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UK consumer spending on video games surged to £5.4 billion in 2025, driven by mobile and digital formats, marking its strongest annual growth since 2020 as consumer habits continue shifting away from physical sales.
UK consumer spending on video games accelerated in 2025, rising to £5.4 billion , a 7.4% increase on the year and the sector’s strongest annual growth since 2020, according to a report by Mobile Marketing Reads summarising figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). [1]
The rebound was largely powered by mobile and tablet titles, which grew 8.8% to £1.88 billion and accounted for roughly 35–36% of total games revenue, industry tallies show. Digital formats dominated the market overall: digital game sales generated about £5.0 billion in 2025, while boxed console sales edged down to around £319 million, representing only a small sliver of total revenue. According to ERA commentary, full-game console downloads posted double-digit growth, helping offset weakness in physical boxed sales. [2][3]
The shift from physical to digital has been underway for years and was stark in 2024, when physical sales plunged. Reporting for The Guardian noted a near-35% collapse in boxed game sales in 2024, while trade outlets including Nintendo Life recorded similar declines and placed last year’s total market value at about £4.6 billion. Those falls underline how rapidly consumer behaviour has moved toward downloads and in‑app spending. [4][5][7]
The pattern in the UK mirrors broader European trends. A survey of continental markets found roughly 90% of gaming revenue in 2024 came from digital purchases, with mobile making up a plurality of that total , about 44% , while PC accounted for roughly 15% of revenues. Industry analysts say the figures reflect both the growing reach of smartphones and the economics of live‑service and free‑to‑play models. [6]
Big releases also mattered: EA Sports FC 26 was the year’s top-selling title in the UK, shifting more than 1.97 million units across digital and physical formats, a performance ERA and market commentators identified as one of several catalogue highlights that helped reaccelerate growth after several slower post‑pandemic years. The success of high‑profile launches, combined with sustained mobile momentum and expanding live‑service engagement, is credited with driving the 2025 uptick. [1][2][3]
Games’ resilience is visible in wider entertainment spending. Consumer outlays across games, music and video reached £13.3 billion in 2025, up about 7.1% year‑on‑year and outpacing projected UK GDP growth, ERA noted. Over the past decade UK games revenue has climbed roughly 86%, far exceeding the wider economy’s near‑12% expansion over the same period, illustrating the sector’s steadily increasing economic weight. [3][2]
ERA characterised the 2025 results as evidence that pandemic‑era spending habits have translated into longer‑term structural change: digital distribution, mobile monetisation and consumer appetite for both outright purchases and live services are reshaping revenue mixes. Observers caution, however, that the near‑total dominance of digital heightens reliance on platform policies, app‑store economics and the hit‑driven nature of blockbuster releases, all of which will shape momentum heading into 2026. [3][6][4]
📌 Reference Map:
Reference Map:
- [1] (Mobile Marketing Reads) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 5
- [2] (PocketGamer) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 6
- [3] (Entertainment Retailers Association) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
- [4] (The Guardian) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 7
- [5] (Nintendo Life) – Paragraph 3
- [6] (PC Gamer) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 7
- [7] (Nintendo Life) – Paragraph 3
Source:Fuse Wire Services
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