China esports market grows 6.4% in 2025, report finds

China’s esports {industry} recorded regular progress in 2025, with whole income reaching ¥29.331bn (~$4.02bn / ~£3.19bn), marking a year-on-year improve of 6.4%, in line with figures revealed on the 2025 China Esports Trade Annual Convention.

The data was published on December 4th throughout the convention in Beijing’s Shijingshan District by Tang Jiajun, Deputy Secretary-Basic of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Affiliation, Secretary-Basic of the Recreation Working Committee and Director of the Esports Working Committee.

Tang mentioned the {industry} continued to progress alongside three core tracks — mainstream adoption, cross-industry integration and worldwide enlargement — whereas additionally strengthening governance and expertise improvement.

“China’s esports {industry} will take ecosystem co-construction as its most important improvement theme, uphold its social duties and promote the wholesome and orderly progress of the {industry},” Tang mentioned on the convention.

In line with the report, livestreaming remained the biggest income driver in China’s esports economic system, accounting for 80.81% of whole {industry} earnings. Event operations, golf equipment and different enterprise segments made up the rest.

China’s esports viewers additionally continued to develop, surpassing 495m customers in 2025, representing a 1.06% improve in comparison with the earlier 12 months. By sport style, shooters accounted for the biggest share of esports income at 28.3%. Multiplayer On-line Battle Enviornment (MOBA) and sports activities titles adopted at 14.1% every.

From a platform perspective, cell esports titles dominated the market at 58.6%, adopted by PC consumer video games at 25.3%. Hybrid titles obtainable throughout each platforms accounted for 12.1%, whereas browser-based esports titles represented 4.0%.

Among the many high ten cell esports video games by income, taking pictures and MOBA titles have been probably the most prevalent, that includes three shooters and two MOBA video games. On PC, six of the ten hottest client-based esports titles have been shooters.

In 2025, China hosted 142 non-exhibition provincial-level esports tournaments that includes skilled gamers — a rise of 18 occasions in comparison with the earlier 12 months. Greater than half (54%) have been held absolutely offline, 37% used a hybrid online-offline format and 9% have been completely on-line.

Occasion host cities have been concentrated primarily in East and Southwest China. Shanghai led the nation, internet hosting 19.2% of offline esports occasions, adopted by Chengdu at 10.6% and Chongqing at 7.9%.

By the tip of 2025, China was dwelling to 165 lively esports golf equipment. Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have been the one cities with ten or extra golf equipment, with Shanghai retaining the biggest focus. Greater than half of golf equipment (54.3%) competed in only one esport, whereas 22.8% participated in two titles. An additional 6.3% competed in three, and seven.1% have been concerned throughout 4 totally different esports.

The report additionally highlighted China’s continued enlargement into abroad esports markets, notably throughout Southeast Asia (SEA), the Center East and Latin America. Tournaments for domestically developed esports titles attracted tens of millions of international viewers, with peak concurrent viewership for top-tier occasions exceeding 4.13m.

Trying forward, Tang mentioned the {industry} will deal with strengthening high-quality content material provide, increasing scenario-based ‘esports+’ collaborations and deepening international cooperation to push China’s esports ecosystem towards ‘a higher-level construction.’

The China Esports Trade Annual Convention is collectively backed by nationwide {industry} organisations and serves as one of many nation’s most vital annual benchmark experiences for esports efficiency, coverage improvement and market path.