Average Gaming Session Length by Age Group Statistics And Demographics 2026
Gamers worldwide averaged 8.45 hours per week in 2025, but that number masks a wide gap between age groups. Teenagers aged 13–17 log 2–4 hours per session on console and PC, while adults over 50 rarely exceed one hour per sitting. With 3.51 billion active players globally and session patterns shifting year over year, the data below breaks down exactly how long each age group plays, on which platforms, and how demographics like gender and geography shape those habits.
Key Average Gaming Session Length Statistics
- Children aged 4–12 average 45–60 minutes per gaming session across 5.1 daily sessions.
- Teenagers aged 13–17 spend 15.2 hours per week gaming, a 6.4% increase from 2024.
- Young adults aged 18–29 log 10.8 weekly gaming hours, with 8% exceeding 20 hours per week.
- Mobile gaming sessions average just 5–6 minutes, compared to 2–4 hours for console sessions.
- Weekly gaming time averages 6.76 hours for men and 5.45 hours for women globally.
How Long Does Each Age Group Game Per Session?
Session length follows a clear arc: it rises sharply through adolescence, peaks in the late teens and early twenties, then gradually declines as work and family commitments take hold. Children aged 4–12 play for 45–60 minutes at a time but return for multiple short sessions throughout the day. Teenagers stretch that to 2–4 hours, with weekend play often going past three hours. Adults aged 30–50 settle into 1–4 hour sessions a few times per week, while seniors over 50 keep things under one hour.
| Age Group | Avg. Session Length | Weekly Hours | Sessions Per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children (4–12) | 45–60 min | ~7 hrs | 5.1 |
| Teens (13–17) | 2–4 hrs | 15.2 hrs | 1–2 |
| Young Adults (18–29) | 1.5–3 hrs | 10.8 hrs | 1–2 |
| Adults (30–50) | 1–4 hrs | 5–7 hrs | 2.4 |
| Seniors (50+) | Under 1 hr | 4.6 hrs | 1–2 |
Source: Statista Consumer Insights (March 2025), ESA Essential Facts Report 2025
Average Gaming Session Length by Age Group: Children (4–12)
Young children game frequently but briefly. The 45–60 minute session average reflects a mix of parental screen-time limits and shorter attention spans. Mobile gaming for this group skews even shorter, often 15–25 minutes per session. The outlier is Roblox, which commands about 140 minutes of daily mobile playtime among children in the U.S., roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes. That single platform accounts for a disproportionate share of total gaming time in this bracket.
How Much Time Do Teenagers Spend Gaming?
Teens are the most time-intensive age group per session. According to Pew Research Center data, 85% of U.S. teenagers aged 13–17 play video games, and 41% play daily. Weekly totals hit 15.2 hours in 2025, up 6.4% from 2024. Weekend sessions frequently pass three hours, while weekday play averages 1.5–2 hours. Console remains the top device at 73% usage, followed by smartphones at 70%.
Boys play daily at 61% compared to 22% for girls. UK data on boys aged 15–17 showed an extreme subset averaging nearly 34 hours of gaming per week, which is more time than the average UK school week of 32.5 hours.
Young Adult Gaming Session Length (18–29)
This group has the highest weekly totals among adults. In 2025, 18–29 year olds averaged 10.8 hours of weekly gaming, a 2.7% increase year over year. Statista survey data from March 2025 found 22% of U.S. adults aged 20–29 spent 6–10 hours per week gaming, and 8% exceeded 20 hours. North American young adults aged 18–24 averaged about 137 minutes per day in virtual environments when combining all platforms.
Gen Z leads cross-platform gaming adoption, with 69% gaming on mobile, 42% on PC, and 38% on console. This group switches devices throughout the day: short mobile sessions during commutes, longer PC or console sessions in the evening.
Average Gaming Session Length by Age Group: Adults (30–50)
Work and family responsibilities compress gaming time for this age bracket. Console and PC gamers aged 30–49 average 9.7–10 hours per week, though individual sessions range widely from 1 to 4 hours depending on genre and schedule. About 36% of console gamers and 40% of PC gamers in this group spend fewer than 5 hours per week gaming. Strategy and RPG titles are especially popular, with players aged 35–49 gravitating toward tactical games with longer session requirements.
How Long Do Seniors (50+) Play Video Games?
Seniors averaged 4.6 weekly gaming hours in 2025, up 1.4% from the year before. Sessions rarely exceed one hour. The ESA’s 2025 report found that 49% of Boomers (aged 61–79) play weekly, and even 36% of the Silent Generation (aged 80–90) game on a regular basis. The top reasons this group plays: keeping their minds sharp (65%) and relaxation (77%). Preferred genres are word puzzles, brain training apps, and casual card games. Almost all gaming in this bracket happens on mobile devices or tablets.
