In 2024, nearly $6 billion worth of games were sold in the United Kingdom, but disc sales plummeted by a third
The UK Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) reported on the state of the gaming market in the country last year. Here are the key points from the report.
Hogwarts Legacy
- In 2024, UK residents spent £4.61 billion ($5.94 billion) on video games. This is a 4.4% decrease compared to 2023.
Game sales in the UK from 2020-2024 with segment breakdown
- Nearly the entire amount was accounted for by digital game sales — £4.29 billion ($5.53 billion). Digital sales were 1% higher the previous year.
Breakdown of digital game sales in the UK by segment in 2024
- The share of physical game sales is rapidly declining. In 2024, Brits spent only £322 million ($415 million) on game discs. Compared to 2023, their spending decreased by 34.5%, and compared to 2020, it halved.
- The distribution of physical sales in 2024 was: 41% on games for PlayStation 5, 40% on games for Nintendo Switch, 9% on games for PlayStation 4, 7% on games for Xbox Series, and 1% on games for Xbox One.
Physical game sales in the UK from 2020-2024 with platform breakdown
- The top three best-selling games in the UK in 2024 by the number of copies were EA SPORTS FC 25 (2.1 million copies), Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (1.1 million copies), and Hogwarts Legacy (877,400 copies).
- Console sales in the UK experienced a significant decline, dropping by 25.5% to £692.7 million ($892.6 million) over the year.
- The best-selling console remained the PlayStation 5 — Brits spent £411.5 million ($530.2 million, -22%) on Sony's consoles. The Xbox Series took second place with £153.4 million ($197.6 million, -27%). The Nintendo Switch rounded out the top three with £126.4 million ($162.8 million, -32.4%).
- Gaming accessories were the only segment to show sales growth in 2024. Brits spent £602.7 million ($776.6 million) on them, marking a 13% increase year over year.