Global sales of four types of digital games from 2000 to 2006

The bar chart illustrates the global revenue generated by four distinct categories of digital games between 2000 and 2006, measured in billions of dollars.

Overall, handheld games remained the most popular category throughout the seven-year period, showing a consistent upward trend. Conversely, console games experienced a gradual decline in sales, while mobile phone and online games saw substantial growth, particularly in the latter half of the period.

In 2000, handheld games generated $11 billion, a figure that climbed steadily to reach $17.5 billion by 2006. In contrast, console games started at $6 billion in 2000 but followed a downward trajectory, ending the period at $2.5 billion.

Mobile phone and online games were negligible in 2000 and 2001. However, from 2002 onwards, both sectors grew rapidly. Mobile phone games rose from $1 billion in 2002 to $7 billion in 2006. Similarly, online games increased from $1 billion to $9 billion over the same timeframe. By 2006, online games had surpassed mobile phone games, becoming the second-largest category, while console games had fallen to the lowest position among the four types.