Gaming Session Length by Platform
Platform choice is the single biggest factor in session duration, often outweighing age. Console sessions average 2–4 hours, with 45% of console gamers reporting sessions over one hour. PC gaming averages 2–3 hours, though genre matters a lot: MMORPGs pull young adults into nearly two-hour stretches, while competitive shooters tend to run 30–90 minutes. Mobile sessions average just 5–6 minutes at the median, but players compensate by opening gaming apps 4–6 times daily.
| Platform | Avg. Session Length | Weekly Hours | Sessions Per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Console | 2–4 hours | ~10 hrs | 1 |
| PC | 2–3 hours | ~10 hrs | 1–2 |
| Mobile | 5–8 minutes | ~7 hrs | 4–6 |
Source: MIDiA Research 2025, GameAnalytics Mobile Gaming Benchmarks 2025
Average Gaming Session Length Demographics by Gender
Men average 6.76 hours of weekly gaming globally; women average 5.45 hours. The U.S. player base is close to even: 53% male, 47% female according to the ESA’s 2025 report. An older Statista survey found 28% of U.S. adult women spent 1–5 hours per week gaming. Among Boomers, women actually game at a higher rate than men: 52% of Boomer women play, compared to 46% of Boomer men. Women tend to prefer puzzle and simulation games, which have shorter per-session durations but high replay frequency.
| Metric | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Gaming Hours (Global) | 6.76 hrs | 5.45 hrs |
| U.S. Player Share | 53% | 47% |
| Boomer Participation Rate | 46% | 52% |
Source: Quantumrun Foresight 2025, ESA Essential Facts 2025
Gaming Session Length by Region
Mobile session length varies by geography. Oceania leads at 6.85 minutes per session, while North America, Europe, and Asia each hover around 5 minutes. Africa and the Middle East show the highest daily session frequency, averaging 5.4 mobile sessions per day. Total daily playtime differences between PC/console and mobile players are smaller than you might expect — PC and console players spend only about 30 minutes more per day gaming than mobile-only players on average.
| Region | Avg. Mobile Session Length | Daily Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Oceania | 6.85 min | ~4 |
| North America | ~5 min | ~4 |
| Europe | ~5 min | ~4 |
| Asia | ~5 min | ~4.5 |
| Africa & Middle East | ~5 min | 5.4 |
Source: GameAnalytics Mobile Gaming Benchmarks 2025
How Does Genre Affect Gaming Session Length?
Genre choice directly shapes session duration. MMORPGs on PC pull the longest sessions at around two hours per sitting, driven by progression systems and social interaction. Strategy and RPG titles on console follow closely. Competitive multiplayer games like first-person shooters typically run 30–90 minutes. Casual and puzzle games on mobile, the kind favored by older demographics, keep sessions under 10 minutes. In-game spending patterns also differ by genre, with longer-session games often generating higher per-user revenue.
Popular Titles and Their Session Patterns
Roblox daily active users average 2.4–2.6 hours per day across all platforms. Fortnite and similar cross-platform titles maintain session durations above 40 minutes. Steam’s most-played game, Counter-Strike 2, regularly peaks at over 1 million concurrent players, with competitive matches running 30–45 minutes each. Candy Crush Saga, with 87.9 million monthly users, has sessions closer to the mobile average of 5–8 minutes.
U.S. Gamer Age Distribution
The average U.S. gamer is 36 years old. According to Statista data from March 2025, the 30–39 age group makes up 26% of U.S. gamers, the largest segment. Adults aged 20–29 account for 24%. Players aged 50 and older represent 29% of the U.S. gaming audience, a number that keeps growing as older generations adopt mobile gaming. Nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 5–90, about 205 million people, play video games regularly.
The Social Side of Gaming Sessions
Session length increases when gaming is social. Multiplayer sessions average 47 minutes per game, and 2.8 billion players engage in online multiplayer monthly. Discord users spend an average of 94 minutes daily on the platform, with the 18–24 age group averaging 117 minutes. Among teens, 72% say spending time with others is a primary reason they game. Voice chat usage reaches 89% among multiplayer participants, and voice channel users spend 34% more time on Discord than text-only users.
Average Gaming Session Length Trends (2024 vs. 2025)
Session patterns shifted between 2024 and 2025. Teen weekly hours rose from 14.3 to 15.2 (up 6.4%). Young adult weekly gaming increased from 10.5 to 10.8 hours (up 2.7%). Senior gaming went from 4.5 to 4.6 hours weekly (up 1.4%). Mobile gaming sessions dropped slightly from 4–5 minutes to 5–6 minutes median, though the top quartile of mobile games now achieves 8–9 minutes. Time spent in mobile games increased 8% year over year, and total mobile gaming session frequency jumped 12%.
FAQ
What is the average gaming session length in 2025?
Globally, gamers average 8.45 hours per week. Per-session length ranges from 5–6 minutes on mobile to 2–4 hours on console, depending on age and platform.
Which age group games the most per session?
Teenagers aged 13–17 have the longest individual sessions at 2–4 hours on console and PC. They also lead in weekly totals at 15.2 hours per week.
How long do mobile gaming sessions last?
The median mobile gaming session is 5–6 minutes. Top-performing mobile games average 8–9 minutes. Players compensate with 4–6 sessions per day.
Do men or women game more hours per week?
Men average 6.76 weekly hours and women average 5.45. Among U.S. Boomers, women actually have a higher participation rate at 52% compared to 46% for men.
How many people play video games worldwide?
The global gaming population reached 3.51 billion active players in 2025. About 205 million Americans aged 5–90 play regularly.
