UK Video Game Sales Experienced a 6% Decline in 2022, with Console Sales Plummeting by 29%

A summary of the UK gaming market in 2022 shows that while overall video game sales decreased by 6%, new game releases saw a significant 20% increase. The best-selling games of the year included FIFA 23, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Console sales, however, dropped by 29%, with the Nintendo Switch being the top-selling console despite a 28% decline in sales. The shift to digital downloads continued, with almost 20 million games sold via digital stores, a 3.4% decrease from the previous year. The market was affected by ongoing stock shortages and a decline in sales of older game titles. Notable new releases such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and God of War: Ragnarok, contributed to the growth of the new games market. The UK gaming market also saw a slowdown in the transition from physical to digital game sales, with 66% of games sold being digital downloads, up only 1% from 2021.