Young Japanese Gamers Spending Less on Microtransactions, But Financial Struggles Persist

A recent survey shows that one in ten Japanese people in their 20s are still facing money problems due to microtransactions, though the situation has improved compared to last year.

According to the 2025 annual survey by SMBC, a Japanese financing company, 10.5% of young adults reported experiencing financial hardship from spending too much on in-game items to gacha pulls. While this remains a concern, the figure has dropped notably from 18.8% in the previous year. The survey included 1,000 Japanese men and women between ages 20 and 29.

The data reveals that 19.2% of people in this age group made in-game purchases during the past year, spending an average of 5,080 yen (approximately $32 USD) per month. This represents a 2.4% decrease in the number of people making purchases compared to 2024, though the average monthly spending increased by about $5 USD. It’s worth noting that gacha game players tend to fall into two groups: those who spend heavily and those who spend conservatively.

These findings reflect the unique nature of Japan’s mobile gaming market. A 2025 analysis by Sensor Tower found that Japanese mobile game players have exceptionally high average revenue per user. Even as the domestic market has seen fewer new players in recent years, the high spending from existing users has balanced out this decline. Japanese players account for nearly 70% of revenue despite making up only 20% of downloads for Japanese mobile games.