UK video games market reaches £8.76 billion, growing 7.4% in 2025

New figures released at London Games Festival reveal the UK video games market has reached its highest ever valuation, as the industry prepares for a blockbuster year of titles Made in the UK. 

Ukie, the trade body for the UK’s video games and interactive entertainment industry, today announces that UK consumers spent £8.76 billion on video games in 2025, a 7.4% increase on the previous year. The figures are being revealed today at London Games Festival, the UK’s premier week-long showcase of video games and interactive entertainment.

Spending on software rose 7% to reach £6.03 billion, Game Hardware grew 3% to £2.17 billion, and Game Culture (video games related film and TV) has grown 42% to reach £566 million.

The data is yet more evidence pointing to the British public’s growing appetite for games, as the industry looks ahead to what promises to be a landmark year for UK-developed titles, with a slate of new and returning IP from studios across the country set for release over the next twelve months.

Nick Poole OBE, CEO of Ukie, said:

“Even against a backdrop of rising costs and squeezed household budgets, British consumers spent more on games in 2025 than ever before which is a remarkable vote of confidence in the medium. The next twelve months could be genuinely defining for the UK games industry, with studios across every region of the country developing titles that will reach millions of players.”

Game culture:

Games are one of the UK’s most powerful but least celebrated cultural exports. Spending on toys and merchandising reached £333 million, up 43% 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% rise in game-related film and TV revenue, which reached £159 million.

Digital Console spending rose 9.2% to £2.49 billion, 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% to £2.07 billion, 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.

2025 also saw many new studios starting up, some of which are showcasing in London this week. Visitors to New Games Plus can get a first look at the official selection of upcoming titles from some of the country’s most exciting emerging developers, live at London Games Festival this week. Visit https://festival.games.london/about for more information.

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Disclaimer

This communication is produced by Ukie as part of our collective representation of the interests of the video game and interactive entertainment industry. It does not reflect, nor should it be interpreted to reflect by association the views of individual members of Ukie.