A recent report reveals that digital purchases dominated European gaming revenue in 2024, accounting for a staggering 90% of the total. While the overall gaming sector saw a 4% growth, the PC platform’s contribution to this revenue has seen a slight decline, even as mobile gaming continues its strong performance.
Key Takeaways
- Digital purchases now represent 90% of European gaming revenue, a significant increase from previous years.
- Mobile gaming leads in revenue generation, followed by consoles.
- PC gaming’s share of revenue has seen a marginal decrease, despite a slight increase in revenue percentage.
- Physical game sales have halved in four years, now making up only 10% of the market.
Digital Dominance in European Gaming
The "All About Video Games" report, compiled by Video Games Europe and the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), highlights a significant shift towards digital transactions within the European gaming market. In 2024, 90% of the sector’s revenue was generated through digital purchases, marking a 5% increase from the previous year. This trend has led to a sharp decline in physical game sales, which now constitute only 10% of the market, down from 20% in 2020.
Platform Revenue Breakdown
Mobile gaming emerged as the top revenue generator, capturing 44% of the market share. Consoles followed closely, accounting for 38% of the revenue. In contrast, PC gaming represented 15% of the total revenue, showing a modest 1% increase from 2023. However, this growth occurred despite a 3% drop in the percentage of Europeans who play on PC, falling from 46% in 2023 to 43% in 2024. Console revenue, on the other hand, saw a 3% decline, even though the number of console players increased by the same margin.
Top Performing Games and Player Demographics
The report also identified the top-selling games across different platforms. On PC, "Helldivers 2" and "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" were among the best performers. For consoles, "EA FC 25," "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6," and "EA FC 24" led the charts. Mobile gaming saw "Coin Master," "Royal Match," and "Brawl Stars" as the top revenue-generating titles.
Overall, 54% of Europeans played video games in 2024, with an average playtime of nine hours per week. The average age of a European gamer remains 31, and women constitute 45% of the player base. The European gaming industry also saw a slight increase in its workforce, growing by 1.8% to over 116,000 employees.
