Growing demand for UK games ahead of release of key games

Ukie, the trade body for the UK’s video games and interactive entertainment industry, estimates that UK consumers spent £8.76 billion on video games in 2025, a 7.4 per cent increase on the previous year.

Spending on software rose 7 per cent to reach £6.03 billion, Game Hardware grew 3 per cent to £2.17 billion, and Game Culture (video games related film and TV) has grown 42 per cent to reach £566 million. This year could provide a further boost for UK games companies, with a slate of new and returning releases from studios across the country likely over the next twelve months.

Games are one of the UK’s most potent cultural exports. Spending on toys and merchandising reached £333 million, up 43 per cent year on year, as video game IP continues to cement itself in everyday life. A Minecraft Movie, released earlier this year, grossed £56.8 million at the UK box office alone — making it the highest-earning video game film in British cinema history and a significant contributor to a 70 per cent rise in game-related film and TV revenue, which reached £159 million.

Digital Console spending rose 9.2 per cent to £2.49bn, driven by an installed base of new generation hardware that has now reached critical mass, with British consumers increasingly choosing digital over physical.

Spend on mobile games has continued its remarkable ascent, growing 7.9 per cent to £2.07bn, reinforcing its place as a mainstream entertainment choice for millions. Digital PC software reached £1.15 billion, rounding out a picture of growth across every major platform.

The UK’s games industry has more than doubled in size over the last decade and now supports over 73,000 jobs and contributes £6 billion in gross value added to the UK economy annually, with studios thriving from Dundee to Leamington Spa, Manchester to Guildford, in every nation and region of the UK.

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