game – Verband der deutschen Games-Branche e. V.

The German video games market solidified its status as Europe’s largest in 2025, achieving a total revenue of 9.4 billion euros. This four percent growth was primarily fueled by a 12 percent surge in hardware sales and the milestone achievement of online gaming services exceeding one billion euros in revenue. Despite these gains, the sector faces a complex transition, marked by a 13 percent decline in one-off game purchases and a slight three percent contraction in the workforce, even as the total number of industry companies grew to 956.

Domestic production remains a critical area for development, as local companies currently capture only 5.50 euros of every 100 euros spent within the German market. To address this, the industry is leveraging increased federal funding, which is set to reach 125 million euros annually by 2026, alongside new tax-based incentive proposals and infrastructure projects like the House of Games Berlin. These initiatives aim to provide the long-term planning certainty required to improve international competitiveness and foster a more robust ecosystem for developers, publishers, and academic institutions.

Beyond economic metrics, the industry is undergoing significant professionalization and cultural integration. Regulatory frameworks, such as the USK’s expanded youth protection measures, and the formal recognition of esports clubs as charitable organizations reflect a maturing sector. With the average gamer age now at 38.2 years and major events like gamescom maintaining record attendance, Germany continues to serve as a central global hub for innovation. Industry associations are further driving progress through standardized diversity initiatives and environmental sustainability programs, ensuring that the sector remains aligned with modern social and economic expectations.

The German games industry demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout 2022, maintaining a stable market valuation of 9.87 billion euros despite global economic headwinds, inflationary pressures, and hardware supply constraints. This performance represents a 1% growth rate, bucking international trends of market decline. The sector’s expansion is further evidenced by a 15.5% increase in the number of companies and a 7% rise in the workforce over the past year. Mobile gaming continues to dominate revenue streams, while digital distribution has solidified its position as the primary purchasing method for PC users and younger demographics.

Despite this growth, the industry faces structural challenges that threaten its long-term international competitiveness. A critical shortage of skilled labor in programming, technical art, and production persists, exacerbated by bureaucratic hurdles that impede the recruitment of international talent. Furthermore, the intermittent availability of federal funding has created an environment of instability, hindering strategic planning. To address these issues, the industry is advocating for a transition toward tax-based incentives, improved educational standards, and the establishment of specialized academic institutions to foster domestic expertise.

Beyond economic metrics, the sector is increasingly focused on professionalizing its ecosystem and enhancing its global footprint. Events such as Gamescom and the devcom Developer Conference have reinforced Germany’s status as a central hub for digital innovation, attracting significant international attention and political engagement. Simultaneously, the industry is prioritizing sustainability through climate-neutral initiatives and strengthening youth protection frameworks to ensure a safe gaming environment. By aligning advocacy efforts with a commitment to diversity and educational outreach, the German games sector aims to secure its position as a leading global player in the digital economy.

The German games industry reached a total revenue of 9.97 billion euros in 2023, marking a 6 percent increase driven largely by hardware sales, mobile gaming, and in-game purchases. Despite this financial expansion and a 52 percent growth in the number of development and publishing companies since 2020, the sector faces a period of cooling optimism. A challenging international economic climate, coupled with the unpredictability of federal funding, has slowed the pace of new company formations and employment growth. While Germany maintains its position as the largest games market in Europe, domestic developers are increasingly disadvantaged by a reliance on fixed-budget funding models that lack the stability of the tax credit systems utilized by international competitors.

To secure long-term competitiveness, the industry is advocating for a transition to a hybrid, tax-based funding model. Strategic priorities for 2024 include the cultivation of a specialized workforce, the integration of gaming into educational frameworks, and the expansion of digital infrastructure. These efforts are complemented by a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility. A significant majority of companies have adopted sustainability measures, such as transitioning to green energy, while industry-led initiatives continue to promote diversity, combat toxicity, and provide professional support for esports athletes through structured talent development programs.

The industry’s cultural and economic influence remains anchored by the global success of gamescom, which continues to expand its international footprint through satellite events in Singapore and Brazil. Furthermore, the sector is prioritizing rigorous youth protection standards and the promotion of games as essential cultural and educational tools. By balancing these community-focused initiatives with a push for more consistent federal policy, the German games industry aims to solidify its status as a premier global hub for development, innovation, and esports, ensuring both economic resilience and social sustainability in an evolving digital landscape.

The German games industry navigated a period of significant contraction in 2024, with total market revenue falling 6% to €9.4 billion. This downturn, driven by a decline in mobile revenue and console hardware sales, resulted in the first recorded reduction in the number of active companies and industry employees in recent years. Despite these headwinds, Germany maintains its status as the largest games market in Europe and the fifth largest globally. The domestic player base remains robust and increasingly diverse, encompassing 37.5 million individuals with an average age of 39.5 years, reflecting the deep integration of gaming into the national cultural fabric.

