Sales of video games in Europe experienced a slight decline of 1.6% in the first half of 2024 according to European Monthly Charts
According to GSD data, around 80 million PC and console games were purchased in Europe during the first half of 2024. This represents a decrease of 1.6% compared to the same timeframe in 2023. The decline is modest, especially when considering that the 2024 release calendar was less robust compared with the previous year, which featured major launches like Hogwarts Legacy, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
In contrast, only two titles released in 2024 made it to the current year's top ten best-sellers: Helldivers 2 at second place and The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered at tenth.
It is important to note that the data does not include sales for Palworld, which is expected to be a significant contributor.
Most of these games were sold at a lower price than last year's major titles, resulting in a more significant drop in revenue. For example, the UK market experienced a 30% revenue decline in the first half of the year, as per ERA data.
Focusing on June's figures for Europe, 11.3 million video games were sold last month, marking a 19% fall. The same month last year had substantial releases like Diablo 4 and Final Fantasy 16, providing a tough comparison for 2024, which had no major standalone releases.
Next, EA Sports FC24 was the top-selling game in June, with its sales up 7% compared to FIFA 24 during the same period last year. The rise can be attributed to the European Championships in Germany during June and July.
Elden Ring secured second place, thanks to a 454% increase in sales for its base game, driven by the new DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, only counting physical sales, was the highest-charting new release. Just missing the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch game of the year title by 4,000 units, it trailed Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door but surpassed Princess Peach Showtime and Mario vs Donkey Kong. In its launch week, it achieved less than a third of Luigi's Mansion 3's sales in 2019.
GSD tracks physical sales across major European markets and digital sales from most major publishers in all European markets, excluding Nintendo for digital data.
European GSD H1 2024 Top 10 (Digital + Physical)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | EA Sports FC 24 (EA) |
| 2 | Helldivers 2 (Sony) |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
| 4 | Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros) |
| 5 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
| 6 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard) |
| 7 | Fallout 4 (Bethesda) |
| 8 | It Takes Two (EA) |
| 9 | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft) |
| 10 | The Last of Us Part 2: Remastered (Sony) |
European GSD June 2024 Top 10 (Digital + Physical)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | EA Sports FC 24 (EA) |
| 2 | Elden Ring (Bandai Namco) |
| 3 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
| 4 | Sid Meier's Civilization VI (2K Games) |
| 5 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
| 6 | Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros) |
| 7 | Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Nintendo)* |
| 8 | F1 24 (EA) |
| 9 | Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar) |
| 10 | NBA 2K24 (2K Games) |
* Digital data unavailable
Console market struggles with tough comparisons
Approximately 300,000 gaming consoles were sold in Europe in June, a 24% decrease compared to the same period in 2023, excluding data from countries like Germany and the UK. The PlayStation 5 showed the smallest decline among the major platforms, with a 10% year-on-year drop.
For the first six months of 2024, the console hardware market is down by 24%, with 2.2 million units sold. The declines are seen across all platforms: PS5 down 16%, Switch down 32%, and Xbox Series S and X down 37%. The market faces challenges from strong 2023 figures, a less compelling software lineup, and the aging Switch platform.
Additionally, 1.1 million accessories and peripherals were sold in tracked European markets in June, marking a 7.3% decline compared to last year. Despite the overall decrease, sales were boosted by retail discounts on the DualSense controller.
Overall, eight million accessories have been sold in the first half of the year, representing an 8.4% drop from 2023.
Data from GSD includes both physical and digital game sales from major publishers across most European markets, excluding Nintendo for digital data. The data covers sales in multiple countries including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and more.
For hardware and accessories, the data covers Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, but excludes accessory sales in Switzerland.
