In 2025 the European video‑game industry amassed a total turnover of €30 billion, 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 purchases, downloadable content and in‑app transactions across the continent’s diverse gaming ecosystem. One of the most noteworthy developments this year was the broadening of VGE’s flagship research publication, the All About Games report.
Previously limited to the five largest European markets – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – the study now incorporates data from an additional eleven countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By covering sixteen economies in total, the report offers a far richer picture of regional trends, consumer behaviour and industry health. To compile the figures, VGE commissioned market‑research firm Ipsos, which pulled together information from several reputable sources, including GameTrack, the Global Software Distribution (GSD) database, and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The survey reached a total of 39,371 respondents, ranging from casual players to industry professionals, providing a robust statistical foundation for the findings.
When the expanded dataset is examined, the traditional “EU5” bloc (the original five markets) showed a modest contraction, with revenue slipping 4 percent year‑on‑year to €25.7 billion, down from €26.8 billion recorded in 2024. Germany remained the powerhouse of the region, generating €6.5 billion, the highest national total among all surveyed countries. Employment figures also painted a vivid picture of the sector’s scale. In 2025, roughly 123,000 individuals were employed across 8,700 development studios operating in the EU and the United Kingdom.
Women accounted for 24 percent of the workforce, highlighting ongoing gender‑diversity challenges while also indicating gradual progress toward a more balanced industry composition. Country‑by‑country, the United Kingdom led in head‑count with 28,520 employees, followed by Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410). These numbers reflect not only the size of each nation’s domestic market but also the concentration of development hubs, publishing houses and ancillary services that support game creation and distribution. Platform preferences continued to evolve.
Mobile phones and tablets dominated usage patterns, with 82 percent of gamers reporting they primarily played on these devices. Console gaming held a solid second place at 47 percent, while PC gaming accounted for 34 percent of the audience. In monetary terms, mobile and tablet platforms generated nearly half of the total €30 billion revenue, confirming the lucrative nature of the mobile market and the effectiveness of freemium and micro‑transaction models. On the console front, Electronic Arts (EA) emerged as the leading publisher in 2025.
EA’s flagship sports titles, EA Sports FC26 and FC25, occupied the top two slots on the console sales charts, with the long‑running first‑person shooter Battlefield 6 taking the third position. Battlefield 6 also topped the PC leaderboard, followed closely by Rockstar Games’ evergreen hits Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, which continue to attract substantial player bases years after their initial releases.
Mobile gaming saw a slightly different hierarchy. The casual‑strategy title Coin Master claimed the number‑one spot, while Royal Match and the iconic Candy Crush Saga rounded out the top three.
These results illustrate the sustained popularity of easy‑to‑pick‑up games that blend short sessions with persistent progression systems. Overall participation in gaming remained high, with 199 million Europeans reporting that they played video games at least occasionally during the year. Women represented 46 percent of this audience, amounting to 91.5 million female gamers.
The United Kingdom stood out as the single largest national market, boasting 25 million active players. When it comes to time spent, the average European gamer logged 8.39 hours per week, a slight decline from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024.
Younger demographics, however, still devoted considerable time to play: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 logged an even higher average of 14.30 hours. Parental involvement in gaming habits was another focal point of the study. Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to take an active role in setting limits on their children’s video‑game usage.
Moreover, 79 percent reported using one or more family‑setting tools—such as time‑limits, content filters or purchase controls—to supervise or restrict gameplay. A further 74 percent indicated that they either have explicit agreements with their children, monitor activity directly, or rely on built‑in family settings to manage online interactions.
In the EU5 markets specifically, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make any in‑game purchases. Among the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents claimed they kept a close eye on those transactions, suggesting heightened awareness of micro‑transaction spending. Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to buy in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with 2024, reflecting either tighter parental controls, more cautious spending habits among young players, or a shift in game monetisation strategies.
Taken together, these data points illustrate a mature, yet still rapidly evolving European gaming landscape. Revenue growth driven by digital sales, expanding geographic coverage in industry reporting, and nuanced shifts in platform preferences all point to a sector that is both resilient and adaptable.
At the same time, the workforce figures, gender composition, and parental engagement metrics highlight ongoing social dynamics that will shape the future trajectory of gaming across Europe.