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 subscription‑based models across the continent’s diverse gaming landscape.
A major development this year was the broadening of VGE’s flagship analysis, the All About Games report. Previously confined to the five largest European markets—commonly referred to as the EU5 (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy)—the study now incorporates data from an additional eleven nations: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.
The inclusion of these countries provides a more comprehensive view of regional trends, consumer behaviour and economic impact, and reflects VGE’s ambition to capture the full breadth of Europe’s gaming ecosystem. To compile the expanded dataset, VGE commissioned the market‑research firm Ipsos, which aggregated information from several reputable sources, including GameTrack, GSD and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The resulting survey captured the responses of 39,371 participants, offering a statistically robust picture of player demographics, platform preferences, spending habits and employment figures across the expanded geographic scope. When the numbers for the original EU5 are examined in isolation, revenue in those five markets 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 the group, generating €6.5 billion, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. Despite the modest decline, the overall European market continued to grow, driven largely by the strong performance of the newly added territories. Employment in the sector also showed encouraging signs.
In 2025, a total of 123,000 individuals were employed across roughly 8,700 development studios located in the EU and the United Kingdom. Women accounted for 24 percent of the workforce, a figure that, while still indicating a gender gap, represents incremental progress toward greater diversity in game development and publishing roles. The United Kingdom led the continent in terms of headcount, with 28,520 people working in the industry, followed by Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410).
These numbers highlight the importance of both established hubs and emerging centres of production, as smaller markets such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland also contribute sizeable talent pools. Platform usage data revealed that mobile phones and tablets remain the primary way Europeans play games, with 82 percent of respondents indicating they regularly use these devices. Consoles were the second‑most popular platform at 47 percent, while personal computers accounted for 34 percent of usage.
Notably, mobile and tablet play generated almost half of the total industry revenue, underscoring the lucrative nature of the freemium and in‑app‑purchase models that dominate that segment. In the console arena, Electronic Arts retained its leadership position throughout 2025. EA Sports’ flagship titles, FC26 and FC25, occupied the top two slots on the console charts, with the long‑running Battlefield 6 series taking the third place.
On PC, Battlefield 6 also claimed the number‑one spot, followed closely by Rockstar Games’ evergreen classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, which continue to attract strong sales and active player bases years after their initial releases. Mobile gaming leaders were equally clear. The casual‑strategy title Coin Master topped the rankings, with Royal Match and the iconic Candy Crush Saga rounding out the top three. These games illustrate the continued appeal of quick‑play, socially integrated experiences that can be enjoyed in short sessions throughout the day.
Player penetration across Europe reached 199 million individuals in 2025, meaning roughly one‑third of the continent’s population engages with video games on a regular basis. Women comprised 46 percent of this audience, translating to 91.5 million female gamers—a testament to the growing inclusivity of the medium. The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest market, boasting 25 million active players. On average, European gamers spent 8.39 hours per week playing, a slight dip from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024.
Age‑specific data showed that younger children (6‑11 years) logged an average of 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers (12‑17 years) averaged 14.30 hours, indicating that younger cohorts remain highly engaged. Parental involvement in gaming habits also featured prominently in the findings.
Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to be actively involved in setting limits on their children’s gaming time. Moreover, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑setting tool—such as screen‑time controls, purchase restrictions or online interaction filters—to supervise or curb gameplay.
A further 74 percent indicated that they have established agreements, monitoring practices or technical safeguards to manage how their children interact online. Within the EU5, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make any in‑game purchases.
Among the minority who did, a substantial 93 percent of parents reported that they closely monitored those transactions, reflecting heightened awareness of micro‑transaction spending. Correspondingly, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to purchase in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with the previous year, suggesting that parental oversight may be influencing spending behaviour.
Overall, the 2025 data paints a picture of a robust, increasingly digital European gaming market that is expanding both geographically and demographically. While revenue growth in the traditional EU5 markets slowed slightly, the inclusion of new territories and the continued dominance of mobile platforms helped push total industry turnover to a record €30 billion. Employment remains strong, gender diversity is slowly improving, and parental engagement is high, all of which point to a healthy ecosystem poised for further evolution in the years ahead.