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Every Tenth Japanese Gamer Faces Financial Difficulties Due to Microtransactions

A recent survey shows that one in ten Japanese people aged 20 to 30 still faces financial difficulties due to microtransactions, although the situation has improved compared to last year.

According to the 2025 annual survey by SMBC, a Japanese financial company, 10.5% of young people reported financial difficulties caused by excessive spending on in-game items and gacha. While this issue remains relevant, the figure has significantly decreased from 18.8% the previous year.

The survey involved 1,000 Japanese men and women aged 20 to 29. The data shows that 19.2% of people in this age group made in-game purchases during the past year, spending an average of 5,080 yen per month (2,500 rubles). This represents a 2.4% decrease in the number of buyers compared to 2024, although average monthly spending increased by about 500 yen.

It is worth noting that gacha game players tend to fall into two groups: those who spend a lot and those who spend frugally.

These results reflect the unique nature of the Japanese mobile gaming market. A 2025 Sensor Tower analysis showed that Japanese mobile game players have an exceptionally high average revenue per user. Even though fewer new players have entered the domestic market in recent years, the high spending of existing users compensates for this decline. Japanese players account for nearly 70% of revenue, despite making up only 20% of total mobile game downloads.