China’s Esports Industry Records Steady Growth and Global Expansion in First Half of 2026

The 2026 Global Esports Conference was held in Shanghai on 31 July, releasing key operational data and development trends for China’s domestic esports sector. The official launch and interpretation of the 2026 January–June China Esports Industry Report outlined the full-spectrum performance of the industry across market revenue, user scale, product layout, tournament operation, club development and overseas expansion.

Driven by continuous optimisation of local industrial policies, China’s esports market has expanded steadily in the first half of 2026, with deeper integration with technology, culture and entertainment sectors. The industry has become a robust growth driver for the digital economy and cultural industries. Artificial intelligence technologies are widely applied in core esports scenarios including athlete training, live event broadcasting, intelligent judging and live commentary, injecting new momentum into the iterative upgrading of domestic esports ecosystems.

Official industry statistics show that China’s esports industry revenue reached 13.115 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.78 per cent. Live streaming business remains the dominant revenue source, accounting for 80.43 per cent of total industry income. Combined revenue from tournaments, professional clubs and other auxiliary businesses takes up 19.57 per cent, maintaining stable proportions compared with the same period last year. The national esports user scale stood at 495 million by the end of June 2026, with mild year-on-year growth of 0.55 per cent.

Domestic esports operation platforms show diversified product layouts. Mobile game products are operated by 58 per cent of platforms, while client-based products occupy 25 per cent of the market. Around 13 per cent of platforms run both mobile and client-based esports businesses, and 4 per cent maintain web-based esports product services.

Professional tournament infrastructure continues to improve nationwide. A total of 91 provincial-level and above professional non-exhibition esports events were held in the first six months of 2026, a net increase of 19 events year on year. The growing number of high-standard professional events further standardises domestic tournament operation systems and enriches offline and online esports consumption scenarios.

By June 2026, China hosted 164 professional esports clubs. Shanghai ranks first nationwide with 37 registered clubs, while Beijing and Shenzhen each operate 13 clubs and Chengdu hosts 8 clubs, with incremental growth recorded in these core esports cities. Professional clubs exhibit differentiated operational strategies in event participation. 57.9 per cent of clubs participate in only one type of esports tournament, 18.6 per cent take part in two categories, 6.2 per cent compete across three categories, and 8.3 per cent join four or more types of professional events.

China’s homegrown esports industry continues to accelerate global market layout. Beyond traditional dominant markets in East and Southeast Asia, industrial influence has expanded significantly across the Americas. Overseas viewership of Chinese self-developed esports tournaments keeps rising, with peak live viewership of flagship overseas events exceeding 5.68 million, setting a new record for single-event viewership of Chinese esports competitions in global markets.

The domestic esports sector has achieved all-round steady progress in market revenue growth, policy optimisation, public participation, university engagement, technological empowerment and global influence expansion throughout the first half of 2026. The industry’s standardisation, mainstream recognition and internationalisation processes maintain continuous advancement.

As the starting year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, 2026 lays a solid foundation for long-term industrial upgrading. The domestic esports sector will focus on high-quality product creation and systematic high-standard tournament construction. Supported by favourable industrial policies and market demand, the industry will further optimise its healthy, sustainable and globally competitive industrial ecosystem. Continuous industrial upgrading will reinforce esports’ role in driving digital economic growth, stimulating resident consumption, empowering urban cultural and tourism development, and strengthening China’s leading influence in the global esports landscape.