In 2025 the European video‑game sector amassed a total turnover of roughly €30 billion, with digital sales representing an overwhelming 91 percent of that figure, according to the latest data released by Video Games Europe (VGE). This milestone underscores the continuing shift toward online distribution and micro‑transactions across the continent, as physical copies become an increasingly marginal slice of the market. A notable development in VGE’s annual publication is the dramatic broadening of its geographical scope.
The "All About Games" report, which previously focused on the five largest European gaming economies – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – now incorporates data from an additional eleven nations: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. By extending coverage to 16 countries, VGE aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of the industry’s health, trends and employment patterns throughout the wider European region.
To compile the figures, VGE engaged the market‑research firm Ipsos, which extracted relevant statistics from a suite of established sources, including GameTrack, the German Software Developers Association (GSD) and the newly published EGDF‑VGE Video Games Industry Insight Report. The underlying survey drew responses from 39,371 participants, offering a robust sample that reflects both consumer behaviour and professional activity across the sector.
When the numbers are broken down, the traditional "EU5" bloc – the original five markets – saw a modest contraction in revenue, slipping 4 percent year‑on‑year to €25.7 billion, down from €26.8 billion recorded in 2024. Germany remained the powerhouse of the group, generating €6.5 billion, which kept it at the top of the revenue rankings among the five nations. Employment data paints an equally vivid portrait of the industry’s scale. In 2025, a total of 123,000 individuals were employed across roughly 8,700 development studios operating in the EU and the United Kingdom.
Women accounted for about 24 percent of this workforce, indicating gradual progress toward gender balance in a field that has traditionally been male‑dominated. The United Kingdom alone provided jobs for 28,520 people, making it the largest employer, followed by Poland with 14,930 positions and Germany with 12,410.
Platform preferences among European gamers continued to evolve. Mobile phones and tablets dominated usage, with 82 percent of respondents reporting that they primarily played on these devices. Consoles were the second‑most popular platform at 47 percent, while PCs attracted 34 percent of players.
Not only did mobile and tablet devices lead in terms of playtime, they also contributed nearly half of the total industry revenue, highlighting the lucrative nature of the mobile market. In the console arena, Electronic Arts retained its leadership role throughout 2025. The EA Sports titles FC26 and FC25 occupied the top two slots on the console charts, with the tactical shooter Battlefield 6 taking the third position. Battlefield 6 also commanded the PC leaderboard, where it was 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 release.
Mobile gaming saw a different set of champions. Coin Master claimed the number‑one spot, leveraging its casual, spin‑the‑wheel mechanics to attract a broad audience. It was trailed by Royal Match, a puzzle‑based title that has gained traction through frequent updates, and the ever‑popular Candy Crush Saga, which remains a staple of the genre.
Overall participation figures reveal that 199 million Europeans engaged in video‑gaming activities during the year, with women representing 46 percent of the player base – roughly 91.5 million female gamers. The United Kingdom emerged as the single largest national market, boasting 25 million active players.
When it comes to time spent playing, the average European gamer logged 8.39 hours per week in 2025, a slight decline from the 9.4 hours recorded in 2024. Younger demographics, however, still devoted considerable time to gaming: children aged 6‑11 averaged 11.35 hours per week, while teenagers aged 12‑17 logged an average of 14.30 hours. Parental involvement in gaming habits remains high.
Seventy‑five percent of European parents expressed a desire to take an active role in setting limits for their children’s video‑game consumption. Correspondingly, 79 percent reported using one or more family‑setting tools to monitor or restrict gameplay, and 74 percent indicated that they have formal agreements, monitoring practices, or family‑setting configurations in place to manage online interactions and content exposure. Within the EU5 markets, 72 percent of parents said their children did not make in‑game purchases. Among the minority who did, a striking 93 percent of parents reported that they closely supervised those transactions.
Notably, the average amount spent by children who were permitted to buy in‑game content fell by 13 percent compared with the previous year, suggesting either tighter parental control, more cautious spending behaviour, or a shift in pricing strategies by developers. The expanded scope of VGE’s report, combined with the detailed breakdown of revenue streams, platform usage, employment figures and demographic trends, offers a valuable benchmark for stakeholders across the European gaming ecosystem. It highlights both the continued dominance of digital distribution and the growing importance of mobile platforms, while also underscoring the sector’s role as a significant employer and cultural force within the region.