Italy's Most Popular Video Games

In 2022, FIFA was the top-selling game in Italy, with FIFA 23 holding the number one spot by a significant margin, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and FIFA 22. This trend is not surprising, given the country's passion for football. In fact, FIFA 23 is the second best-selling game of the year so far, closely behind Hogwarts Legacy. According to data from IIDEA and GSD, 11.5 million games were sold in Italy in 2022, a figure similar to the previous year. However, game sales have seen a 4% increase in 2023, with 5.8 million video games sold in Italy as of July 2023. Console sales, on the other hand, experienced a 10% decline in 2022, with €287 million spent on PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox devices. This decline was largely due to decreased sales of Nintendo Switch and stock shortages affecting the rollout of PlayStation 5. In contrast, Xbox Series S and X sales saw a 9% increase. The Italian gaming market has shown significant improvement in 2023, with console revenue rising by 104%, driven by improved PS5 supply, which resulted in a 283% revenue jump compared to the same period in 2022. A consumer survey conducted by GameTrack revealed that 32% of the Italian population, approximately 14.2 million people, played video games in 2022, with 81% of players being over the age of 18 and an average player age of 30. The survey also found that nearly 70% of players game on mobile devices, while 46% and 38% play on consoles and PCs, respectively. Furthermore, 42% of players in Italy are women, with male console players primarily enjoying sports titles, racing games, and adventure games, while female console players prefer family games, adventure games, and sports titles. On PC, men tend to prefer strategy games, adventure games, and RPGs, whereas women prefer family games, arcade games, and adventure games. Both men and women on mobile devices favor puzzle games, trivia games, and role-playing games. In terms of playtime, nearly 70% of participants play games weekly, with an average playtime of 7.5 hours in 2022, a decrease from the pandemic peak of 8.7 hours in 2021 but still above 2019 levels.