Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Ukie
The UK video games industry currently contributes £6 billion in gross value added (GVA) and supports over 73,000 jobs, with the potential to add £5.7 billion in GVA and 5.4 million jobs over the next five years through strategic policy intervention.
Physical boxed software sales have collapsed, falling 34% year-on-year to represent only 4% of total market spend.
Esports experienced a significant surge of 44% year-on-year, driven by an increase in UK-based tournaments, contrasting with a 15% contraction in live-event spending.
Mobile gaming in the UK grew by 8%, though this remains below the 13% regional Western-European average.
Hardware sales for major consoles, including the PS5 disc edition, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, weakened, while the PS5 digital edition achieved record software sales at a lower price point.
Game-culture engagement across PC and console categories declined by 13%, accompanied by an 8.5% drop in related toy and merchandise sales.
The UK video games industry currently contributes £6 billion in gross value added (GVA) and supports over 73,000 jobs, with the potential to add £5.7 billion in GVA and 5.4 million jobs over the next five years through strategic policy intervention.
Physical boxed software sales have collapsed, falling 34% year-on-year to represent only 4% of total market spend.
Esports experienced a significant surge of 44% year-on-year, driven by an increase in UK-based tournaments, contrasting with a 15% contraction in live-event spending.
Mobile gaming in the UK grew by 8%, though this remains below the 13% regional Western-European average.
Hardware sales for major consoles, including the PS5 disc edition, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, weakened, while the PS5 digital edition achieved record software sales at a lower price point.
Game-culture engagement across PC and console categories declined by 13%, accompanied by an 8.5% drop in related toy and merchandise sales.