The UK Games Industry Had Its Biggest Year Since 2020 Last Year

GamesIndustry.Biz has shared some news from the folks over at the Entertainment Retailers Association that suggests 2025 was a pretty big year for gaming in the UK.

The ERA gathered data from multiple sources to show that UK customers spent £5.4 billion on gaming in 2025, which is up 7.4% on the year before. “This is the largest rise that video games have seen in the UK since 2020”, the site adds, where revenues shot up massively in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the “key driver” behind this bump is said to be mobile gaming, console is also on the up. Console game downloads increased 11.5% from 2024 to 2025, with physical sales dipping by just 1%. The site goes on to mention that “boxed sales represent just 5% of total UK games revenue for 2025”.

The best-selling game across Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Switch in the UK for 2025 was EA Sports FC 26; with the massive footie game shifting almost two million units in the region. The ERA closed out by reiterating that after years of slowdown post-COVID, the market “returned to form in grand style in 2025”, and that it has “strong hopes that it will maintain this momentum into 2026”.

With the likes of GTA 6 and a huge 12 months for Microsoft & Xbox on the cards, it’s looking like this year could be a big one for gaming – not only in the UK, but worldwide as well.

Happy to see a bit of positive news coming out of the UK for once? Talk to us about the industry at large down below.