Top Trends Shaping the Gaming Industry in 2024

Over the past few years, the gaming industry has experienced significant shifts, with indie game studios becoming more dynamic and larger game studios slowing down their releases. This period has been noteworthy for gaming industry trends. 

As we approach 2023, the gaming industry is poised for further growth. 

Projections of Grand View Research indicate that the video gaming market will reach a staggering USD 583.69 billion by 2030. The continuous expansion of the video game industry, both commercially and technologically, has consistently exceeded benchmarks. 

Technological advancements, such as immersive technologies like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR), have contributed to the rising popularity of mobile gaming. Simultaneously, the surge in streaming video games has played a pivotal role in the exponential growth of 3D game development. 

Building on existing gaming trends, several new 3D video game trends are on the horizon. Let's explore the current and potential 3D video game trends that are poised to captivate gamers worldwide in 2023. 

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in the world of Gaming 

For an amazing first-person gaming experience, Augmented and Virtual Reality gaming stand unrivaled. The overnight popularity of AR gaming owes much to the advent of games like Pokemon Go. 

Projections indicate that the AR and VR video game market will reach $11.0 billion by 2026, with an 18.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2026 (Industry ARC). The integration of AR and VR solutions into mobile and wearable devices, coupled with the growing demand for immersive gaming experiences, is fueling this growth. The Economist predicts a drop in VR headset prices in the coming years. 

VR gaming devices, including VR headsets and hand controllers, offer players an interactive gaming experience. In contrast, AR overlays digital elements onto the real environment, enhancing engagement and accessibility, particularly with the rise in smartphone penetration. 

Cross-Platform Tendencies in Gaming 

Among the potential gaming trends of the year, cross-platform video games occupy a prominent position. The development of games that can be played across multiple systems and consoles has faced challenges in the past. 

Cross-platform gaming, gaining popularity in recent years, is expected to persist into 2024 and beyond. The trend is fueled by the growing demand for flexible and accessible gaming experiences, as well as the expansion of cloud gaming services enabling players to access games from any device. 

Today developers are overcoming obstacles related to costs and technology, making cross-platform gaming a tangible reality. And yes, this will continue! 

Multiplayer Gaming with Competition 

The previous year witnessed the surge of competitive multiplayer mobile games, spurred by the global phenomenon of eSports and the popularity of games like PUBG Mobile. Multiplayer mobile games established themselves as a prominent gaming trend in 2022 and are set to dominate 2023. 

Multiplayer formats not only keep gamers engaged through social interaction but also provide a sense of achievement over other players. The enthusiasm for multiplayer video games shows no signs of waning in 2023, with players willing to make in-app purchases to enhance their gaming experience. 

Gym Gaming 

Contrary to the perception that video games are for inactive individuals, fitness gaming has emerged as a trend that promotes physical activity. Fitness gaming, also known as Active Video Games (AVG), has gained popularity, offering a novel way to sweat and burn calories. 

AR fitness is also on the rise, providing a fun and engaging approach to staying fit by combining physical exercise with interactive gameplay. Fitness gaming represents a new frontier in the video game world and is expected to be a prominent 3D video game trend in 2023. 

PC Gaming and new opportunities 

While new gaming frontiers emerge, the notion that PC gaming is on the decline is misguided. PC gaming is poised to experience a revival in 2023. 

The worldwide PC gaming market is projected to reach $31.52 billion by 2028 (Globe News Wire). While Steam has long been the preferred PC gaming platform, newcomers like GOG are gaining popularity due to their vast collection of recent releases and classic titles. Other platforms, including Origin, UPlay, and the Epic Games Store, are challenging the status quo. Additionally, online gaming platform Roblox, a catalyst for the surge in indie games, is another trend to watch. 

Gaming Trends Based on Blockchain Technologies 

Blockchain-enabled video games are transforming the gaming sector by offering exploration opportunities and enhanced security through powerful data encryption technologies. People are projected to spend $200 billion on in-game purchases by 2023 (Newzoo). 

According to experts at casinosnotongamstop net, blockchain technology has the potential to make in-game purchases safer and empower players to move from play-to-win to play-to-earn. It also provides a revolutionary platform for creating and storing in-game assets. This trend is expected to be a tipping point in the video game industry in 2023. 

Esports Gaming 

The concept of earning from playing video games, once viewed with skepticism, has evolved into a substantial industry, with the rise of NFT video games and Esports. Esports has become a global phenomenon, with skilled gamers competing across a range of video games, akin to traditional sports competitions. 

The Esports gaming market is projected to ascend to $2,174.8 million by 2023 (Markets and Markets). Esports has attracted significant attention and is anticipated to gain recognition as an Olympic sport, having already captured a sizable audience. 

Metaverse Gaming Tendency  

The integration of video games into the metaverse is generating considerable hype, with game studios carving out their niche in metaverse gaming. Metaverse gaming is poised to be one of the most significant gaming trends of 2023. 

The metaverse video game market is projected to reach 710.21 billion by 2027 (Global Market Estimates). Whether centralized or decentralized, metaverse video games are captivating gamers with immersive and engaging experiences, offering the ability to create avatars, explore vast virtual worlds, and interact with other players in real-time. 

Unity: The Preferred Game Engine  

Unity has garnered a massive fan following due to its features, ease of use, and rapid prototyping capabilities, making it the preferred game engine for developing multiplayer games. 

The unity 3D game development market witnessed a 93% growth, leading to a 30% increase in revenues from Unity-made games in 2021. With gaming projected to surpass $300 billion by 2027, Unity's versatility allows developers to create bespoke gaming experiences in both 2D and 3D formats, making it the rising standard in developing and marketing AAA games. 

Gaming as a Service 

Gaming as a Service (Gaas) or cloud gaming is a revolutionary concept that has the potential to redefine the entertainment and gaming industry. By eliminating the need for high-end and expensive hardware, cloud gaming enables remote access to gaming content. 

With 5G poised to redefine internet speed, the gaming world is likely to witness reduced dependency on purchasing games. Streaming games is expected to become the norm in 2023, eliminating periodic downloads and encouraging large-scale multiplayer gaming. 

What to expect in future? 

These represent some of the most significant 3D video gaming trends of 2023, expected to expand as technology continues to advance. The year 2023 is poised to be a prosperous year for gaming, building on the momentum since 2017.  

Overall, we expect that gaming will become more and more popular and more people will be enjoying it everyday. We expect the changes that are coming to make it even more attractive for the punters and the players and all of them to continue enjoying it.