In 2025 the European video‑game market generated a total of €30 billion in revenue, with digital sales representing a dominant 91 percent of that figure, according to the latest data released by Video Games Europe (VGE). This milestone underscores the continued shift toward online and downloadable content across the continent, as physical copies become increasingly marginal.
A notable development this year was the broadening of VGE’s flagship analysis, the All About Games report. Previously confined to the five largest European territories – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – the study now covers a total of sixteen countries.
The additional markets include Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By widening its scope, VGE aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of gaming trends, consumer behaviour and economic impact throughout the wider European region. To compile the new dataset, VGE engaged the market‑research firm Ipsos, which pulled information from several established sources such as GameTrack, the Game Software Developers (GSD) association, and the freshly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The combined survey reached 39,371 respondents, offering a robust statistical foundation for the findings.
When the numbers for the original “EU5” cluster are examined in isolation, revenue fell by 4 percent year‑on‑year, slipping from €26.8 billion in 2024 to €25.7 billion in 2025. Germany remained the top‑earning nation within this group, delivering €6.5 billion in sales, followed closely by France and the United Kingdom.
The modest decline reflects a tightening of consumer spending in some traditional markets, yet the overall continent‑wide increase to €30 billion demonstrates that growth in the newly added countries more than compensated for the dip. Employment figures paint an equally encouraging picture.
Across the European Union and the United Kingdom, the gaming sector employed roughly 123 000 individuals in 2025, spread across 8 700 development studios, publishers and ancillary service providers. Women accounted for about 24 percent of the workforce, indicating gradual progress toward gender balance in an industry historically dominated by men. The United Kingdom stood out as the biggest employer, with 28 520 people working in gaming‑related roles.
Poland followed with 14 930 employees, while Germany contributed 12 410 jobs. These numbers highlight the sector’s importance as a source of skilled, high‑tech employment in several economies. Platform preferences among European gamers continued to evolve.
Mobile phones and tablets dominated usage, with 82 percent of respondents indicating they primarily played on these devices. Console gaming retained a solid foothold at 47 percent, and PC usage accounted for 34 percent of the audience.
In terms of revenue contribution, mobile and tablet platforms generated almost half of the total €30 billion, reinforcing the significance of the “play‑anywhere” model. When it comes to top‑grossing titles, the console market was led by Electronic Arts. EA’s flagship sports franchise, EA Sports FC26, claimed the number‑one spot, with its predecessor FC25 holding the second position, and the tactical shooter Battlefield 6 completing the top three.
On the PC side, Battlefield 6 also emerged as the leading title, followed by Rockstar Games’ enduring classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, which continue to generate strong sales years after release. Mobile gaming saw a different set of leaders. The casual‑strategy game Coin Master topped the charts, with Royal Match and the long‑standing Candy Crush Saga rounding out the three most popular titles on smartphones and tablets. These results illustrate the diversity of player preferences across platforms, from high‑budget AAA experiences to lightweight, ad‑supported titles.
Overall participation in gaming remained robust, with 199 million Europeans reporting that they played video games in 2025. Women represented 46 percent of this audience, translating to roughly 91.5 million female gamers. The United Kingdom again led in sheer player numbers, boasting an estimated 25 million active gamers.
Average weekly playtime across the continent was measured at 8.39 hours, a slight decline from 9.4 hours the previous year. Younger demographics still logged the most time: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 spent an average of 14.30 hours gaming each week.
These figures suggest that while overall engagement is modestly decreasing, younger players remain highly active. Parental involvement in gaming habits also featured prominently in the report.
Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to be involved in setting limits on their children’s gameplay. Correspondingly, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑setting tool—such as time‑limits, content filters or purchase restrictions—to monitor or curb gaming activity.
Moreover, 74 percent said they have formal agreements, active monitoring, or family‑setting configurations in place to manage online interactions and ensure safe digital environments for their children. In the EU5 markets specifically, 72 percent of parents indicated that their children did not make in‑game purchases at all. Among the minority who did buy digital items, a striking 93 percent of parents said they closely supervised those transactions.
Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to purchase in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with 2024, reflecting either tighter parental control or a shift in spending habits among younger gamers. Taken together, these data points illustrate a European gaming ecosystem that is expanding geographically, diversifying across platforms, and maturing in terms of consumer behaviour and parental oversight. While revenue growth in traditional markets slowed, the inclusion of new territories and the continued dominance of digital sales propelled the industry to a historic €30 billion turnover, cementing its role as a key pillar of the European digital economy.