2026 is shaping the next wave of gaming moments.
Gaming is more than just controlling a character on a screen. It’s cultural moments, emotional escapes and community traditions. With a plethora of major gaming releases happening this year alone, there’s an abundance of opportunities to connect with gamers in meaningful ways throughout the year.
We know gamers.
At Best Buy Ads, we understand gamers’ passions, what drives their excitement and their desire to connect with other gamers. From sparking the energy before a launch to creating impact on launch day, we keep the momentum going through every step of the shopping journey.
Best Buy® has a gaming persona audience of over 110 million. One in 4 of our over 100 million My Best Buy™ members are gamers, and 1 in 3 gaming customers have shopped at Best Buy. That gives us a tremendous opportunity to connect your brand with this purchase-hungry gaming audience.
At Best Buy Ads, we can use our clean rooms to use the data and insights our partners have, layering it on top of our data to get even smarter and sharper with how we reach those customers in a strong and powerful way.
We also know that, with gamers, the purchase journey can stretch from days to weeks. This allows us to engage with customers across more touchpoints before they buy. That means more opportunities to shape consideration, build confidence and stay relevant throughout the decision window. From CTV to digital content, we’re able to drive customers to our ultimate differentiator, our stores.
Gaming culture is everywhere.
As one of the top retailers customers visit when shopping for gaming tech, we’re able to own cultural moments. That means going beyond just selling a new system or a new game to offering events that create cultural moments that gamers, in particular, strive to be a part of.
Most recently, this came to life with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. Yes, we had the highest single hour of traffic to BestBuy.com® for a pre-order ever, but to make this more than a purchase moment, Best Buy brought back midnight launches, creating lines of fans outside our stores like it was Black Friday in the ’90s.
We also had gaming trucks on hand at different stores post launch, keeping the hype for Mario going for weeks after the release. Each event offered hands-on gameplay, in-store demo opportunities and access to limited inventory—all designed to create excitement and engagement for this new gaming system.
Gaming is more than a just a category; it’s a catalyst for broader spend.
Gamers at Best Buy purchase a lot more than just games. They’re building their entertainment ecosystems with a new TV or surround sound system, investing in enhanced smart ambient lighting to set the mood, or adding collectables that satisfy nostalgia for classic games or the latest releases.
22%
of console gamers are likely to purchase home audio
43%
of console gamers are likely to subscribe to video streaming services
Score points and win big with gamers.
At Best Buy Ads, it’s more than a new console, a new game or a new product. We enhance the shopping experience, drive awareness and influence tech culture, connecting your brand with gamers in new and exciting ways. Let us help you meet customers throughout every step of the shopping journey, so when that new release hits, your brand wins.
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