European PC and Console Gaming Market 2022

The European console and PC gaming market experienced a contraction in 2022, with total unit sales falling 7.1% to 159 million games. Despite this overall decline, the market for new releases showed resilience, with sales of titles launched in 2022 increasing by 16% compared to the previous year’s new releases. The data, compiled by GSD, tracks physical sales across major European countries and digital sales from most AAA publishers, excluding indie developers and Nintendo’s digital storefront.

Market performance varied by segment and region. Console hardware sales dropped 25% to 5.3 million units across tracked territories, with the Nintendo Switch remaining the market leader despite a 15% decline in sales. The PlayStation 5 followed as the second-best-selling console, while the Xbox Series S and X were the only platforms to achieve year-on-year growth, rising 4.4%. Peripherals and points cards also saw declines of 10% and 8%, respectively. Geographically, the United Kingdom maintained its position as Europe’s largest games market, followed by Germany and France, though Italy and Spain were the only major markets to record growth in game sales.

Consumer behavior remained heavily skewed toward digital platforms, which accounted for 64% of total sales. Top-performing titles were dominated by established franchises, with FIFA 23, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Elden Ring, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet driving significant volume. While the broader market faced headwinds, the strong performance of these major releases highlights a continued consumer preference for high-profile, AAA content, even as hardware availability and broader economic factors contributed to a cooling in total unit movement.