Video Games Sales Statistics UK Edition [2024]

Have you ever wondered what kind of digital sales has managed to reach their peak during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK? Well, the answer is here: British video games became a billion-pound gaming market! 

If you would like to venture into the world of gaming in the UK, take your time to read this article.

Apart from presenting so many interesting facts related to video games sales statistics UK, this article also emphasises all the positive effects that video games can cause. One of the most striking attractiveness of video gaming is its power to improve the player’s short-term and long-term memory.

Before we conclude what makes video games so engaging, take a look at these exciting video games sales statistics UK:

Now it is time to present the world of gaming trends! UK gaming statistics have so many interesting facts.

Video Games Sales Statistics UK

As you can imagine, gamers spend loads of time playing games in the UK. If you are interested in gaming statistics, precisely what percentage of UK plays video games, the following gamer demographics will give you the answer:

On the other side, you will see they still can’t get enough! The most recent information tells us something about it:

If you are eagerly waiting to find out what percentage of the different age groups of the UK gaming population plays games, we prepared some interesting details for you: 

If we look a little bit further, we will see that 27% of the 65+ population have also played video games at the time mentioned above. 

It seems that UK gaming industry trends affect even the most aged people in the UK. Almost half of the elderly UK population play video games.

What about children?

You might think this sounds bad, but gaming can cause many positive effects on children you didn’t expect. For example, video games affect children’s tactile, audio and visual senses, and fighting games can develop muscle memory and reaction time.

All age groups like to play video games, and besides that, they can also experience the aforementioned positive effects.

Let’s take a look at more statistics:

Older people have found encouragement for playing video games in their desire to spend more time with their kids. One more question that you might not have expected is: What about mothers?

So, how many people play video games in the UK? There is no doubt that the percentage of UK players is at a high level. Whether it’s about young or old age groups, there is not much difference.

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Retail Revenue

First of all, would you try to imagine which country is the best at gaming? The following video game stats will give you the information about leading gaming markets worldwide:

Are video game sales declining? Definitely not! The UK video games industry has developed even more, and by 2020 it became the fifth biggest in the world. Furthermore, the UK video game market is aiming to become the first one. Take a look at the following information:

Gaming companies in the UK play an essential role in the digital industry and video game sales revenue in the UK is pretty high. Having in mind that video game sales statistics increased in 2020, it is logical that they had a real impact on the UK economy. Let’s put some light on this topic:

The gaming market indeed continues to gain popularity as this statistic represents a 14.5% gaming industry growth from the previous year. 

It is the first time that UK game sales exceeded the four billion pound mark. Below you can see statistics for video game software retail sales revenue:

Below, you can find a complete statistics display from Statista that represents revenues from video game access and ownership in the UK from 2012 to 2020:

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Average Money Spent

Statista estimated that 7% of consumer spending on video games went to digital downloads or access for the three months previous to the survey. Check out the next statistic that displays the mobile gaming market – UK, from 2011 to 2019.

According to Gamesindustry.biz, video game consumers from the mentioned group above spent £1.56 billion in the first half of 2019. However, one contrasting fact emphasises the superiority of the best-selling album over the top-selling game. Don’t be surprised when you read this:

Furthermore, the impact of the COVID-19 brought so many negative consequences, but it opened the door to the gaming industry. So, check out the statistics for the games market revenue worldwide, by region, in the chart below:

Considering the average amount of video games sales during 2019, we can infer that their digital economy has flourished. Check out one more fact below: 

In the following chart, you will discover information about the gaming platforms ranked by sales of software, according to Statista’s research from 2018.

To dig into more details, what about gaming consoles ranked by a unit in 2019?

This statistic shows that PlayStation 4 was the biggest selling console in 2018. It can deliver incredible gaming power and vibrant HDR technology, and in that way, it can provide an unforgettable gaming experience.

