New data shows that most gamers just do not care about the use of generative AI in video games and that a vocal minority is making a lot of noise on the subject. At the same time, there is a growing share of people who say they are more likely than before to refuse to buy a game if they found out it uses generative AI.
New data from Circana’s PlayerPulse showed that just over 25% of US video game players surveyed in December 2025 said a game using generative AI would make them less likely to buy it.
“The majority were neutral or unsure,” Circana’s Mat Piscatella said. “At the moment, a vocal minority is against genAI usage, while the majority of video game players don’t currently care that much either way.”
The PlayerPulse survey specifically asked respondents, “How would you feel about a game if you found out it used some type of generative AI to create its in-game art, character dialog, in-game text, music, or voice acting?”
As you can see in the chart below, sentiment against the use of generative AI is growing, as the percentage of panelists who said they would “refuse” or be “less likely” to buy a game using generative AI grew from about 22% in March 2024 to more than 25% in December 2025. The percentage of people with a “neutral” stance also grew between periods, while the percentage of people who felt “unsure” dropped significantly. The percentage of respondents who said a game featuring generative AI would make them more interested in buying it dipped slightly.
Piscatella went on to say that the strong sales for Arc Raiders, Expedition 33, and Crimson Desert provide evidence in the market that people don’t care, or accept–reluctantly or otherwise–that the use of generative AI is a growing trend. Another factor to consider here is that the PlayerPulse study was conducted in December 2025, so sentiments may have changed since then based on any of the numerous progressions to generative AI systems since then. It remains to be seen how people would react to generative AI being more heavily featured in games than exists today.
Expedition 33 and Crimson Desert featured generative AI art, but the developers of each, Sandfall and Pearl Abyss, said this was by accident and that the teams would remove such art. For Arc Raiders, though, developer Embark was open about using an AI-based text-to-speech system for some of its voicelines. Subsequently, Embark brought voice actors back to the studio to record more lines, and the game has fewer AI voices than when it launched.
In terms of how developers feel about the use of generative AI, a GDC study from earlier this year found that more than 50% of developers think generative AI is a threat to the video game industry. This represented an increase from 30% from the previous year’s study. Only 7% of respondents said the use of generative AI in game development had a positive impact.
The developers behind the biggest new release in 2026, GTA 6, did not use generative AI, but Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, uses the technology widely across its business. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick recently said people are largely overstating what generative AI can do to help developers in the creative process. He said it’s “laughable” to believe people can use AI tools to simply “push a button” and make a high-quality, top-selling game.
If you’re keen to check out some of the best games that do not use AI, take a look at the gallery below.
