A median 6.20% internet gaming disorder rate across nine meta-analyses sits beside a 3.91% ICD-11 rate for German adolescents in 2024. The gap comes from how each study measures the condition. This guide to gaming addiction data covers 2025 and 2026 releases on diagnostic criteria, a six-year German panel, the DAK autumn 2025 survey, young adults, mental health trajectories and treatment results.
Gaming Addiction Data
Why Gaming Addiction Data Depends on the Diagnostic Yardstick
Two manuals define the condition differently. The DSM-5 lists internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a condition warranting further study, while ICD-11 lists gaming disorder (GD) as a clinical diagnosis.
| Framework | Status | Criteria | Threshold | Time window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSM-5 (IGD) | Condition for further study, Section III (2013) | 9 criteria | 5 or more | Last 12 months |
| ICD-11 (GD) | Clinical diagnosis recognized by WHO (2018) | 3 core features plus functional impairment | All core features and significant impairment | At least 12 months in general |
Source: European Psychiatry (Busch et al.), published online June 2026
The same paper cites a 2025 review by Saunders and colleagues concluding that ICD-11 GD yields smaller prevalence estimates than DSM-5 IGD. The DSM-5 includes peripheral criteria such as deception and withdrawal; ICD-11 focuses on three core addiction features.
What pooled reviews reported in 2026
An umbrella review in Brain Sciences pooled nine meta-analyses and found a median IGD prevalence of 6.20%. The interquartile range ran from 4.25% to 8.30%, and males showed higher prevalence in subgroup analyses.
Source: Brain Sciences, umbrella review, July 2026
An eClinicalMedicine overview included 51 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It places GD or IGD at 6% to 10% of adolescents and young adults worldwide.
Source: eClinicalMedicine, overview of reviews, September 2026
One adolescent meta-analysis of 84 studies and 641,763 people pooled a GD rate of 8.6%, with heterogeneity of I-squared = 100%. China recorded the highest country subgroup at 11.7%, and meta-regression showed prevalence rising over the years studied.
Source: Public Health in Practice (Satapathy et al.), June 2025, studies searched to February 2024
Germany’s Six-Year Gaming Addiction Panel: 2.92%, 6.53%, 3.91%
| Group (ages 10-17) | 2019 | Peak (year) | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All adolescents | 2.92% | 6.53% (2023) | 3.91% |
| Males | 4.03% | 7.99% (2023) | 5.23% |
| Females | 1.74% | 6.13% (2022) | 2.50% |
| Males 10-13 | 2.85% | 7.67% (2023) | 3.69% |
| Males 14-17 | 5.13% | 8.30% (2023) | 6.74% |
| Females 10-13 | 1.92% | 6.74% (2021) | 3.22% |
| Females 14-17 | 1.56% | 7.46% (2022) | 1.78% |
Source: European Psychiatry (Busch et al.), weighted ICD-11 prevalence estimates, annual waves 2019-2024
The panel followed 3,358 German adolescents through annual online surveys using the ICD-11-based GADIS-A scale. Female prevalence doubled between 2019 and 2020, then reached male levels in 2022.
Girls aged 14 to 17 recorded the steepest fall, from a 7.46% peak in 2022 to 1.78% in 2024. Boys aged 14 to 17 stayed highest in 2024 at 6.74%.
New cases versus cases that persist
Persistence counts adolescents who met GD criteria in one wave and again in the next. It peaked at 36.24% between 2019 and 2020 and dropped to 22.70% between 2023 and 2024.
| Wave pair | Persistence of GD | Incidence of GD |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 to 2020 | 36.24% | 1.69% |
| 2020 to 2021 | 31.30% | 3.44% |
| 2021 to 2022 | 31.87% | 3.89% |
| 2022 to 2023 | 31.53% | 3.56% |
| 2023 to 2024 | 22.70% | 2.60% |
Source: European Psychiatry (Busch et al.), between-wave estimates, 2019-2024
Incidence counts new cases among those without GD in the prior wave. It more than doubled during the pandemic and stayed at 2.60% in the latest pair. The authors note wave intervals were irregular (12 vs 6 months).
| Predictor | Odds ratio: new cases | Odds ratio: persistence |
|---|---|---|
| Male (vs female) | 1.78 | 1.44 (not significant) |
| Perceived stress (per SD) | 1.41 | 1.86 |
| Weekly gaming time (per SD) | 1.37 | 1.63 |
| High education (vs low) | 0.40 | 0.27 |
| Age (per SD) | 0.76 | 0.88 (not significant) |
Source: European Psychiatry (Busch et al.), GEE models, 3,354 observations across five wave pairs, 2019-2024
Sex predicted who developed GD but not who stayed affected. The authors read the 2022 female peak as evidence that girls are not inherently protected.
Is Gaming Addiction Rising in the Latest Data?
Pathological gaming, German 10- to 17-year-olds, September/October 2025
DAK-Gesundheit and UKE Hamburg surveyed 1,005 families from 24 September to 12 October 2025. Under ICD-11 criteria, 4.5% of 10- to 17-year-olds showed pathological gaming and 6.6% showed risky gaming.