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Average Time Spent

Can you even guess how much time do average gamers spend playing video games? Prepare yourself and check it here:

According to this source, gamers managed to increase their playtime by five hours during the lockdown.

This information tells us that video game consumers should organise their time properly. Here is the more detailed report:

This source further tells us that at least 3% of the population admits to playing games for 15 hours or more in one sitting.

During the winter holidays in 2019, consumers spent even more time on video games. Would you like to know what happened on Christmas Day? 

As long as people spend a substantial fraction of their daily activities on video games, PC game sales will increase. It seems that the most popular video games in the UK will be one of the best Christmas gifts in the following years.

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Industry’s Revenue Share

According to Statista, revenue in the video games segment is projected to reach £5,317 million in 2022. That’s the time when the business will start to grow even more. 

Predictions are that revenue will increase up to £6.11 million by 2025.

What about the average revenue per user? 

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Gaming Industry Worth

You must be wondering how much is the gaming industry worth in the UK? TIGA’s latest report will give you the answer:

As reported by Statista, we will see that the following statistics show the number of principle retailers selling video games in the UK from 2013 to 2019, by type of retail company:

That is 21.7 % less from 2018, in which consumers spent £770 million on boxed software.

What about the mobile gaming market? According to Statista, the market value increased to £1.2 billion in 2019.

The following chart displays a timeline of the estimated value of the gaming industry in the UK from 2012 to 2024:

This chart shows us that the UK’s video game market was worth £5.3 billion in 2020, up from £4.8 billion in the previous year. In line with this, the sector will increase to an estimated £7 billion by 2024.

Who is the largest gaming company in the UK?

All of the UK’s most prominent and efficient games studios are famous because of their highly productive work environment. Here is what one survey revealed:

UK Games companies are based in 23 towns or cities in the UK. In keeping with a map produced in 2016, 20 of them are based in the following areas: London, Bristol, Sheffield, Birmingham, Brighton, Manchester, Slough and Heathrow, Guildford and Aldershot, Cambridge, Liverpool & Nottingham. 

Here are the top UK gaming companies that are recognised worldwide:

There is one more interesting fact:

Companies like Warner Bros, EA, and Ubisoft have invested in development studios and publishing networks in the UK. Staff who work in these companies can create the most innovative games to improve the UK’s gaming culture. So, the UK is an ideal place to develop new games properly.

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Number of businesses

If you dream of being one of the game designers, you should know this information:

The Creative Careers Programme was established to raise awareness of employment opportunities in the creative industries.

Considering that the gaming industry actively nurtures new talent in multiple ways, we have prepared more statistics for you:

The UK is considered one of the top markets for attracting and retaining tech talent. 

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Most Popular Video Games

The most common question is: What is the best selling game in the UK? So, let’s explore the most popular video games in the UK:

It seems that FIFA 21 has a vital influence in the world of the gaming market, so let’s see if that is true according to Statista’s statistics: 

These are the most played video games of 2020 according to units sold, and FIFA 21 had the best position in the whole fantastic world of video games. 

On the other side, we can check out Statista’s predictions for console games ranked by unit sales in the year 2018:

It seems that everybody in the UK prefers to play football games. If we look deep into these UK gaming statistics, maybe we can answer the next question: How many copies does the average video game sell? 

We can infer that the average game sells from 200.000 to 300.000 units in one year. 

Video Games Sales Statistics UK: Growth Trend

As of 2020, our Earth is full of gamers! Pandemic has also created a whole new subgenre of gamers known as Covideogamers, who exclusively started gaming during the lockdown. Below is the most accurate information:

Digital download UK game sales, game hardware sales and sales of software are great examples of an increase in sales. Here is the example:

Wrap Up

Now, when you are familiar with the essential statistics in terms of video games sales statistics UK, you can imagine their future development potential. Gaming stats have increased, not just in the UK, but also across the globe. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, video games effectively get everyone’s attention. In that way, video gamers can experience a wide range of emotions within the fantastic game world.