In 2025 the European video‑game market produced a total of €30 billion in revenue, with digital transactions 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 subscription‑based models across the continent’s diverse gaming ecosystem. A noteworthy development this year is the broadening of VGE’s flagship "All About Games" report.
Previously limited to the five largest European markets – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – the analysis now incorporates data from an additional eleven nations: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By extending its geographic scope to sixteen countries, VGE aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of regional trends, consumer behaviour and industry health. The research was carried out in partnership with market‑research firm Ipsos, which extracted and harmonised information from several reputable sources, including GameTrack, GSD and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The survey gathered responses from 39,371 participants, offering a robust statistical foundation for the findings presented.
When the figures for the original "EU5" group are examined in isolation, total 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 core markets. Employment data paints an equally vivid portrait of the sector’s scale. In 2025, roughly 123,000 individuals were employed across 8,700 game‑development studios operating in the EU and the United Kingdom.
Women accounted for 24 percent of this workforce, indicating gradual progress toward gender balance in an industry traditionally dominated by men. The United Kingdom employed the greatest number of people (28,520), followed by Poland (14,930) and Germany (12,410).
Platform preferences continue to evolve. Mobile phones and tablets dominate usage, with 82 percent of gamers reporting they play on these devices.
Consoles are the second‑most popular platform at 47 percent, while PCs account for 34 percent of playtime. Notably, mobile and tablet gaming also contributed nearly half of the total €30 billion revenue, confirming the lucrative nature of the handheld market. On the console side, Electronic Arts retained its leadership position in 2025.
EA Sports FC26 and its predecessor FC25 occupied the top two slots in the console sales chart, with the long‑running Battlefield 6 series taking third place. The PC arena mirrored this pattern, with Battlefield 6 leading the pack, followed by Rockstar Games’ evergreen titles Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, which continue to generate strong sales years after their initial releases. Mobile gaming saw a different set of champions.
The casual‑strategy title Coin Master claimed the number‑one spot, while Royal Match and the ever‑popular Candy Crush Saga rounded out the top three. These games illustrate the power of free‑to‑play models supplemented by micro‑transactions, a business approach that aligns with the high proportion of digital spending in the overall market.
Player demographics reveal that 199 million Europeans engaged in gaming activities during 2025. Women represented 46 percent of this audience, amounting to 91.5 million female gamers. The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest national market, with an estimated 25 million active players.
Average weekly playtime across the region measured 8.39 hours, a slight decline from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024. Age‑specific data show that younger children (6‑11 years) spent an average of 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers (12‑17 years) logged 14.30 hours, indicating that older youth still dedicate considerable time to interactive entertainment. Parental involvement remains a critical factor in the European gaming landscape.
Seventy‑five percent of parents expressed a desire to participate in setting limits on their children’s gaming activities. Moreover, 79 percent reported using at least one family‑settings tool—such as time‑limits, content filters or purchase controls—to supervise or restrict gameplay.
A further 74 percent indicated they have explicit agreements, monitoring practices, or family‑setting configurations in place to manage online interactions and protect their children from inappropriate content. Within the EU5 markets, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases at all.
Of the minority who did buy digital items, a striking 93 percent confirmed that they actively monitored those transactions. Interestingly, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to purchase in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with 2024, suggesting either more cautious spending habits or the impact of parental oversight. Overall, the 2025 data highlights a maturing European gaming sector that is increasingly digital, mobile‑centric, and inclusive of a broader range of countries.
While revenue growth slowed in the traditional core markets, the expansion into additional territories, the rise of mobile platforms, and the sustained engagement of a diverse player base point to a resilient industry poised for continued evolution in the years ahead.