May’d in the UK – Celebrating a momentous month for British games

 

May 2026 may well have recorded the hottest day since records began, but it might also go down as the hottest month for UK video games releases in recent memory.

The UK is, as ever, punching above its weight and delivering world-class experiences to millions of players across the globe.

 

Made in the UK, Played by everyone

This month alone, British studios have launched titles that are topping charts, breaking records and reaching players in every corner of the world.

When people talk about 2026, they will of course, mention Grand Theft Auto VI, set to be the biggest entertainment product launch of all time, but British studios have proven this month that we are so much more than any single title, and why investing in UK studios can be a very safe bet.

 

 

Ukie CEO Nick Poole said, the case we are making to government is straightforward: targeted support across the development pipeline helps studios start, scale and stay globally competitive.

“The Modern Industrial Strategy and its £30 million Games Growth Package is a strong start, and this month shows exactly what that investment looks like in practice. Get out there, shout about it, and remind the people in power that backing this industry is backing jobs, growth and cultural power right across the UK.”

This is the message we want to take to policymakers next month as we bring UK games to parliament.

 

Take a look at Steam right now, and you will find yourself looking at the work of some iconic UK-based games studios making the headlines.

It is fantastic to see so many studios and publishers, many of them Ukie members, going from strength to strength.

 

Playground Games, an Xbox Games Studio based in Leamington Spa, launched Forza Horizon 6 just over a week ago. Players have already racked up over 20 billion miles on the roads of Japan. The studio is part of a renowned games cluster that contributes millions to the local economy and is also hard at work on the highly anticipated Fable reboot, set to launch later this year.

 

James Bond has been another massive release this month. Véronique Lallier, Chief Development Officer at IO Interactive, even made it on to the BBC to talk to the public about the game.

IO Interactive opened their Brighton office in 2023 and it has been an integral part of the development of James Bond: First Light.

The day after launch, Véronique said: “Launching 007 First Light and seeing the reaction from players around the world has been really special. We took one of the most beloved franchises on the planet and told a bold, reimagined origin story, and we got to make part of it right here in Brighton.”

It is this power of games to build new audiences and breathe new life into long-established IP that led this Government to designate us as one of the four creative industries in the UK with the greatest growth potential.

 

Ukie is working every day to ensure not only that games are recognised on equal terms with other media, but supported on equal terms as well, with the same level of vital tax reliefs and investment across every part of the UK to ensure that we can continue to succeed long into the future.

Bond could only have been made in Britain. It is his Britishness, his humour, his heritage, his style that have made him a global icon.

 

LEGO® Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight has flown up the charts after releasing last week. TT Games Ltd, based in Knutsford and part of Warner Bros. Games, employs hundreds of staff in the UK, and has sold over 400 million games worldwide since its founding in 2004.

TT Games Publishing founder Jonathan Smith reflected on the launch week: “We are incredibly proud to see LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight launch this month and to have built it here in the North of England. Games are made by talented teams, long-term investment and a huge amount of creativity, and this week has been a big celebration of the people that made it happen.”

 

And we are not done there. Criterion GamesA Battlefield Studio, based in Guildford and celebrating their 30th anniversary, and in May, dropped Season 3 of Battlefield 6, a game still drawing in millions of players across the globe.

 

Hello Games, this year’s recipient of the BAFTA Best Evolving Game award, released yet another gigantic update to the ever-growing No Man’s Sky. Supermassive Games Ltd, also based in Guildford, launched Directive 8020 to critical acclaim this month.

 

It has also been a huge month for some of our UK publishers. Fireshine Games launched “Far Far West” into Early Access to over a million players. Secret Mode delivered the wonderful Everything is Crab. Kwalee and Bonsai Collective launched Abyss. Yesterday, UK publisher Playstacklaunched “One Move Away” And the list goes on, and will continue to go on throughout 2026 and beyond.

 

We are competing against regions where the industry receives longer-term government support, such as Canada, France, Ireland and high-performing hubs like Turkey and China.

But the UK industry is getting back on its feet and signalling to the world that the UK is a great place to create games, build teams, nurture and grow IP, and reach audiences across the globe.

Playstack CEO, recently spoke to Sky News about the urgent need for this government to back the enormous talent pool we have in this country.

 

The industry has faced many headwinds over the past few years, many of them beyond the control of our industry, but there is reason to be hopeful for the years ahead.

Want more proof of the direction our studios are moving? Take a look at Pocket Gamer Biz’s Top 50 UK Game Makers of 2026: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-uk-game-makers-of-2026/

For One Night Only – Celebrating the UK Games Industry

This July we will be beating our chest and throwing a celebration of UK games in the heart of London. If you have not already, you can sign up for One Night Only at https://fono.games/and join us on Tuesday 29 July for a night of celebration as we welcome developers from up and down the country to showcase some Great British Games.

 

Want to tell your story? You can also get involved in the Made in the UK campaign here: https://ukie.org.uk/news/made-in-the-uk

We are taking games to parliament

Some of the games companies we just mentioned will be making the trip to Westminster next month, and we could not be more proud.

Westminster Games Week is a three-day celebration of the UK games industry, hosted in the heart of Westminster, sponsored by Side and powered by Ukie.

 

As a nation, we should be proud of the thousands of businesses that make up the UK games industry. Name a city in the UK, and chances are there is a games studio there.

Manchester, Liverpool, Guildford, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, and the list of thriving game-making cities keeps growing.

Through years of sustained lobbying by Ukie, the government has come a long way in recognising the potential of our industry and putting in place policy measures that support our growth.

Now we are making the case at the highest levels for the long-term investment, recognition and support that our fantastic UK studios deserve.

Westminster Games Week is by invite only.