In 2025 the European video‑game market amassed a total turnover of €30 billion, with digital sales representing a dominant 91 percent of that figure, according to the latest figures released by Video Games Europe (VGE). This milestone underscores the continued shift toward online purchases, downloadable content and subscription‑based models across the continent. A notable development this year was VGE’s decision to broaden the scope of its flagship All About Games report.
Previously the analysis had been confined to the five largest European gaming economies – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – but the 2025 edition now incorporates data from an additional eleven nations: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By extending its geographic coverage, VGE aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of the industry’s health and trends across the whole European region. To compile the expanded dataset, VGE commissioned market‑research firm Ipsos, which drew on several established sources, including the GameTrack and GSD databases as well as the newly released EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report.
The survey reached a total of 39,371 respondents, ranging from casual players to industry professionals, giving the report a solid statistical foundation. When the numbers for the original five‑country bloc (often referred to as the EU5) are examined in isolation, a modest contraction becomes apparent. Revenue in these core markets fell by 4 percent year‑on‑year, slipping from €26.8 billion in 2024 to €25.7 billion in 2025. Despite the overall dip, Germany remained the top‑earning nation within the group, generating €6.5 billion in sales, followed by the United Kingdom and France.
Employment figures also paint an encouraging portrait of the sector’s vitality. In 2025 there were roughly 123,000 individuals working across 8,700 development studios located in the EU and the UK.
Women accounted for 24 percent of the total workforce, a figure that, while still indicating a gender gap, reflects a gradual move toward greater diversity in game development. The United Kingdom employed the largest number of professionals, with 28,520 staff members, while Poland and Germany followed with 14,930 and 12,410 employees respectively. These numbers highlight the growing importance of Eastern European hubs, which have become attractive locations for both domestic studios and international subsidiaries seeking skilled talent at competitive costs.
Platform usage trends continued to favour mobile devices. Smartphones and tablets were the primary way people accessed games, with an 82 percent adoption rate among respondents. Console usage stood at 47 percent and PC at 34 percent. In monetary terms, mobile and tablet gaming contributed nearly half of the total €30 billion revenue, reinforcing the notion that on‑the‑go gaming is now the backbone of the European market.
When it comes to individual titles, the console segment was led by Electronic Arts, whose flagship sports franchise EA Sports FC26 claimed the top spot, followed closely by its predecessor FC25. Battlefield 6 rounded out the top three, demonstrating the enduring appeal of first‑person shooters on console hardware. The PC arena saw a similar pattern, with Battlefield 6 again occupying the number‑one position.
Rockstar Games’ long‑standing classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5 maintained strong sales, proving that legacy titles can still generate substantial revenue years after their initial release. Mobile gaming rankings were dominated by casual and social titles. Coin Master held the premier position, with Royal Match and the ever‑popular Candy Crush Saga trailing behind. These games benefit from low barriers to entry, frequent updates, and robust monetisation strategies that keep players engaged over long periods.
Overall player penetration in Europe reached 199 million individuals in 2025. Women represented 46 percent of that audience, equating to roughly 91.5 million female gamers.
The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest market in terms of player count, with an estimated 25 million active gamers. Average weekly playtime across the region was measured at 8.39 hours, a slight decline from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024. Younger demographics, however, continue to log substantial hours: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 logged an even higher 14.30 hours.
Parental involvement remains a significant factor in shaping gaming habits. Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to be actively involved in setting limits on their children’s gaming activities. Moreover, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑setting tool—such as time‑limits, content filters or purchase restrictions—to monitor or curb gameplay, and 74 percent indicated they have explicit agreements or monitoring practices in place to manage online interactions. Within the EU5 markets, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases at all.
Of the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents reported that they closely supervised those transactions. Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to buy in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with the previous year, suggesting either increased parental control or a shift in spending patterns among younger players.
These findings collectively illustrate a maturing European gaming ecosystem: revenue is robust and increasingly digital, mobile platforms dominate consumption, and both developers and publishers are adapting to a diverse, gender‑balanced player base. At the same time, the industry is responding to heightened parental oversight and evolving consumer preferences, setting the stage for continued growth and innovation in the years ahead.