In 2025 the European video‑game market generated a total of €30 billion in revenue, with digital sales representing an overwhelming 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 an increasingly marginal part of the industry’s income stream. A notable development in the 2025 edition of VGE’s flagship publication, the All About Games report, is its broadened geographical coverage. Whereas earlier editions focused on the five largest European gaming economies – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – the new version incorporates data from an additional eleven nations: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.
By adding these markets, VGE now offers a more comprehensive view of the entire European gaming ecosystem, capturing trends in both established and emerging regions. To compile the report, VGE engaged the market‑research firm Ipsos, which drew on a combination of proprietary sources, including GameTrack, the Game Software Developers (GSD) database, and the freshly released EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report.
The resulting survey captured responses from 39,371 participants, providing a robust statistical foundation for the findings. When the numbers for the original “EU5” bloc 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 country within this group, delivering €6.5 billion in sales, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. The modest decline reflects a combination of market saturation, heightened competition from mobile titles, and a slight slowdown in console hardware cycles.
Employment figures paint a positive picture despite the revenue dip. In 2025, the sector supported roughly 123,000 workers spread across 8,700 development studios throughout the EU and the United Kingdom. Women accounted for 24 percent of the total workforce, indicating gradual progress toward gender diversity, though there remains ample room for improvement. The United Kingdom emerged as the biggest employer, with 28,520 individuals working in game‑related roles, while Poland and Germany followed with 14,930 and 12,410 employees respectively.
These numbers highlight the growing importance of Eastern European talent pools, which have become attractive for both domestic studios and international publishers seeking cost‑effective development resources. 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. Consoles were the second‑most popular platform at 47 percent, and personal computers accounted for 34 percent of playtime.
In terms of revenue generation, mobile and tablet gaming contributed nearly half of the total €30 billion, reinforcing the sector’s reliance on in‑app purchases, ad‑supported titles, and subscription models. Within the console arena, Electronic Arts retained its leadership position in 2025.
The company’s flagship sports franchise, EA Sports FC26, claimed the top spot, with its predecessor FC25 holding the second place, and the tactical shooter Battlefield 6 rounding out the top three. On the PC front, Battlefield 6 also led the charts, closely followed by Rockstar Games’ enduring classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V, both of which continue to attract sizable player bases through regular updates and online content.
Mobile gaming saw a different set of leaders. The casual‑strategy title Coin Master topped the rankings, with Royal Match and the long‑standing puzzle phenomenon Candy Crush Saga occupying the second and third positions respectively. These results illustrate the sustained appeal of easy‑to‑pick‑up games that combine short session lengths with compelling monetisation strategies. 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, 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 measured 8.39 hours per person, a slight decline from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024.
Younger demographics still logged the most time: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 averaged 14.30 hours. These figures suggest that while overall engagement is modestly decreasing, younger players continue to devote considerable time to interactive entertainment. Parental involvement in gaming habits remains a prominent feature of the European market.
Seventy‑five percent of parents expressed a desire to take an active role in setting limits on their children’s gaming activities. Correspondingly, 79 percent reported using one or more family‑setting tools—such as time‑limits, content filters, or purchase restrictions—to supervise or curb gameplay. Additionally, 74 percent indicated that they have established agreements, monitoring practices, or family‑setting configurations to manage online interactions and ensure a safe digital environment.
In the EU5 segment, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases. Among the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents reported that they closely monitored those transactions, reflecting heightened awareness of micro‑transaction spending. Spending patterns among children who are permitted to buy in‑game content have shifted downward.
Average expenditure fell by 13 percent compared with 2024, suggesting either increased parental oversight, more cautious spending behaviour, or a possible shift toward free‑to‑play titles with less reliance on direct purchases. Taken together, these data points illustrate a European gaming landscape that is both mature and dynamic. Revenue continues to be driven by digital channels, mobile platforms retain their dominant share of usage, and a diverse set of countries now contributes to a richer, more nuanced understanding of market trends.
While revenue growth has plateaued, employment remains robust, and the sector’s expanding geographic footprint points to sustained opportunities for developers, publishers, and ancillary service providers across the continent.