{"id":56562,"date":"2026-02-09T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=56562"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T00:31:13","slug":"japans-household-game-spending-hits-record-high-in-2025-despite-inflation-driven-cutbacks-in-food-and-daily-expenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japans-household-game-spending-hits-record-high-in-2025-despite-inflation-driven-cutbacks-in-food-and-daily-expenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s household game spending hit record high in 2025, despite inflation-driven\u00a0cutbacks in food and daily\u00a0expenses\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Japan\u2019s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) recently released the results of its \u201cFamily Income and Expenditure Survey\u201d for 2025. According to the data, per-household spending on both game consoles and game software reached record highs in 2025. The statistics are based on a sample of 9,000 Japanese households (of two or more persons), with console and software spending viewed as separate categories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the survey, the average annual spending on game consoles among Japanese households in 2025 was 2,044 yen, or about $14 USD. This is the first time since 2010 that average spending on consoles has exceeded 2,000 yen, and the figure represents more than a threefold increase compared to 2024\u2019s 616-yen average. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, the highest spending year for consoles had been 2020,\u00a0when COVID-19 lockdowns\u00a0pushed\u00a0spending to 1,548 yen. The 2025\u00a0average surpasses\u00a0this\u00a0previous\u00a0record\u00a0by\u00a032%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, console purchase frequency per 100 households was 0.047. This is higher than in 2024 (0.021), but still below the 0.066 recorded in 2020 during the pandemic-driven game industry boom. For reference, the highest purchase frequency on record was 0.081 in 2011, when the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita launched. The relatively modest increase in purchase frequency in 2025 suggests that rising console prices are the likely cause of higher overall spending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, spending on games themselves in 2025 averaged 2,306 yen (about $15 USD), which is also the highest level since records began in 2010. That said, software spending in Japan has remained in the lower 2,000-yen range on average since 2020, so the increase is more moderate compared to consoles. (Note that software purchase frequency is not tracked in the survey.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up until 2009, spending on game consoles and game software was combined under a single \u201cvideo games\u201d category, so comparisons are limited to post-2010 data. In earlier statistics, 2007 (the year after the PS3 and Wii launched ) recorded 4,561 yen in \u201cvideo game\u201d spending. That means that technically, at least one of the two categories likely exceeded 2025\u2019s levels back then. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major factor behind the record console spending in 2025\u00a0was\u00a0the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. According to Nintendo\u2019s financial results for the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2026<\/a>\u00a0(announced on February 3), the\u00a0console\u00a0had sold a cumulative 17.37 million units worldwide\u00a0within the first six months of\u00a0launch,\u00a0outpacing even the Nintendo Switch.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PS5\u00a0also\u00a0may\u00a0have\u00a0contributed, though. In Sony\u2019s third-quarter results for fiscal 2025<\/a>,\u00a0(announced\u00a0on\u00a0February 5), the PS5 sold 8 million units between October and December. Although this\u00a0represents\u00a0a decrease of 1.5 million units year-over-year, the console, which\u00a0originally\u00a0released in 2020,\u00a0continued\u00a0to\u00a0see\u00a0steady sales in 2025.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at broader trends in the MIC\u2019s 2025 household survey, spending on food in Japan rose by 5.5%. However, in real terms, excluding the effects of inflation, food spending actually fell by 1.2%, suggesting consumers are cutting back on everyday purchases amid the rising cost of living. Against that backdrop, record spending on both consoles and software suggests that people are still more than willing to spend on games, even with inflation weighing on everyday costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Japan\u2019s console game market grew by 138.8% in 2025, driven by the Nintendo Switch 2<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to a large-scale, government survey, Japanese household spending on both consoles and game software reached all-time highs in 2025, exceeding pandemic peaks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":44401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-56562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nJapan\u2019s household game spending hit record high in 2025, despite inflation-driven\u00a0cutbacks in food and daily\u00a0expenses\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to a large-scale, government survey, Japanese household spending on both consoles and game software reached all-time highs in 2025.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japans-household-game-spending-hits-record-high-in-2025-despite-inflation-driven-cutbacks-in-food-and-daily-expenses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan\u2019s household game spending hit record high in 2025, despite inflation-driven\u00a0cutbacks in food and daily\u00a0expenses\u00a0 - 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