Spending on video games in Germany saw a 6% decline in the first half of 2024, dropping to €4.3 billion

In the first half of 2024, German consumer spending on games reached €4.28 billion, representing a 6% decrease from the previous year.

This development comes from a report issued by the German trade group Game, utilizing data from GfK and Data.ai, a subsidiary of Sensor Tower. This marks the first regression in the market following several years of continuous growth.

The most notable decline was observed in hardware sales, which fell by 18% year-on-year to €1.2 billion. Factors include diminishing sales of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles and the Switch entering its eighth year.

Revenue from games, encompassing both full game purchases and in-app transactions, saw a smaller decrease of 4%, totaling €2.6 billion. This is considered reasonable given the fewer major game releases in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Subscriptions to gaming online services, such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, were the only segment to experience growth, increasing by 25% to €516 million.

Felix Falk, managing director of the association, expressed optimism in the report, suggesting the downturn in the German market is temporary. He pointed out the anticipated release of several high-profile games later in the year as a cause for this optimism.