If you’re like me, you spent much of your childhood playing video games. That’s not to say we didn’t play outside, but at night or on rainy days, I remember endless hours of fun on my original Sony PlayStation. Since then, the video game industry has continued to evolve. As I find less and less time for gaming, I still keep my finger on the pulse of the industry. Now, as an investor, I am always looking for ways to invest in emerging markets that have a chance to explode. So, let’s take a look at video game stocks to trade.
Years ago, big console makers were the only companies we associated with in the gaming industry. Sony, Sega, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Now, there is a long list of sub-sectors that we now associate with the industry. Think about companies that create the CPUs and GPUs that allow gaming. We can now invest in game makers or designers and even the software on which the games are built.
In this article, I’ll outline several sectors within the gaming industry and their important roles. As always, I’ll also cover some of my favorite gaming-related stocks to invest in. Let’s get to it!
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Video Game Stocks Introduction
These days, investing in video games is more than just looking at the big console makers. In this information age, we are much more knowledgeable about the different sub-sectors operating within the market. From chip makers to the Metaverse, here are the major sectors to know about when investing in video game stocks.
1. Chip-Makers
Chips are the brains of any electronic device these days. CPUs or Central Processing Units are the main hub that executes instructions to the computer. These are also heavily used in consoles, especially as the technology and processing powers have increased.
GPUs or Graphic Processing Units are chips originally made for graphics rendering, providing a smooth picture on your computer. GPUs are quite powerful and have been used in machine learning and cryptocurrency mining. CPUs and GPUs are important in how fast, smooth, and complex our games are.
2. Game Makers/Designers
Companies that make games and the software they are built on have become much more powerful over the years. These companies have flagship intellectual property that is worth billions in branding. Software platforms used to build games share a near monopoly in the space, creating extremely valuable companies to invest in.
3. The Metaverse
Incorporating things like virtual reality and augmented reality will be a major new market for games. Combine this with the elements of Web3, where you can play to earn games with digital currencies like cryptos, and you can see how much bigger this industry can get in the future.
4. Console Makers
These companies have the deepest pockets in the world and are constantly building new infrastructure. This infrastructure includes things like online networks and eSports leagues. Arguing against owning some of these companies in your portfolio is hard.
Will Video Game Stocks Continue to Grow?
The video game industry exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why? Because we were all stuck inside our homes with nothing else to do. Since then, as restrictions and mandates have been lifted, gaming sales have fallen back to Earth. It was an unrealistic trajectory for gaming growth.
As far as the future, it’s hard to imagine it not growing exponentially. It’s not just console and PC gaming anymore. It’s mobile gaming. Mobile gaming has surpassed all other forms of gaming with a 52% revenue share. This segment will only get bigger as more regions have access to smartphones and 5G networks. That will affect video game stocks’ profitability.
The Best Video Game Stocks
I’ll try to include stocks from each sector in this section. It would be easy to say invest in every big tech stock since they all have a hand in the gaming industry in some fashion. Without further ado, here are my top video game stocks.
1. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)
You can’t start a video game stocks list without Microsoft. What can you say about Microsoft? The second most valuable company in the world behind Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Microsoft is a juggernaut in terms of software, hardware, and enterprise services.
Of course, Microsoft produces the Xbox console and Xbox Live gaming environments. As of July, the most recent Xbox Series X console has sold over 14 million units worldwide.
Microsoft is also in the process of acquiring major gaming Activision Blizzard. This company owns valuable intellectual property like its flagship Call of Duty franchise, Diablo, Starcraft, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and the mobile franchise Candy Crush Saga.
Combine this with Microsoft-exclusive games like Forza, Gears of War, and Halo, and you can see how this company is positioned to dominate the gaming industry in the future.
2. NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)
NVIDIA is one of the leaders in the global chip sector. As a result, they’ve been added to our video game stocks list. It has set the industry standard with its GPUs, which are used for high-performance PC gaming.
The GeForce GPU has integrated cloud gaming directly into devices. You can connect to game stores directly from a device and play games in real-time.
While the next-generation consoles have used NVIDIA-rival AMD’s (NASDAQ: AMD) chips, PC gamers have long been faithful to NVIDIA’s high-powered units.
3. Unity Software (NYSE: U)
Unity Software is a relatively unknown company to casual gamers. However, to true gamers, Unity is the software upon which many games are built. You might have heard of the Unreal Engine from Epic Games.
Between the two of them, they own a near duopoly regarding gaming software platforms. If you are like me, you like to look at picks and shovel plays in every industry.
Not necessarily the top profit makers but the companies where the industry would fall apart if it were to shut down operations. Unity fits this to a tee. If its software disappears, then a major part of the gaming development in the world will do so, too.
4. Tencent (OTC: TCEHY)
I don’t normally recommend investing in OTC stocks. It’s not because they are bad companies; I rarely look at those markets. Tencent is a company I know fairly well, though. If you don’t know about Tencent, it is the largest tech company in Asia.
While its foundational product is its WeChat super app in China, Tencent is a massive conglomerate. It owns major stakes in companies like Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Sea Limited (NYSE: SE), and JD.Com (NASDAQ: JD).
Regarding gaming, Tencent owns Epic Games and Riot Games, a major stake in Supercell and Ubisoft, its own Tencent Gaming division, and a long list of other smaller game developers.
Tencent dominates the Asian gaming market and owns franchises like League of Legends and Fortnite. If there is one company you might want to look into when investing in gaming, it’s Tencent.
5. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA)
One of the best-known North American game developers is Electronic Arts or EA. If you’re like me, you grew up playing sports franchises like NHL, FIFA, and Madden.
Since then, EA has expanded its portfolio of games to include popular titles like Battlefield, Star Wars, Apex Legends, Dead Space, Mass Effect, and Army of Two. No longer is EA just a sports game maker! As long as EA owns these franchises, it will remain a major game developer.
Final Thoughts: Video Game Stocks
So whether you are a gamer or not, there are plenty of opportunities to trade video game stocks. Not only is it a global sector that has multiple different platforms (console, PC, mobile), but it is fast becoming integrated with other emerging technologies like the Metaverse and artificial intelligence.
You can invest in picks and shovel companies like game developers, chip makers, or console and infrastructure builders. Either way, gaming is fun and a profitable investment for the long term!
Frequently Asked Questions
The best investments are video game stocks like Microsoft, Nvidia, Or EA.
The video game industry hasn't performed as well as it did during COVID-19.
Gaming will never disappear, so it will always be a solid investment.
Electronic Arts, Nintendo, and Take-Two are gaming stocks you can trade.
