checklist for the US

  1. Get the ESRB/IARC rating and review loot boxes against FTC expectations.
  2. Check COPPA compliance if the game may reach players under 13.
  3. Review state privacy laws — California first — for landing pages and tracking.
  4. Decide on a web shop and link-out payments for iOS and Android.
  5. Plan measurement that works without device IDs.
  6. Prepare a high volume of creatives before launch — and a plan to keep producing them.
  7. Define specific audiences and a clear angle for each.
  8. Brief every creator on FTC disclosure rules.
  9. Check the release calendar — especially around GTA VI on 19 November 2026.
  10. Track every campaign from click to paying player.

Frequently asked questions

How big is the US games market?

US consumers spent $60.7 billion on video games in 2025, according to the ESA. Circana forecasts $62.8 billion for 2026, which would be a new record.

Can mobile games sell outside the app stores in the US?

Yes. Since 2025, games can link US players to their own web shops from both iOS and Android apps. At the time of writing, Apple charges no commission on those purchases while the courts decide what it may charge.

What privacy rules apply to games in the US?

The FTC's COPPA rule protects children under 13 and was tightened in 2025, with full compliance required from April 2026. About 20 states also have their own privacy laws, California's being the strictest.

Which games earn the most in the US?

In 2025, Monopoly Go, Royal Match, Last War and Candy Crush led US smartphone game revenue, and four of the top ten were 4X strategy games.

Why is user acquisition so expensive in the US?

Because the audience is the most targeted in the world: the biggest publishers compete for the same players on the same channels. A clear angle, a steady supply of new creatives and measurement down to the paying player keep the cost per player under control.

More market guides

Planning a launch in the US? Talk to us — we reply within one business day with a first read on what we would run first.

Ready to supercharge your game's success?

Tell us what you're launching and we'll tell you how we'd take it to market.

Let's Talk