Strategic instability during this period stemmed largely from restrictive federal funding guidelines and project application freezes, which disproportionately impacted smaller studios. However, the outlook for 2025 is increasingly positive, anchored by a new coalition agreement that pledges to increase federal funding to €125 million annually by 2026 and introduce competitive tax incentives. These policy shifts aim to bolster Germany’s international standing, which industry leaders currently view as suboptimal despite the nation’s strong infrastructure, academic training programs, and successful startup initiatives like the "Press Start" grant.

To secure long-term growth, the industry is prioritizing a hybrid funding model, the establishment of a dedicated "Games University," and the expansion of digital cultural heritage projects, such as the AI-driven archiving of over 40,000 titles. Professionalization efforts continue through the game association, which represents over 500 members and manages critical networking platforms like gamescom. By integrating esports development, sustainability commitments, and structured career pathways, the German ecosystem is positioning itself to transition from a period of market correction toward a more resilient and internationally competitive future.

01 Players in Germany 8 02 German market for computer 14 03 The games industry in Germany 26 .1 Employment figures and companies .3 The ten demands of the games industry 04 Esports 40 05 esports player foundation 42 06 gamescom and devcom 44 07 German Computer Games Awards 48 08 Entertainment Software 50 09 Foundation for Digital Games 52 10 About game –...

01 Players in Germany 8 02 German market for computer 14 03 The games industry in Germany 24 .1 Employment figures and companies .4 The ten demands of the games industry 04 gamescom 38 05 About game – the German 42 .1 Diversity initiative Hier spielt Vielfalt .2 Environmental and climate protection in the .3 Foundation for Digital Games Culture .5 Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body 06 D...

Germany stands as Europe’s largest video‑game market and the world’s fifth‑largest, a position reinforced by a robust developer community, flagship events and a policy framework that actively subsidises production. Federal funding of €50 million per year, allocated as non‑repayable grants covering a quarter to half of project costs, is complemented by regional programmes and a business climate that benefits from a sizable domestic audience and a highly skilled workforce.

The market generated a record €4.4 billion in 2018, expanding 9 percent year‑on‑year, while the sector’s organisational base grew to roughly 524 game‑related firms that year. These include 368 development studios, 38 pure publishers and a further 118 hybrid entities, employing about 11 000 staff directly in development and nearly 28 000 when ancillary roles are counted. More than 50 higher‑education institutions now deliver dedicated curricula in game design, computer science, art and virtual reality, concentrating talent pipelines in Berlin and Hamburg.

Mid‑size studios such as Deep Silver, Kolibri Games and Mimimi have produced internationally recognised titles, and the annual gamescom exhibition in Cologne underscores the industry’s global reach. In 2023 the event attracted 31 300 trade professionals, delivered over 500 000 concurrent viewers for its Opening Night Live broadcast and amassed more than 100 million video hits, prompting the launch of a gamescom Asia edition in Singapore to capture growth in the Asia‑Pacific region.

A dense network of over 200 development and publishing firms and more than 150 specialist service providers—spanning localisation, cloud infrastructure, legal counsel, marketing and middleware—covers virtually every German city. This comprehensive, SME‑driven ecosystem, supported by mature ancillary services, positions Germany for sustained expansion and reinforces its role as a central hub for both domestic creation and international distribution of video‑games.

01 Gamer in Deutschland 6 02 Markt für Computer- und 12 03 Games-Branche in Deutschland 22 .1 Beschäftigtenzahlen und Unternehmen .4 Die 10 Forderungen der Games-Branche 04 eSports 36 05 gamescom 40 06 Deutscher Computerspielpreis 42 07 Unterhaltungssoftware 44 08 Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur 46 09 Über den game – Verband 48 Herausgeber ...

14 und kreative Köpfe, 14 folgende Frage höre und lese ich immer wieder: „Wie werde ich Spiele-Entwickler/in und was muss ich dafür mitbringen?“ Das ist auf die Schnelle gar nicht so leicht zu beantworten. Das Arbeiten in der Games-Branche ist unglaublich vielfältig und genauso zahl- reich sind auch die Wege, die dahinführen.

01 Gamer in Deutschland 6 02 Markt für Computer- und 12 .2 Umsätze mit virtuellen Gütern und Zusatzinhalten sowie Abonnements .3 Umsätze mit Gebühren für Online-Netzwerke 03 Games-Branche in Deutschland 22 .1 Beschäftigtenzahlen und Unternehmen .4 Die 10 Forderungen der Games-Branche 04 eSports 36 05 gamescom 40 06 Deutscher Computerspielpreis 42 07 Unterhaltungssof...