In 2025 the European video‑game market produced 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 and downloadable content across the continent, as physical copies become increasingly marginal. A major development this year was the broadening of VGE’s flagship research effort, the All About Games report. Previously the analysis covered only the five biggest European territories – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – collectively known as the EU5.
The 2025 edition added eleven further countries, bringing the total to sixteen. The new participants are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By widening the geographic scope, VGE aims to capture a more nuanced picture of gaming habits, spending patterns and employment trends throughout the wider European region. To compile the figures, VGE commissioned market‑research firm Ipsos, which drew on several established data sources, including GameTrack, the German Software Developers Association (GSD) and the freshly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report.
The survey reached a substantial audience of 39,371 respondents, providing a robust statistical foundation for the conclusions presented. When the numbers for the original EU5 markets are examined in isolation, a modest contraction is evident. Revenue fell by 4 percent year‑on‑year, slipping from €26.8 billion in 2024 to €25.7 billion in 2025.
Germany remained the powerhouse of the region, generating €6.5 billion, the highest national total among the five. Employment data paints a picture of a still‑growing industry despite the slight revenue dip.
Across the United Kingdom and the European Union, 123,000 individuals were employed by 8,700 development studios in 2025. Women accounted for roughly one‑quarter of the workforce, representing 24 percent of all employees.
The United Kingdom led the employment rankings with 28,520 staff members, followed by Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410). These figures highlight the sector’s role as a significant job creator in a variety of economies, from large markets to smaller, emerging ones.
Platform preferences continued to evolve, with mobile phones and tablets cementing their position as the primary way Europeans access games. An impressive 82 percent of gamers reported using a handheld device as their main platform, while consoles were used by 47 percent and personal computers by 34 percent. In monetary terms, mobile and tablet play accounted for almost half of the total industry revenue, confirming the lucrative nature of the “games‑as‑a‑service” model that thrives on frequent micro‑transactions and downloadable content.
The console segment was dominated by Electronic Arts, whose flagship sports title EA Sports FC 26 claimed the top spot, with its predecessor FC 25 in second place. Battlefield 6 rounded out the top three console titles, indicating a healthy appetite for both sports simulations and first‑person shooters among console users. On the PC front, Battlefield 6 also led the charts, demonstrating the game’s cross‑platform appeal. It was closely followed by Rockstar Games’ enduring classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, both of which continue to generate strong sales years after their initial releases thanks to regular updates, online modes and a loyal fan base.
Mobile gaming remained the most popular segment in terms of player numbers. Coin Master held the number‑one position, with Royal Match and the long‑standing Candy Crush Saga occupying the second and third slots respectively. These titles exemplify the casual‑gaming formula that thrives on short, repeatable sessions and in‑app purchases.
Overall, 199 million Europeans reported playing video games in 2025. Female gamers comprised 46 percent of that audience, equating to 91.5 million women and girls engaging with interactive entertainment.
The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest national market, with an estimated 25 million active players. Average weekly playtime across the continent fell slightly to 8.39 hours, down from 9.4 hours the previous year. Younger cohorts still spent considerably more time on games: children aged 6‑11 logged an average of 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 averaged 14.30 hours. These statistics suggest that, although overall engagement is tapering, younger users remain highly active participants.
Parental involvement in gaming habits also featured prominently in the survey. Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to be involved in setting limits on their children’s gaming activities. Correspondingly, 79 percent reported using one or more family‑setting tools to monitor or restrict playtime, and 74 percent said they had established agreements, monitoring practices, or technical controls to manage online interactions and protect their children from inappropriate content. In the EU5 markets specifically, 72 percent of parents indicated that their children did not make in‑game purchases.
Among the minority who did buy digital items, a striking 93 percent said they kept a close eye on those transactions. Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to purchase in‑game content dropped by 13 percent compared with 2024, hinting at either tighter parental control, more cautious spending behaviour, or possibly a shift toward free‑to‑play titles with less emphasis on micro‑transactions.
Taken together, these data points illustrate a European gaming ecosystem that is diversifying in terms of geography, platform usage, and demographic participation. While revenue growth has modestly slowed, the sector continues to expand its workforce, deepen mobile penetration, and attract a balanced gender audience.
The heightened parental awareness and the ongoing expansion of the All About Games report suggest that future research will provide even richer insight into how games shape, and are shaped by, European culture and economics.