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 data released by Video Games Europe (VGE). This milestone underscores the continued shift toward online purchases and the growing importance of digital distribution channels across the continent. A notable development this year was the broadening of VGE’s flagship research effort, the All About Games report. Previously confined to five core economies – 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 territories in total, the report offers a more comprehensive snapshot of gaming activity throughout the European Union and the United Kingdom. To compile the figures, VGE commissioned market‑research firm Ipsos, which pulled together information from several reputable sources, including the GameTrack database, the German Software Developers (GSD) registry and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The resulting survey captured responses from 39,371 individuals, providing a robust statistical foundation for the findings.
When the numbers for the original five‑country bloc (often referred to as the EU5) 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. Despite the overall dip, Germany remained the top‑earning nation within the group, generating €6.5 billion in sales and outpacing its neighbours. Employment figures also paint an encouraging picture.
Across the EU and the UK, 123,000 people were employed by 8,700 game‑development studios in 2025. Women accounted for roughly one‑quarter of the workforce, representing 24 percent of all employees. The United Kingdom led the region in headcount, with 28,520 staff members, followed by Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410). Platform preferences continued to evolve.
Mobile phones and tablets dominated usage, with 82 percent of gamers reporting they primarily played on these devices. Consoles were the second‑most popular platform at 47 percent, while personal computers attracted 34 percent of players.
In monetary terms, mobile and tablet gaming contributed nearly half of the total industry revenue, reinforcing the sector’s reliance on on‑the‑go entertainment. On the console side, Electronic Arts retained its leading position in 2025. The company’s flagship sports titles, EA Sports FC26 and FC25, occupied the top two slots on the console charts, with the third place taken by the newly released Battlefield 6. The same Battlefield 6 also claimed the number‑one spot on PC, followed closely by Rockstar Games’ enduring classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, which continue to attract substantial player bases.
Mobile gaming leaders shifted slightly compared with previous years. The casual‑strategy title Coin Master emerged as the most‑played mobile game, while Royal Match and the long‑standing Candy Crush Saga secured the second and third positions respectively. These results highlight the sustained appeal of free‑to‑play titles that blend simple mechanics with robust monetisation strategies.
Player demographics revealed that 199 million Europeans engaged in video‑games during 2025, with women representing 46 percent of that audience – roughly 91.5 million female gamers. The United Kingdom again stood out as the single largest market, boasting 25 million active players. Average weekly playtime across the region fell to 8.39 hours per person, down from 9.4 hours in 2024. Younger gamers, however, still logged significant hours: 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 may be tapering slightly, younger cohorts remain highly active. Parental involvement in gaming habits remains strong.
Seventy‑five percent of European parents indicated they prefer to take part in setting limits on their children’s video‑game usage. Moreover, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑setting tool to monitor or restrict gameplay, and 74 percent said they have explicit agreements, monitoring practices, or technical controls in place to manage online interactions. Within the EU5 markets, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases.
Of the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents claimed they kept a close eye on those transactions. Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to buy in‑game content dropped by 13 percent compared with the previous year, indicating either tighter parental oversight or a shift in spending habits among younger players. Overall, the 2025 data illustrate a maturing European gaming ecosystem: revenues are solid, digital distribution is now the norm, mobile platforms dominate usage, and a diverse array of titles – from high‑budget console releases to casual mobile hits – capture the attention of a broad audience.
At the same time, the industry continues to generate significant employment opportunities and is gradually becoming more inclusive, with women representing a growing share of the workforce. The expanded geographic coverage of VGE’s All About Games report promises even richer insights for stakeholders seeking to understand trends across the continent in the years ahead.