In 2025 the European video‑game market generated a total of €30 billion in revenue, 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, subscriptions and micro‑transactions across the continent’s diverse gaming ecosystem. A notable development this year is the broadening of VGE’s flagship research effort, the All About Games report.
Previously confined to the five largest European territories—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. By widening its geographic scope, VGE aims to deliver a more comprehensive picture of consumer behaviour, market size and industry employment across the whole of Europe. The expanded analysis was compiled with the help of market‑research partner Ipsos, which extracted and harmonised information from several reputable sources, including the GameTrack database, the Global Software Development (GSD) platform and the newly released EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. In total, the survey captured responses from 39,371 individuals, providing a robust statistical foundation for the findings.
When the numbers for the original EU5 are examined in isolation, total revenue fell by 4 percent compared with the previous year, slipping from €26.8 billion in 2024 to €25.7 billion in 2025. Germany remained the top‑earning market within this group, pulling in €6.5 billion, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain in descending order. Employment data paints an equally vivid picture of the sector’s health. Across the United Kingdom and the broader European Union, 123,000 people were recorded as working in the industry in 2025, spread across roughly 8,700 development studios, publishing houses and ancillary service providers.
Women accounted for 24 percent of this workforce, a figure that, while still indicating a gender gap, reflects gradual progress toward greater diversity. The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest employer, with 28,520 individuals holding positions ranging from programming and art design to marketing and quality assurance. Poland ranked second with 14,930 employees, while Germany contributed 12,410 workers to the continent’s gaming labour pool.
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 handheld devices. Console play was reported by 47 percent of gamers, and PC usage stood at 34 percent.
In monetary terms, mobile and tablet platforms generated almost half of the total €30 billion revenue, confirming the commercial power of the smartphone‑first model. When it comes to top‑selling titles, the console segment was led by Electronic Arts, whose flagship sports franchise EA Sports FC26 claimed the number‑one spot, followed closely by its predecessor FC25. Battlefield 6 secured the third position on consoles, reinforcing EA’s strong foothold in the market. On the PC front, Battlefield 6 also topped the charts, demonstrating its cross‑platform appeal.
It was trailed by Rockstar Games’ enduring classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V, both of which continue to attract substantial player bases years after their initial releases. Mobile gaming saw a different set of leaders. The casual‑strategy title Coin Master occupied the premier position, with Royal Match and the evergreen Candy Crush Saga rounding out the top three.
These results highlight the sustained popularity of free‑to‑play models that blend short‑session gameplay with micro‑transaction revenue streams. Overall participation in gaming remained high, with 199 million Europeans reporting that they played video games in 2025. Women represented 46 percent of this audience, translating to roughly 91.5 million female gamers.
The United Kingdom again stood out as the most populous single market, boasting 25 million active players. Time‑spend metrics indicated a slight dip in average weekly gameplay. Players logged an average of 8.39 hours per week, down from 9.4 hours the previous year. Younger demographics, however, continued to devote considerable time to gaming: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 logged an even higher 14.30 hours.
Parental involvement in gaming habits also featured prominently in the survey. Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to be actively involved 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 monitor or curb gameplay.
Additionally, 74 percent indicated that they have established agreements, monitoring practices or family‑setting configurations to manage online interactions and protect their children from inappropriate content. Within the EU5 region, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases at all.
Among the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents claimed they kept a close eye on those transactions, suggesting a high level of vigilance when real‑money spending is involved. Spending behaviour among children who were permitted to buy in‑game items showed a downward trend, with average expenditures falling by 13 percent compared with 2024. This decline may reflect heightened parental oversight, increased awareness of the costs associated with micro‑transactions, or a shift toward free‑to‑play experiences that rely less on direct purchases.
In summary, the 2025 data from Video Games Europe paints a picture of a robust, digitally‑driven market that is expanding its analytical reach to include a broader swath of European nations. While revenue growth slowed in the traditional EU5 core, the sector as a whole reached a historic €30 billion milestone, supported by strong mobile adoption, continued popularity of flagship console and PC titles, and a sizable, gender‑balanced player base. Employment remains healthy, and parental engagement with gaming habits is increasingly proactive, suggesting that the industry is not only thriving economically but also adapting responsibly to the evolving expectations of its diverse audience.