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 purchases, subscriptions and in‑app transactions across the continent’s diverse gaming ecosystem. One of the most notable developments this year was the broadening of VGE’s flagship analysis, the All About Games report. Previously confined to the five largest European territories – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – the study now incorporates data from an additional eleven countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland.
By extending its geographic coverage to sixteen markets, VGE aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of gaming trends, consumer behaviour and economic impact throughout the European Union and the UK. To compile the expanded dataset, VGE commissioned the market‑research firm Ipsos, which pulled together information from several industry sources, including GameTrack, the German Software Distribution (GSD) platform, and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report.
The combined effort yielded responses from 39,371 participants, offering a robust statistical foundation for the findings presented. When the numbers for the original “EU5” group are examined in isolation, revenue actually slipped 4 percent year‑on‑year, falling from €26.8 billion in 2024 to €25.7 billion in 2025.
Despite the overall dip, Germany remained the top‑earning nation within this core bloc, generating €6.5 billion in sales and reinforcing its position as a central hub for both development talent and consumer spending. Employment figures paint an encouraging picture of job creation in the sector. Across the EU and the UK, 123,000 individuals were employed by 8,700 development studios in 2025. Women accounted for roughly a quarter of this workforce, representing 24 percent of all gaming‑industry employees.
The United Kingdom led the region in headcount, with 28,520 staff members, followed by Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410). These numbers highlight the importance of the gaming industry as a source of skilled, well‑paid jobs in the European economy. Platform usage patterns continued to evolve.
Mobile phones and tablets dominated the landscape, with 82 percent of gamers reporting that they primarily played on these devices. Consoles were the second‑most popular platform at 47 percent, while traditional PCs accounted for 34 percent of usage. In terms of revenue generation, mobile and tablet gaming contributed almost half of the total €30 billion, confirming the lucrative nature of the “play‑on‑the‑go” model.
The console segment was led by Electronic Arts, whose flagship sports titles EA Sports FC26 and FC25 occupied the top two positions on the sales chart, with the long‑running first‑person shooter Battlefield 6 taking third place. On the PC front, Battlefield 6 also claimed the number‑one spot, followed closely by Rockstar Games’ evergreen classics Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, 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 secured the leading position, while Royal Match and the ever‑popular Candy Crush Saga filled out the top three.
These results illustrate the enduring appeal of free‑to‑play titles that combine simple mechanics with frequent micro‑transactions. Overall player participation reached 199 million individuals across Europe in 2025. Women made up 46 percent of the gamer population, equating to 91.5 million female players.
The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest market in terms of player count, with 25 million people engaging in video‑games. Average weekly playtime showed a modest decline, falling to 8.39 hours per person compared with 9.4 hours in 2024. Younger demographics still logged the most time: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 spent an average of 14.30 hours weekly on gaming activities.
Parental involvement remains a significant factor in the European gaming environment. Seventy‑five percent of parents expressed a desire to take an active role in setting limits on their children’s gameplay.
Correspondingly, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑setting tool—such as screen‑time controls or content filters—to monitor or restrict gaming sessions. Additionally, 74 percent indicated that they have formal agreements, monitoring practices, or family‑setting configurations in place to manage online interactions and ensure a safe digital experience for their children. When focusing on the EU5 markets, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases at all.
Among the minority who did buy digital items, a striking 93 percent of parents claimed they actively supervised those transactions. Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to purchase in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with the previous year, suggesting a combination of tighter parental oversight and perhaps a shift toward more cost‑conscious spending habits among younger gamers. Taken together, these data points illustrate a vibrant, rapidly maturing European gaming sector.
While revenue growth slowed in the traditional core markets, the expansion into additional countries and the continued dominance of mobile platforms point to new opportunities for developers, publishers and ancillary service providers. The industry’s sizable employment figures, coupled with increasing gender diversity and heightened parental engagement, indicate that video‑games are becoming an even more integrated part of European cultural and economic life.
As the market continues to evolve, stakeholders will likely focus on leveraging the expanding geographic footprint, optimizing monetisation strategies for mobile audiences, and maintaining responsible gaming practices that address the concerns of families across the continent.