The State of Classroom Game Tools in 2026: Which EdTech Platforms Are Growing and Which Are Declining
Cite this report: Miller, F. (2026). The EdTech Engagement Report 2026. BingWow Research. Full interactive report with downloadable charts. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
This is a summary of the key findings from a 7-year analysis of Google Trends data across 20 classroom game and engagement tools, combined with a 9-feature audit of the 10 leading platforms. The full interactive report with downloadable charts is at bingwow.com/blog/edtech-engagement-report-2026.
Key Findings
1. Blooket overtook Kahoot in search interest
Blooket's Google Trends search interest grew 6,300% since January 2020, surpassing Kahoot for the first time in January 2026 (Blooket: 53, Kahoot: 47). By March 2026, the gap had widened (Blooket: 63, Kahoot: 61). Blooket receives 27.89 million monthly visits (SimilarWeb, Feb 2026).
2. Gimkit matched $145M-funded Quizizz with $0 in VC
Josh Feinsilber created Gimkit as a high school project in 2017. With zero venture funding, Gimkit reached 9.7 million monthly visits and Google Trends parity with Quizizz, which raised over $145 million. Quizizz (co-founded by Ankit Gupta and Deepak Joy Cheenath) has 70 million registered users across 150+ countries — the strongest international footprint in the category.
3. Only 2 of 20 tools support printable output
Of the 20 classroom game tools surveyed, only BingWow and Bingo Baker support printing cards. Printed output remains the highest-distribution format for school assemblies, company events, and large in-person gatherings. This feature gap exists across the entire category.
4. Only 6 of 20 tools offer AI content generation
AI-powered clue/question generation is available in only 6 of the 20 tools surveyed: Kahoot, Mentimeter, Donut, AhaSlides, BingWow, and one other. This is where the next wave of differentiation will come from. Within two years, this number will likely reach 16.
5. Bingo card generator searches doubled since 2019
'Bingo card generator' searches grew 2x since 2019, outpacing generic 'bingo cards' queries. This signals market maturation: users expect to create custom content, not just consume pre-made cards. The April 2020 pandemic spike permanently elevated the baseline by 30-40%.
6. Gamification works — with large effect sizes
Li, He, and Yuan (2023) at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies found gamified learning produces Hedges' g = 0.822 across 41 studies involving 5,071 participants (Frontiers in Psychology, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1253549). Zeng, Parks, and Shang (2024) confirmed this with g = 0.782 across 22 studies (British Journal of Educational Technology, DOI: 10.1111/bjet.13471). Bingo specifically: Dr. Mohan Sannathimmappa (2024) at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences in Oman found students achieved 92.7% on bingo-covered topics vs 83.75% on traditionally taught topics (JEHP, DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_2074_23).
Feature Audit Summary (10 Tools, 9 Features)
| Feature | Tools supporting it (of 10 audited) |
|---|---|
| Free Tier | 9 of 10 |
| Multiplayer | 10 of 10 |
| Custom Content | 9 of 10 |
| AI Generation | 5 of 10 |
| Printable | 2 of 10 |
| Remote | 10 of 10 |
| In-Person | 9 of 10 |
| LMS Integration | 4 of 10 |
| Slack/Teams | 5 of 10 |
Methodology
Trend data: Google Trends API via SerpAPI, January 2019 through March 2026, US region. Feature audits: each tool's website visited and tested directly, March 2026. Company metrics: SEC filings, press releases, SimilarWeb, Crunchbase, LinkedIn. Academic references: peer-reviewed journals, accessed via DOI.
Limitations
Google Trends measures relative search interest, not absolute usage. Tools with strong international presence (Quizizz) may be underrepresented. SimilarWeb estimates are approximations. Feature audits reflect March 2026 state.
Full Report
Interactive charts, downloadable PNGs, and the complete 20-tool analysis: EdTech Engagement Report 2026.
About the author: Forrest Miller graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, where he received the Library Undergraduate Research Award for exceptional research sophistication and originality. He has led product teams at R-Zero, SoFi, Blend, and Opower, and was recognized with Amplitude's 2022 Pioneer Award for data-driven product innovation. He built BingWow, a free AI-powered bingo platform used by educators across 70+ categories.