Kiwis are fervent gamers, injecting billions of dollars’ worth of capital into the global gaming market yearly. However, while the country punches above its weight when it comes to technological and gaming advances, because of the relatively small population in New Zealand, it often means the majority of gaming trends or ideas follow the suit of more influential gaming economies.
There’s no shame in this, and it’s similar to a number of other industries. Often, the economy that drives the most activity is the US—it is the largest economy and is home to the highest number of innovators in technology and gaming.
Both are driving forces and determine the direction of many gaming trends. So, let’s examine how the future of online gaming trends could look in New Zealand and how Kiwis and their attitude to gaming can help cultivate microtrends within their local markets.
Leveraging expert resources
The definition of an “expert resource” can be a divisive topic in the modern market. You only have to browse social media sites such as X, formerly known as Twitter, to get an idea of the complete dumpster fire of worthless opinions that fester in the bottomless pits of the waning social media behemoth.
However, the idea of “experts” is more tangible in gaming, especially in specific areas such as casino gaming. Kiwis are no strangers to placing a wager or two, whether playing pokies or traditional casino games like roulette and blackjack.
Experts in this market can showcase clear evidence of their credentials, often with over a decade of experience in the market. They can leverage this expertise to direct people toward sites or casino platforms that, in their opinion, are a cut above the rest. AskGamblers NZ is a smaller, local version of this, but they also have a presence in multiple other prominent casino gaming markets.
As more people seek out expert resources and start to research before playing casino games, this trend could also increase in other gaming industry areas. While there are plenty of nuances and objectivity, somebody with decades of experience in any industry is often a much better authority to listen to than somebody with no credentials on social media purporting to be an expert.
Channeling into global trends
Gaming is a ubiquitous market. If something big happens in the Australian or US market, it will also impact the NZ market. For instance, the biggest upcoming game release, GTA 6, has been in the pipeline since the release of the first trailer at the end of 2023. Rockstar recently announced that the highly anticipated release date of 2025 has now been pushed back to May 2026.
Such is the size and passionate fanbase of the Grand Theft Auto community. The delay has drawn ferocious criticism from many gamers worldwide, including in New Zealand, who have accused Rockstar of being lazy and not valuing their consumer base.
Grand Theft Auto V has consistently ranked as one of the highest-selling games of the year every year since its release in 2013. While it’s remained high up in the global charts, this trend has also been reflected in New Zealand, so it’s highly likely to be the case in 2026.
In fact, you could bet your bottom dollar that GTA 6 will be the most talked-about game in New Zealand next year, and it’s likely to command a significant portion of industry interest between now and the end of the decade. New Rockstar games don’t just control the narrative in the gaming world; as titles that have transcended pop culture, they often take up news headlines worldwide.
Moving to the mobile gaming world?
Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices have driven many significant gaming trends since the start of the 2010s. While the top home video console games will always generate the most engagement, the rise of League of Legends has shown there’s a vast potential market in mobile gaming.
Professional video gaming, which has sold out arenas worldwide, includes many of the top-selling mobile gaming titles, such as League of Legends and PUBG Mobile. While some analysts believed this might have been an anomaly at the beginning of the 2010s, the market has since proven otherwise, with the Web3 market predicted to grow over 10% annually between now and 2030.
It’s hard to see how this does not impact the Kiwi gaming market. Strong market growth causes companies to adjust their priorities, move toward pioneering mobile gaming titles, and earmark more money to market those games.
Suggesting that mobile gaming could become a trend might be similar to being a little bit late to the party. It’s already commanding a multi-billion-dollar section of the market Down Under—and with cost-effectiveness and convenience some of the most significant driving forces creating such a stir in the market, it feels like it’ll be business as usual rather than something completely new.
Conclusion
As you have probably gathered from the direction of our article today, online gaming trends in New Zealand are strongly linked to broader gaming trends, especially those in neighbouring countries like Australia and colossal gaming markets such as the US and China.
It’s unlikely that Kiwi gaming trends will break off from the global market. By its very structure and definition, online gaming is an all-encompassing, global market. Gaming companies do not all operate within their respective countries; many designers have a presence across multiple continents.
Kiwi companies are no different—prominent mobile gaming brands like PikPok have been branching into the US and UK markets since 2012, and RocketWerkz, a Dunedin-based video gaming company, recently opened an office in Auckland to attract some of the top international game development talent.
While both companies are quintessentially Kiwi and operate as such, they are not averse to the broader influence of the global gaming market. Since this often dictates consumer demand, companies in New Zealand often follow suit out of necessity rather than choice. That’s not to say there isn’t room for innovation, but if you’re looking for NZ gaming trends, they mirror many global markets.
