Do Gamers Play More in Summer? A Midsummer Reality Check

Here’s what the data says, section by section, so you can measure your own July and August against the baseline everyone else set out with.

Response totals may vary between questions because not every participant answered every item. Some questions also allowed multiple answers, so percentages may not add up to 100%.

Key takeaways:

Do gamers play more during summer?

A clear majority of respondents expect their gaming time to increase. Around 41% planned to add at least three hours per week, while another 19% expected to play between one and three hours more.

For comparison, 28% thought their habits would stay roughly the same. Only 12% expected to spend less time gaming.

The biggest reason is simple: people expect to have more time. Among the respondents who plan to increase their gaming hours, 64% pointed to vacations or school breaks. New summer releases came second at 21%.

That gap says a lot: a packed release calendar can help, but players do not necessarily need a brand-new blockbuster to spend more time gaming. Sometimes the real difference is having a free evening, no early alarm, and enough time to make meaningful progress through something already sitting in the library.

Summer can also pull players in the opposite direction. Among the smaller group expecting to play less, 26% blamed travel and limited access to their usual setup. Another 24% expected good weather to draw them toward outdoor activities.

Where do gamers plan to play during summer?

Summer brings holidays, weekend trips, and long journeys, but most respondents still plan to do their gaming at home. Around 85% chose a desktop PC or console as their main setup. Portable devices, including laptops, Steam Deck, and Nintendo Switch, accounted for 13%, while mobile devices reached just 2%.

PC also dominates the separate platform question. It was selected by 85% of respondents, followed by PlayStation 5 at 24% and mobile devices at 18%.

Portable gaming clearly has a place during summer. A handheld is useful on a train, at the airport, or during a quiet afternoon away from home. The survey suggests that it usually supports the main gaming setup rather than replacing it.

For most respondents, summer gaming still means returning to the screen, controls, saves, and social groups they already knew. The location may change for a few days, but the home setup remains the center of their gaming time.

What games do players plan to spend their summer with?

The most popular summer genres are action/adventure (51%), RPG (40%), and co-op games (26%). The rest of the results were more evenly spread. Strategy and simulation games reached 22%, sports and racing titles 21%, and horror and survival games 20%.

These are genres that can comfortably fill a long summer evening. Action-adventure games provide steady progress and varied objectives, while RPGs give players character builds, side quests, exploration, and campaigns that can stretch across several weeks. Co-op games offer something different: an easy reason to get a group together when everyone has fewer deadlines.

Among the specific titles mentioned, Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V lead the pack. The high position of GTA V makes perfect sense given the massive anticipation for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI, which is set to return to the sunny, Florida-inspired state of Leonida in 2026.

The survey also revealed an exceptionally long tail of custom answers, showing that summer game libraries are highly diverse and that players eagerly reach for personal experiences to satisfy their specific tastes.

Do gamers prefer long or short games for summer?

Long games attract the largest individual share in the survey. Around 30% of respondents selected titles offering more than 100 hours of content, while 27% chose a mixture of games with different lengths.

Another 25% selected medium-length campaigns lasting between 20 and 40 hours. Only 11% chose games that can be completed in under 20 hours, while 9% selected endless multiplayer games with no fixed ending.

These results challenge the assumption that summer gaming revolves around quick mobile sessions. Many players expect to spend the season with large RPGs, open worlds, progression systems, and games packed with optional objectives.

Summer break also changes how an intimidating backlog game feels. A campaign that seems difficult to start during a busy month becomes easier to approach when there are fewer early mornings and more open evenings.

Do summer sales influence which games players buy?

Yes – summer discounts are the strongest purchasing factor in the survey, selected by 80% of respondents. Friends playing the same game follow at 45%, while reviews and ratings reach 27%.

Interest in buying is also high. Around 42% definitely plan to purchase a game between June and August, while another 24% selected “probably yes.” Together, that means 66% expect to add at least one new title to their library.

The results suggest that a discount often provides the final push. A player may already have several games on a wishlist, but a lower price decides which one gets bought and installed first. Friends can strengthen that effect, especially when an entire group needs a copy before the first co-op session.

Planned spending varies widely. Around 30% selected a budget of $0 to $30, 27% chose $31 to $60, and 22% expect to spend between $61 and $100. At the higher end, roughly 21% selected a budget above $100.

That spread reflects two common approaches to summer sales: buying one affordable game or using several discounts to build a larger seasonal library.

Summer game offers on G2A.COM

The survey points toward open worlds, RPGs, co-op, racing, and games with enough content to fill long evenings. These available offers match those preferences while giving players a route to keep the games in their own libraries.

Do gamers prefer buying games or using subscriptions?

Buying and owning games remains the clear preference. In the survey, 63% selected ownership over subscription access.

Xbox Game Pass was the most popular subscription at 19%, followed by PlayStation Plus at 11%. Other services attracted much smaller shares.

The result fits the wider purchasing pattern. Players are willing to wait for a discount, but many still prefer adding a game permanently to their library rather than relying on a rotating catalog.

What features make a good summer game?

Combining the survey statistics with the open-ended responses paints a very clear picture. The perfect summer game is one that is immersive, provides a chance to relax, works offline, and allows you to play with friends-but doesn’t require a constant commitment.

For many players, hours of gameplay serve as a form of “armchair travel”, allowing them to escape real-world confines and explore boundless, exotic landscapes right from their sofa.

Meanwhile, online and co-op modes successfully combine entertainment with crucial social interaction, helping to maintain friendships during free time. The ultimate summer game gives the player a choice: it allows for deep immersion, but doesn’t punish them if they prefer to pause, take a break, and head outside.

Who took part in G2A’s summer gaming survey?

The survey mainly reflects a young and highly engaged gaming audience. In total, 67% of respondents identified as dedicated or hardcore players, while 59% were aged between 18 and 34.

That profile helps explain several of the strongest trends in the report, including the dominance of PC, the preference for longer games, and the expectation of spending more time gaming during summer. It gives the survey a clear focus on players who already make games a regular part of their week.

Related summer gaming reading on G2A News

Summer gaming survey FAQ

What do gamers want from their summer gaming?

Respondents want a summer built around more free time, familiar home setups, long games, social play, and discounts. They look for enough depth to fill an open evening, along with enough flexibility to fit gaming around travel, good weather, and changing schedules.

There is no single title, genre, or session length that defines the season. The common thread is control. Players want to decide whether summer gaming means starting a huge RPG, meeting friends online, returning to Minecraft or GTA V, or picking up a discounted game that has been waiting on the wishlist.