Digital purchases made up 90% of European gaming revenue in 2024

Gaming sector revenue grew 4% year-on-year (YoY) in 2024 in key European markets, with digital purchases accounting for 90% of total revenue, according to a new report by Video Games Europe and the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF).

The All About Video Games report, published on August 21, 2025, was compiled using data from Ipsos, Game Sales Data (GSD), and members of Video Games Europe and EGDF and examined the European gaming sector’s revenue, employment, and player numbers in 2024.

Data for this report was collected through polling, face-to-face surveys, and by GameTrack’s three key metrics: volume, demographics, and value.

Polling took place across five key European markets: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. 12,000 people were polled per country, between the ages of six and 64, equating to 60,000 people polled in total.

GSD data used in the report was gathered from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, France, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

According to the report, gaming sector revenue increased by 4% in the five major European markets, rising from €25.7 billion ($29.9 billion) in 2023 to €26.8 billion ($31.2 billion) in 2024.

“Europe is now home to 6,000 studios, and 90% of our revenue is digital, highlighting the successful digital transformation of the sector” Hendrik Lesser, EGDF president

The data shows that 90% of that revenue was digital in 2024, a 5% increase YoY, while physical revenue made up 10%, a drop of 5% YoY.

“Europe is now home to 6,000 studios, and 90% of our revenue is digital, highlighting the successful digital transformation of the sector,” EGDF president Hendrik Lesser said.

“Our technologies are also driving innovation across other creative and traditional industries. We offer Europe a unique opportunity: to empower digital citizens, to grow a competitive creative economy, and to lead the global digital transition.

“We ask for recognition of our sector’s distinct needs and strategic growth potential, backed up with the right policy environment to thrive on the global stage.”

When it comes to what device European gamers are playing on, smartphones/tablets take the lead, making up 44% of revenue in 2024, up 3% YoY, and 71% of players, up 3% YoY from 68%.

While console boasts the second-highest device revenue, console revenue ultimately saw a 3% decline, dropping from 41% in 2023 to 38% in 2024. However, the number of console players has risen, up 3% YoY to 59%.

PC and on-demand/streaming revenue saw a slight increase; however, revenue rose 1% for both in 2024 (to 15% for PC and 4% for streaming). Despite this, the percentage of PC players is down 3%, from 46% in 2023 to 43% in 2024.

According to the data, European gamers played for an average of nine hours per week.

The report goes on to reveal the top three selling games for each platform in the five key markets last year. On console, EA FC 25, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, and EA FC 24 dominated, while the top-selling PC games of the year were Helldivers 2, followed by Call of Duty Black Ops 6, and Command and Conquer Generals.

The top-selling app games, on the other hand, were Coin Master, Royal Match, and Brawl Stars.

Elsewhere in the report, data showed that 54% Europeans played video games last year, rising from 124.4 billion in 2023 to 128.3 billion in 2024. Of the five major markets, Germany accounts for the largest portion of players, with 60% of the population playing games last year (35.9 million players).

According to data, 75% of video game players in Europe in 2024 were adults, with an average age of 31, representing no change from the prior year, while women made up 45% of players in Europe (a 1.5% YoY increase)

Despite the large number of layoffs we’ve seen over the last few years, the overall workforce across Europe saw a slight increase of 1.8% YoY, from 114,400 in 2023 to 116,419 in 2024. The percentage of women in the workforce also saw a small increase, from 24.4% in 2023 to 24.9% in 2024.

“Over the past five years, our sector has continued to grow, contributing to Europe’s economy and employing a highly skilled workforce,” said Video Games Europe chair Hester Woodliffe.

“With the right support from policy makers, including [the] EU’s recent skills and education strategy to close the skills gap; recognition of the value of flexible and nimble self- and co-regulation, and with support for innovation, IP creation and new business models… then our sector can aspire to lead globally.”