Gaming To Get Plagued By Ads At Game And Platform Level In 2025, Analyst Predicts

Expert Verified By

Is Gaming About to Get 'Ad'-tastic?

Story Highlight
  • A prominent analyst predicts gaming will get plagued by ads at the game and platform levels this year.
  • We might see in-game billboards, Xbox and PlayStation menus, and PC apps filled with automated and targeted ads.
  • The slew of mobile developers entering the PC and console market might also carry over their ad strategies.

Mobile gaming has gone on to become the largest segment within the whole industry, generating billions in revenue to cover a huge portion of the entire market. However, most of these accolades have only been possible due to controversial monetization and highly criticized ad strategies used by mobile game developers. 

Now, an analyst predicts this advertisement threat is about to penetrate the PC and console market on a large scale.

Why it matters: The gaming industry has grown steadily for a long time, but it has started to stagnate. This dilemma might cause game makers to slowly force ads into games and platforms starting this year.

Some titles are already featuring in-game ads in billboards to target gamers.
Some games already feature in-game ads on billboards to allegedly increase immersion.

Speaking to Gamesindustry, analyst Rhys Elliott from Midia Research predicts that gaming market stagnation could compel game makers to force ads to drive growth. These ads could infest platforms—like the Xbox and PlayStation menus—with in-game billboards showcasing targeted ads.

Mobile developers entering the PC and console market might also bring their ad strategies to keep up with the expected revenue streams. So, both PCs and consoles could embrace real-life ads on a large scale in their ecosystems.

Advertising will become more prominent at platform level and at game level… The games market and advertisers alike need new revenue streams.

-Rhys Elliot, Analyst

This is not the first time such a grim prediction has been made; some analysts in the past have also suggested a future filled with ads for apps like Xbox Game Pass

PlayStation Xbox PC
Our consoles and PC gaming platforms could be bombarded with automated ads.

All in all, it is worth taking the analyst’s warning with a grain of salt. Even if all the pointers suggest the inclusion of ads, these are still projections that might not come true—for a while at least.

Do you think the in-game ads will increase immersion, or will they just be a forced marketing tactic that kills immersion instead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the official Tech4Gamers forum.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

Fallout New Vegas Director Finds Lack of Difficulty Options Annoying, Says Games Should Support All Players

Fallout New Vegas director says video games should offer a wider range of difficulty options and is annoyed when a game lacks options.

Outriders 2 Is One of the Two People Can Fly’s Canceled Games, Fans Call It Square Enix Curse

It has recently been revealed that one of the two cancelled games from developer People Can Fly is Outriders 2.

Sega To Focus On Global Market Instead Of Japanese-First Approach For A Strong Comeback, President Confirms

Sega president Shuji Utsumi has confirmed that the company is adopting a more modern global focus approach to become a behemoth once again.

Fans Claim Game Pass Quality Has Significantly Improved In 2025 Compared To Last Year

Fans claim that the Game Pass value has significantly improved in 2025 compared to last year, with some stating they no longer purchase games.

Colorful Launches iGame GeForce RTX 5050 Series with Unique Designs

Colorful releases the GeForce RTX 5050 Series with three different variants, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell and DLSS 4.