Latin America is no longer an “emerging market” for the gaming industry: it is one of its silent engines. According to Newzoo's Global Games Market Report 2025, the region will reach 372.3 million players in 2025, a growth of 4.5% year-on-year, and will generate nearly US$8.3 billion in video game revenue, ranking fourth among the five major regions in the global market.

The report describes Latin America as a region “more balanced between platforms, mobile-first and strongly inclined to Android”, where 69% of the connected population will play on at least one platform and almost half of the players (46%) will make some type of expense.

Even so, behind the traditional giants - Brazil and Mexico - a constellation of markets is emerging that is beginning to weigh in on the global conversation: Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.

A young, connected region with an appetite for gaming.

Various analyzes agree on the diagnosis: Latin America is a young, digital and expanding market. Recent estimates place the regional base above the 300 million gamers, with growth close to 5-6% annually and around 11% of the global player base.

Added to Newzoo's photography is the forecast from the firm Market Data Forecast, which estimates that the Latin American video game market will go from US$23.08 billion in 2024 to more than US$70 billion in 2033, driven by increased digital penetration and increased disposable income.

In other words: the number of players is growing steadily and, at the same time, the spending capacity per user is beginning to improve, especially on mobile.

Mobile rules, but the PC gains relevance
The ecosystem remains clearly mobile-first. According to an analysis by Grand View Research, the Mobile gaming market in Latin America generated US$7,246 million in 2024 and will grow at an annual rate of 10.6% until 2030, with Android as the dominant platform.

However, Newzoo's global trends show that PC has regained momentum, driven by cross-platform releases, better GPUs, and deeper experiences that benefit the long-term gamer.

In Latin America, this combination translates into something key for hardware brands:
– Users who are beginning to demand more power and stability.
– Content creators who use the same equipment to play, edit, stream and work.
– Growing adoption of AI-based tools.

It is the natural terrain for manufacturers like Acer, who see the PC as a bridge between entertainment, productivity and creativity. "In Latin America, the gamer no longer wants to choose between studying, working or playing on their device: they want to do everything on the same computer. We see a generation that streams, edits video, creates content and competes online from the same machine. That is why the PC, and in particular laptops with integrated AI, is becoming the digital center of the life of the Latin American gamer", Martín Rico, Commercial Manager of Acer Argentina.

Argentina, Colombia and Peru: the new Andean axis of gaming
Although Brazil and Mexico concentrate the majority of income, recent reports highlight the role of Argentina, Colombia and Peru as the second wave of relevant markets.

Argentina is among the top 30 markets in the world by video game revenue and is one of the countries with the most development studies in the region, along with Brazil and Mexico.

Its high digital literacy and good level of English favor the export of content and presence on global platforms such as Steam and Itch.io.

Colombia is among the markets with the greatest preference for online games and cloud gaming services in the region. Newzoo highlights that Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile lead the consumption of connected games, both on consoles and on PC and mobile, with Brazil and Mexico leading regional revenues.

In Peru, different studies place the growth of the video game market at double-digit rates. Consulting firm 6Wresearch estimates a CAGR of 11.2% for 2020-2026, driven by higher disposable income, better connectivity and growing access to gaming devices.

Added to this is the appearance of esports centers and specialized arenas that reinforce the local gamer culture.
In this context, the PC is consolidated as an aspirational platform: many players start on mobile and, as their purchasing power increases, they migrate or complement the experience with notebooks and desktops for gaming, especially in competitive and content creation segments.

Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador: small markets, big ideas
Central American countries still do not move the large volumes of Brazil or Mexico, but they do provide talent, creativity and growth niches.

Costa Rica has positioned its creative industries, including gaming, as a strategic sector of knowledge-intensive services. The promotion agency CINDE highlights the development of virtual reality experiences and studios that export original intellectual property for mobile, PC and console.

In Guatemala, the domestic video game market for the home reached US$28.2 million in 2023, with moderate but constant growth in the last decade.

In addition, there is an independent development scene that, despite its limitations, is beginning to connect with the global market. El Salvador, along with Costa Rica and other Central American countries, appears in regional mappings such as that of the Inter-American Development Bank, which identify local studies and projects that export games and services to other markets.

For hardware manufacturers, these markets represent agile laboratories to test distribution, financing and access formats – from “gaming as a service” models to equipment financing schemes – before scaling to larger markets.

What's next for gaming in Latin America?
With a base of 372.3 million players in 2025 and a projection of sustained growth in revenue, Latin America is consolidating itself as a strategic region for publishers, studios and hardware manufacturers, especially at the intersection between mobile and PC.

The combination of young population, rapid digital adoption, strong online gaming culture and creative ecosystems in countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador creates the perfect scenario for the next wave of global gaming expansion.

In Acer's words, “the future of Latin American gaming will be hybrid: it will be played in your pocket, but it will be dreamed and created on the PC” . An equation in which the region has everything to win.