DAK calls the rise in pathological use against the prior wave not significant, as was the dip in risky use. It estimates more than 700,000 German children and teens with problematic gaming patterns.
Boys were almost three times as likely as girls to show pathological use, up from about 2.5 times in 2024. No significant gap appeared between 10-13 and 14-17 year olds.
Source: DAK Mediensucht-Studie 2026, wave 8, September/October 2025
Daily gaming time fell in 2025
Average gaming time dropped to 89 minutes on school days and 138 minutes on weekends or holidays. In 2024, the figures were 105 and 171 minutes.
Daily play split sharply by sex: 45.5% of boys vs 18.0% of girls. Weekly play reached 89.5% of boys and 65.6% of girls.
Source: DAK Mediensucht-Studie 2026, wave 8, September/October 2025, with 2024 comparison values
DAK’s report presents descriptive figures, while the European Psychiatry paper pools multiply imputed data, so the two series are shown separately. DAK corrected some earlier-wave numbers in September 2026; wave 8 results were unchanged.
Young Adults Aged 18 to 35: 6.1% Pooled Rate
A meta-analysis in Addictive Behaviors pooled 96 samples from 93 studies published between 2015 and 2025. It covered 149,601 people aged 18 to 35 and found a pooled IGD prevalence of 6.1%.
Gamer-only samples reached 8.1%, against 5.47% in mixed samples of gamers and non-gamers. Participants averaged 23.53 years old, and 51.22% were women.
Rates varied by instrument: IGDS and DSM-5 criteria produced higher estimates than the IGDT-10. In gamer-only samples, prevalence rose over time.
Source: Addictive Behaviors (Gisbert-Perez et al.), studies published 2015-2025
Does Addictive Gaming Track With Worse Mental Health?
| Screen type | Trajectory | Share of cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Video games | High | 41% |
| Social media | High | 10% |
| Social media | Increasing | 31.3% |
| Mobile phones | Increasing | 24.6% |
Source: JAMA (Xiao et al.), ABCD Study data 2016-2022, published June 2025
The cohort tracked 4,285 US youths from ages 9 to 10. Video games produced only two addictive-use trajectories, high and low, both stable over time.
The high video game trajectory was linked to greater risk of suicidal behaviors, suicidal ideation and internalizing symptoms. Its internalizing gap, a T-score difference of 2.03, was the largest relative difference reported for any trajectory.
Baseline total screen time showed no association with outcomes. Boys were more likely than girls to follow the high video game trajectory.
By year four, about 5% of the full cohort reported suicidal behaviors and nearly 18% reported suicidal ideation. The study is observational and does not establish causation.
Source: JAMA (Xiao et al.), four-year follow-up, published June 2025
Treatment Outcomes in Gaming Addiction Data: Hedges’ g of 1.38
A Psychiatry Research meta-analysis of controlled trials published from 2007 to 2025 covered 1,360 participants. Post-treatment, GD symptoms fell with g = 1.38 and gaming time with g = 0.90.
At 90-day follow-up, effects held at g = 1.15 for symptoms and 0.79 for gaming time. CBT and other approaches performed comparably, and comorbidity did not change outcomes.
Source: Psychiatry Research (Harpas et al.), December 2025
Age findings conflict. That review found larger effects in adolescents, while an 18-RCT review of 1,950 participants found treatment worked better in adults, with CBT reaching g = -1.34.
Source: Psychiatry Investigation (Ock et al.), May 2025, RCTs published to May 2024
FAQs
How common is gaming addiction?
A July 2026 umbrella review of nine meta-analyses put median internet gaming disorder prevalence at 6.20%. Under stricter ICD-11 criteria, 3.91% of German adolescents met the threshold in 2024.
Is gaming addiction increasing?
DAK’s autumn 2025 wave found 4.5% of German 10- to 17-year-olds with pathological gaming, a non-significant rise on the prior wave. A separate panel analysis showed 2024 rates still above 2019 levels.
Who is most at risk of gaming addiction?
Males, stressed teens and heavy players. In Germany’s 2019-2024 panel, males had 1.78 times the odds of developing gaming disorder, and higher stress and gaming time raised both onset and persistence odds.
Does treatment for gaming addiction work?
Yes, in trial data. A 2025 meta-analysis of 1,360 participants found large symptom reductions (g = 1.38) that held at 90-day follow-up (g = 1.15), with CBT and other approaches performing similarly.
Why do Reddit threads quote such different gaming addiction rates?
Studies measure different groups with different tools. Among young adults, gamer-only samples average 8.1% vs 5.47% in mixed samples, and ICD-11 criteria produce smaller estimates than DSM-5 criteria.
Sources
https://www.dak.de/dak/unternehmen/reporte-forschung/dak-studie-mediensucht-2026_164552
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.7829
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116783
https://rec0ded88.com/statistics/gaming-addiction-statistics-worldwide/
https://coopboardgames.com/statistics/video-game-addiction-statistics
