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, downloadable content and in‑app transactions across the continent’s diverse gaming ecosystem.
A major development in VGE’s annual study this year was the broadening of its geographic scope. The All About Games report, which previously focused on the five largest European markets – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – now incorporates data from an additional eleven countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By covering sixteen economies in total, the study offers a more comprehensive picture of gaming trends, consumer habits and industry employment throughout the European Union and the United Kingdom.
The expanded analysis was produced in partnership with market‑research firm Ipsos, which aggregated information from several established sources, including GameTrack, the Global Software Development (GSD) database, and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The survey underlying the findings gathered responses from 39,371 participants, providing a robust sample size that reflects a wide cross‑section of gamers, parents and industry professionals. When the data for the original “EU5” bloc are examined in isolation, revenue in those five core markets fell by 4 percent year‑on‑year, slipping from €26.8 billion in 2024 to €25.7 billion in 2025. Germany remained the top‑earning country within the group, delivering €6.5 billion in sales, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain.
The modest decline can be attributed to a combination of market saturation, tighter regulatory scrutiny on loot boxes and a gradual migration of spend toward mobile platforms. Employment figures paint an encouraging picture despite the revenue dip. In 2025, the gaming sector across the EU and the UK employed roughly 123,000 individuals, spread across about 8,700 development studios, ranging from indie outfits to large multinational publishers.
Women accounted for 24 percent of the workforce, indicating a slow but steady improvement in gender diversity within a traditionally male‑dominated field. The United Kingdom led the continent in terms of headcount, with 28,520 people working in game‑related roles. Poland came in second with 14,930 employees, while Germany contributed 12,410 workers. These numbers highlight the growing importance of Central and Eastern European hubs as talent pools and production centers for both domestic and international projects.
Platform usage data reveal that mobile phones and tablets continue to dominate the European gaming landscape. An impressive 82 percent of respondents reported using handheld devices as their primary gaming platform, a figure that dwarfs the 47 percent who favor consoles and the 34 percent who play on personal computers.
Mobile and tablet gaming also generated nearly half of the total €30 billion revenue, underscoring the profitability of the free‑to‑play model, in‑app purchases and ad‑supported titles. In the console segment, Electronic Arts (EA) retained its leadership position in 2025. The EA Sports franchise topped the charts, with EA Sports FC26 and its predecessor FC25 occupying the two highest‑ranking spots, followed closely by the launch of Battlefield 6. On the PC front, Battlefield 6 also claimed the number‑one position, while Rockstar Games’ evergreen classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5 held the next two slots, reflecting the lasting appeal of high‑quality, narrative‑driven experiences.
Mobile gaming leaders were equally clear. The casual‑strategy title Coin Master secured the top rank, with Royal Match and the long‑standing Candy Crush Saga following in second and third place. These results illustrate the sustained demand for accessible, short‑session games that can be played on the go.
Overall participation in gaming remained robust, with 199 million Europeans reporting that they played video games during the year. Women represented 46 percent of this audience, amounting to roughly 91.5 million female gamers. The United Kingdom again stood out as the largest single market, boasting 25 million active players.
Average weekly playtime across the continent measured 8.39 hours per person, a slight decline from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024. Younger demographics still logged the highest engagement: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 spent an average of 14.30 hours gaming each week. These figures suggest that, although overall playtime is tapering marginally, younger users continue to allocate substantial portions of their leisure time to interactive entertainment.
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 video‑game usage. Correspondingly, 79 percent reported using one or more family‑setting tools—such as screen‑time controls, content filters or purchase restrictions—to monitor or curb gameplay.
Moreover, 74 percent indicated that they have established agreements, conduct regular monitoring, or employ family‑setting features to manage online interactions and safeguard their children’s digital experiences. In the EU5 markets specifically, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make any in‑game purchases. Among the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents reported that they kept a close watch on those transactions, reflecting heightened awareness of micro‑transaction spending.
Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to buy in‑game content dropped by 13 percent compared with 2024, suggesting that parental oversight and possibly increased price sensitivity are influencing spending behaviour. Taken together, these data points illustrate a European gaming sector that is financially robust, increasingly mobile‑centric, and gradually becoming more inclusive both in terms of gender representation and geographic coverage. While revenue growth in the traditional EU5 markets has slowed, the expansion into additional countries and the continued rise of mobile platforms provide new avenues for future expansion.
The industry’s employment numbers and the active involvement of parents in regulating play further indicate a maturing ecosystem that balances commercial success with social responsibility.