The total sales revenue of online games in Shanghai reached 95.3 billion yuan ($14.12 billion) in the first half of 2026, up 14.43 percent year-on-year, according to data released at the 2026 Shanghai Game Industry Elite Conference.

Domestic sales revenue rose 12.6 percent year-on-year to 77.4 billion yuan, while overseas sales revenue climbed 23.1 percent to 17.91 billion yuan.

During the same period, the revenue of Shanghai's esports industry rose 5 percent year-on-year to 3.42 billion yuan, excluding revenue from esports games.

Mobile game sales revenue stood at 57.09 billion yuan, up 8.42 percent year-on-year and accounting for 73.76 percent of domestic sales revenue. The share of client games increased from 17.5 percent in the same period last year to 21.03 percent.

While hosting fewer than half of the country's esports events, Shanghai generated 47.32 percent of the national esports event revenue. The city also accounted for 43 percent of esports club revenue, yet it is home to only 23 percent of China's esports clubs.

Among the top 50 esports clubs by value, Shanghai leads with 17, far ahead of Guangdong (9) and Jiangsu (7).

Source: Jiefang Daily