Mario Bautista
2024 was a fairly turbulent year for the games industry in many ways, but what’s clear from the latest data is that physical games sales in the UK are struggling mightily.
According to data from the Entertainment Retailers Association, and based on data from Nielsen/GfK, India and GSD (thanks, VGC), physical game sales dropped by nearly 35% when compared to 2023, bringing in a total of £324.4 million in revenue.
Digital sales made up the lion’s share during 2024 and managed to bring in a total of £4.29 billion across console, PC, mobile, and tablet sales. Although this still represents a drop of 1% from the previous year, it’s nevertheless a substantial increase over physical sales.
Overall then, total revenue for the games industry was around £4.6 billion for the year, representing a drop of 4.4% from 2023. PC download sales were down by 5% and console by 15%, while mobile and tablet sales rose by 2.6%. Subscription revenue, meanwhile, increased by around 12%.
Selling 2.9 million copies, EA Sports FC 25 was the best-selling game of the year in the UK, with around 80% of its sales taking place on digital storefronts.
2025 is expected to be a healthier year for the games industry, with Nintendo’s upcoming Switch successor just on the horizon, and Rockstar Games’ much-anticipated behemoth Grand Theft Auto VI launching in the coming months.
