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 continuing shift toward online purchases, downloadable content and subscription‑based services across the continent’s diverse gaming landscape.
A notable development this year is the broadening of VGE’s flagship market analysis, the All About Games report. Where the study previously focused on the five largest European economies – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – it now incorporates data from an additional eleven countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. The expansion to sixteen territories provides a more comprehensive picture of the region’s gaming activity and allows stakeholders to spot emerging trends in markets that were previously under‑represented. To compile the new edition, VGE commissioned the research firm Ipsos, which pulled together information from several industry‑tracking sources, including GameTrack, the German Software Developers Association (GSD) and the recently published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report.
The survey reached a total of 39,371 respondents, ranging from casual players to industry professionals, offering a robust data set for analysis. When the figures 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 to €25.7 billion from €26.8 billion in 2024.
Despite the overall dip, Germany remained the top‑earning nation within the group, delivering €6.5 billion in sales, followed closely by the United Kingdom and France. Employment statistics paint an encouraging picture of job creation within the sector. In 2025, a total of 123,000 individuals were employed across 8,700 development studios operating in the EU and the UK.
Women accounted for roughly one‑quarter of the workforce (24 percent), highlighting gradual progress toward gender balance in a traditionally male‑dominated field. The United Kingdom employed the largest number of gaming professionals – 28,520 workers – with Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410) trailing behind.
Platform usage data reveal that mobile devices and tablets continue to dominate the European market, with 82 percent of gamers reporting that they primarily play on these handheld platforms. Console usage sits at 47 percent, while PC gaming captures 34 percent of the audience. In monetary terms, mobile and tablet gaming contributed nearly half of the total €30 billion revenue, confirming the lucrative nature of the smartphone ecosystem. When it comes to the most successful titles, the console segment was led by Electronic Arts.
EA’s sports franchise secured the top two spots with EA Sports FC26 and its predecessor FC25, while the long‑running Battlefield series claimed the third position with Battlefield 6. On the PC side, Battlefield 6 also emerged as the best‑selling game, followed by Rockstar’s evergreen hits Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V, which continue to generate strong sales years after their initial release.
Mobile gaming charts were topped by the casual phenomenon Coin Master, with Royal Match and the ever‑popular Candy Crush Saga occupying the second and third places respectively. These results illustrate the sustained appeal of easy‑to‑play, free‑to‑download titles that monetize through in‑app purchases and advertisements.
Overall player reach expanded to 199 million individuals across Europe in 2025. Women represented a substantial portion of the audience, accounting for 46 percent (approximately 91.5 million female gamers). The United Kingdom remained the single largest market in terms of player numbers, with 25 million people actively playing games. Average weekly playtime showed a slight decline, falling to 8.39 hours per player compared with 9.4 hours in 2024.
Age‑segmented data indicate that younger children (6‑11 years old) logged an average of 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers (12‑17 years old) spent even more time gaming, averaging 14.30 hours weekly. Parental involvement continues to be a significant factor in the European gaming environment. Seventy‑five percent of parents expressed a desire to be involved in setting limits on their children’s gaming activities.
Moreover, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑setting tool—such as time‑limit controls or content filters—to monitor or restrict gameplay, and 74 percent indicated that they have established agreements, supervision practices, or technical safeguards to manage online interactions. In the EU5 markets specifically, 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 actively monitored those transactions, reflecting heightened awareness of micro‑transaction spending. Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to buy in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with 2024, suggesting either tighter parental control or a shift in spending habits among younger gamers.
The expanded geographic scope of the All About Games report, combined with detailed insights into revenue streams, platform preferences, popular titles, and demographic behaviours, provides a valuable benchmark for developers, publishers, policymakers and investors looking to navigate the evolving European gaming market. As digital distribution continues to dominate and mobile devices retain their grip on consumer attention, the industry is poised for further growth, while also facing challenges related to responsible gaming, gender diversity and the integration of emerging technologies such as cloud gaming and virtual reality.