UK Games Retail Sees Record-Breaking Black Friday Sales

The UK witnessed a remarkable Black Friday in the games retail sector, with sales of video game consoles, accessories, and physical games totaling £167 million, according to GfK. This marks the third most successful Black Friday for the video game industry to date, surpassed only by the Black Fridays of 2013 and 2020, which coincided with the launches of the PS4 and PS5 consoles, respectively. The UK's physical video games market experienced a 22% revenue increase compared to the previous year's event, with console sales accounting for 47% of the revenue, up from 40% in 2022. Online retailers dominated the sales, with 82% of Black Friday video game sales taking place online, matching the 2022 figure. Console hardware sales saw a 34% increase over the previous year, driven primarily by the PlayStation 5, which saw a 217% increase in sales due to limited supply in 2022. The Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series S and X also had their second-best sales week since their launch. Xbox Series S and X managed to match their Black Friday performance from the previous year, while PlayStation had a strong week. The accessories market also saw significant growth, with the biggest Black Friday yet for peripherals sales, driven by strong sales of VR headsets, joypads, and gaming headsets. According to Dorian Bloch, GfK's games boss, 'VR was in the spotlight over Black Friday 2023, and this was the biggest ever revenue week for VR.' Bloch also noted that gaming headsets showed a similar trend to joypads, with a reverse in units sold and a slight revenue increase. The under £60 category for headsets grew by 5% points to 45% of overall revenue, with an average selling price increase from £25 to £29, while the premium end of the market continued to be highly prized by consumers.