LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 25, 2026--
As gaming evolves into an always-on entertainment experience, payment performance is emerging as a critical driver of player engagement and spending. New research from global payments leader Paysafe (NYSE:PSFE) reveals that while gamers are spending across an increasingly diverse mix of games, subscriptions and digital content, many purchases are still being lost due to payment friction and security concerns.
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The new The Experience Economy Report 2026: Video Gaming surveyed 5,000 gamers across the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland and Romania who had made a gaming-related purchase in the last 12 months. The research explores how players spend, pay and engage with gaming experiences, and highlights growing demand for faster, more secure and more flexible payment options.
Among the report's findings:
"Gaming has become a continuous spending experience driven by subscriptions, digital content, creator ecosystems and ongoing player engagement," said Bob Legters, Chief Product Officer at Paysafe. "As a result, payments play a bigger role than ever in shaping the overall player experience. Our research shows gamers want payment journeys that are seamless, secure and tailored to their preferences. For publishers and platforms, reducing friction at checkout and providing greater payment choice can help unlock revenue opportunities while strengthening player loyalty."
The research also highlights the link between payment performance and spending behaviour. More than two-thirds (68%) of gamers say frictionless payment experiences help them fully enjoy gaming, while nearly half (46%) say they would spend more on gaming if checkout were faster or easier.
As gaming continues to expand across platforms, content formats and digital communities, payments are becoming an increasingly important part of how players discover, purchase and engage with gaming experiences. Businesses that prioritise convenience, security and payment flexibility will be better positioned to meet evolving player expectations and capture a greater share of gaming spend.
To learn more about gaming spending habits, payment preferences, checkout friction and the growing demand for wallet-based experiences, download The Experience Economy Report 2026: Video Gaming.
Notes to editors
The report is based on research conducted by Sapio Research on behalf of Paysafe among 5,000 consumers who have played video games and made gaming-related purchases in the last 12 months. Respondents were surveyed online in June and July 2026 across the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland and Romania.
About Paysafe
Paysafe is a global payments platform powering the experience economy, with a strong focus on the iGaming, video gaming, e-commerce, online trading, retail, travel and hospitality sectors. With 30 years of expertise in payment technology, Paysafe helps businesses and consumers lift every experience through seamless, secure payment solutions, including card payments, digital wallets such as Skrill, eCash solutions like PaysafeCard, and a suite of local payment methods. With approximately 2,800 employees across 12 countries and annualized transactional volume of $167 billion in 2025, Paysafe connects people and businesses worldwide through innovative digital payment experiences. Further information is available at www.paysafe.com.
Friction, security and payment choice are shaping gaming spend. Paysafe's survey of 5,000 gamers found that checkout issues continue to drive purchase abandonment, while demand for secure, wallet-based payment experiences is growing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the government to temporarily take control of critical infrastructure if private owners fail to protect it from Ukrainian drone attacks or rebuild it after strikes, apparently the latest indication that Moscow is feeling the strain of war.
Russia is facing economic and political pressure due to months of escalating, deep and increasingly accurate Ukrainian strikes. Kyiv has used domestically developed long-range drones to target vital oil facilities, triggering fuel shortages that Putin publicly admitted, and major commercial hubs, embarrassing the Russian leadership.
Ukraine has also reeled from relentless Russian aerial attacks that have smashed its power grid ahead of winter and heavily damaged homes, as Russia’s invasion stretches into its fifth year.
The Kremlin’s intentions with Putin’s decree, announced late Monday, are unclear. However, it applies to various sectors, including energy and fuel infrastructure, industrial, communications, transport and logistics facilities.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that “often business owners do not pay enough attention to taking measures to ensure safety, anti-drone safety.”
Given the drone threat against vital economic infrastructure, “we must take measures, we must ensure our own safety,” Peskov said.
Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said in a statement Monday evening that the decree doesn’t imply nationalization of companies or a change of ownership — only “involvement of the state in the management of an enterprise to solve specific security problems.”
He added that “this mechanism doesn’t imply widespread use — targeted, carefully considered decisions will be made at the highest level.”
Russian political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said the measure might be a “tactical” step designed to make the owners of repeatedly damaged oil refineries undertake repairs that they might otherwise shy away from.
“Given the fact that the same refinery has already been hit three to five times, it’s safe to assume that the owners are now reluctant to invest in restoring what’s been destroyed,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Why spend billions if they’re going to get hit again tomorrow?” asked Gallyamov, who once worked as a speechwriter for Putin.
The government is giving companies an ultimatum, he said: “If you don’t finance the restoration of the refineries, we’ll take them away from you.”
In the latest attacks, Ukraine’s General Staff said Tuesday its forces struck facilities at Russia’s Afipsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region overnight, causing a fire. Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said a fire broke out at an oil refinery in the town of Afipsky.
A Ukrainian attack also damaged the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in southern Russia’s Rostov region overnight and halted operations, Rostov Gov. Yuri Slyusar said Tuesday. He didn’t provide any other details.
Russia faces fundamental economic challenges as the costly war drags on. The government has raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep Russia’s budget deficit under control, and taking over major companies could potentially bring it windfall revenue.
At the same time, taking over damaged assets could bring another financial burden for authorities. The Kremlin may intend the measure as a way to pressure companies to shoulder more responsibility for air defense, as Russia’s vast territory is hard to protect comprehensively.
Russia has also introduced more help for its biggest online retailer, Wildberries, and businesses selling goods through it — the company and thousands of sellers working with it were hit hard by Ukrainian strikes on warehouses. The Finance Ministry proposed Monday extending deadlines for tax and insurance payments to give Wildberries and its sellers some financial breathing space.
On Saturday, Putin told Russian state television that in the wake of Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, Moscow “must and will improve the air defense system and enhance its capabilities.”
“We need to streamline coordination between defense, law enforcement and civilian agencies at all levels, and to leverage the capabilities of state‑run enterprises and private businesses,” Putin said.
In May, with Ukraine’s deep strikes unsettling Moscow, Russian lawmakers approved a bill that allowed the country’s Central Bank, state-controlled Sberbank and some other financial services to fend off drone attacks by installing air defenses on their premises.
Russian news outlet RBC reported in May, citing anonymous sources in and close to the Defense Ministry, that a mechanism had been established for businesses to procure weapons and equipment to protect themselves from Ukrainian drone attacks, something Russian officials and lawmakers have said companies should do.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during their meeting at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Sergei Karpukhin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
