In China, the proportion of esports users has surpassed 35% of the population, while among the youth, this rate is approaching 60%. Revenues and professional employment in the sector have also shown rapid growth.
The "2025 China Esports Industry Professional Development Report," published by the Shanghai Esports Association, revealed that the country's esports ecosystem continues to grow. According to the report, the number of esports users in China now constitutes more than 35% of the country's population. Among the youth population, this rate is approaching 60%.
Esports Sector Continues to Grow
The report emphasized that 2025 marks a significant turning point for China's esports sector. With new support policies successively announced by central and local governments, the industry has officially entered a phase of "high-quality growth."
Data indicates that not only the number of players but also the economic scale and professional employment in the sector are rapidly increasing.
According to the report, while the annual growth rate in user numbers remained at 1.06%, sector revenues increased by 6.40%. This indicates that companies have significantly raised the commercial value obtained per existing user.
Honor of Kings Leads Mobile Gaming by a Wide Margin
It was stated that user preferences for game genres largely align with market distribution. In mobile esports games, Tencent's popular title, Honor of Kings, maintained its leading position, significantly distinguishing itself from its rivals.
On the PC esports gaming front, the market is reportedly being reshaped. According to the report, titles like Valorant and Delta Force stood out among the games that are shifting the balance in the desktop esports market.
Need for Professional Support Increases
The research also examined players' interest in professional guidance and training services. According to the report, in game genres requiring high skill and intense competition, professional esports consulting is no longer an "extra service." It was emphasized that players, especially in games with high operational difficulty, increasingly need expert support to improve their performance.
Therefore, esports coaching and player training are becoming new growth areas for the sector. The report stated that with the proliferation of competitive games, these services have transitioned into the category of fundamental needs.
A New Employment Sector
The research revealed that China's esports sector has created a major transformation not only in entertainment but also in employment. According to the report, the total number of employees, including full-time and part-time workers, exceeded 10 million. The number of certified professional employees has surpassed 10,000.
It was noted that on major platforms, over 600,000 new employees joined the sector in just the last year, with the annual increase in certified employees exceeding 30%. The number of new entrants to the sector increased by 25% in the last year, while professionals with more than five years of experience also saw growth exceeding 15%.
Remarkable Rise in Daily Earnings
The average daily earnings for full-time employees increased by approximately 86%, rising from 91 yuan to 169 yuan. The highest daily income in the same group surged by 549%, from 515 yuan to 3,342 yuan.
The report stated that while the overall income level in the sector has risen, the gap between top-tier professionals and low-income employees is rapidly widening.
Notable changes are also occurring in the employee profile of the esports sector. University students aged 18-22 now constitute 38.14% of the total workforce, becoming the largest group in the sector. The fact that the proportion of female employees has exceeded 60% indicates a breakdown of the traditional male-dominated structure in the industry.
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