From Fortnite marathons to Grand Theft Auto's global heists, the UK's games industry is a multi-billion pound economic powerhouse, generating £7 billion in revenue in 2021 alone while exporting its creativity to every corner of the world.
Key Takeaways
- The UK games industry generated £7 billion in revenue in 2021, representing a 1% increase from the previous year
- UK games exports reached £6.1 billion in 2021, accounting for 72% of total sector turnover
- The video games sector contributed £4.1 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2021
- The UK games industry employed 53,000 people in 2022, a 25% increase from 2019
- 42,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles were in games development in 2021
- Women make up 28% of the UK games workforce in 2022
- There are 2,371 active UK games studios in 2022
- 90% of UK games studios are SMEs with fewer than 50 employees
- London is home to 595 games studios in 2021
- UK gamers number 42 million in 2022, with 67% of population playing
- Average spend per gamer in UK is £80 annually in 2022
- 52% of UK gamers are female in 2022
- UK games exports valued at £11.5 billion in 2022, up 25% YoY
- 85% of UK games studio revenue from international markets in 2021
- US is top export market taking 35% of UK games exports 2022
The UK games industry is thriving as a major global exporter generating billions annually.
Consumer and Market Trends
- UK gamers number 42 million in 2022, with 67% of population playing
- Average spend per gamer in UK is £80 annually in 2022
- 52% of UK gamers are female in 2022
- Mobile is the most popular platform with 38 million UK users in 2022
- 25 million UK consumers play on PC in 2022
- Console gamers in UK total 20 million in 2022
- 15-24 year olds are 28% of UK gamers in 2022
- 45+ age group makes up 22% of UK gamers in 2022
- 68% of UK gamers play daily or several times a week in 2022
- Esports viewers in UK reached 12 million in 2022
- 55% of gamers prefer single-player experiences in 2022
- Multiplayer/online games played by 62% of UK gamers 2022
- 32% of UK gamers subscribe to game services in 2022
- Fortnite has 15 million monthly active UK users in 2022
- Roblox boasts 10 million UK monthly players in 2022
- FIFA series sells 2.5 million units annually in UK
- Grand Theft Auto V has sold 8 million copies lifetime in UK by 2022
- 75% of UK gamers use smartphones for gaming in 2022
- Cloud gaming used by 18% of UK gamers in 2022
- VR headset ownership at 8% among UK gamers 2022
- 41% of parents play games with children in UK 2022
- Microtransactions spent £1.8 billion by UK gamers in 2022
- 60% of gamers discover games via YouTube/Twitch in 2022
- Steam has 25 million UK users in 2022
- PlayStation Network active users 18 million in UK 2022
- Xbox Live has 15 million UK monthly actives 2022
- Nintendo Switch owners 12 million in UK by 2022
- 70% of UK gamers play social/casual games in 2022
- Action/adventure top genre with 55% preference in UK 2022
- UK spent £4.2 billion on games content in 2022
Consumer and Market Trends Interpretation
The UK gaming scene in 2022 reveals a nation utterly captivated, where over half the population spends a modest £80 a year to fuel an industry worth billions, proving that gaming is no longer a niche hobby but a mainstream pastime woven into the daily fabric of life for everyone from smartphone-casual players to dedicated console enthusiasts.
Employment and Skills
- The UK games industry employed 53,000 people in 2022, a 25% increase from 2019
- 42,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles were in games development in 2021
- Women make up 28% of the UK games workforce in 2022
- 15% of UK games employees are from BAME backgrounds in 2022
- Average salary in UK games industry is £45,000 per year in 2022
- 7,000 freelancers work in the UK games sector annually
- 25% growth in games jobs in Scotland from 2019-2022
- London hosts 14,200 games jobs in 2021
- 5,400 programming roles in UK games in 2022
- Artists and animators number 8,200 in UK games workforce 2022
- 3,100 QA testers employed in UK games in 2022
- 49% of UK games companies report skills shortages in 2022
- 12,000 jobs in non-development roles like marketing in 2021
- Under 30s make up 45% of UK games workforce in 2022
- 18% of employees have disabilities in UK games 2022
- 2,200 senior management roles in UK games 2021
- Brighton & Hove has 2,650 games jobs in 2021
- Manchester games employment at 3,800 in 2021
- Edinburgh employs 1,900 in games 2021
- 35% of UK games firms hiring in 2022 despite economic challenges
- 4,500 roles in audio and design in UK games 2022
- LGBTQ+ representation at 11% in UK games workforce 2022
- Average tenure in UK games jobs is 4.2 years in 2022
- 1,800 HR and admin roles support UK games sector 2021
- Dundee games jobs total 1,200 in 2021
- 28% of UK games devs have university degrees in 2022
- Remote working adopted by 65% of UK games firms in 2022
- 22,000 direct development jobs in England 2021
Employment and Skills Interpretation
Even as the UK games industry booms with over 50,000 jobs, adding new talent faster than a studio rushes a pre-order bonus, it faces the critical final boss of closing its stubborn diversity and skills gaps while keeping its workforce engaged.
Exports and Global Reach
- UK games exports valued at £11.5 billion in 2022, up 25% YoY
- 85% of UK games studio revenue from international markets in 2021
- US is top export market taking 35% of UK games exports 2022
- EU countries account for 28% of UK games exports in 2022
- Asia-Pacific region 22% of UK games export revenue 2022
- 450 UK studios export to over 100 countries in 2022
- Crackdown 3 exported generating £200m+ overseas 2019-2022
- Total War series exports £1.2 billion lifetime by 2022
- 72% of UK games turnover from exports in 2021
- Games Fund supported 120 export-focused projects 2022
- UK games attract £500m foreign investment annually avg 2020-2022
- China imports £450m UK games content yearly 2022
- Japan takes 12% of UK games exports in 2022
- GTA franchise exports £5bn+ from UK origins by 2022
- 65 UK studios have offices in North America 2022
- 40 studios have EU offices for market access 2022
- Australia/NZ import £180m UK games yearly 2022
- 92% of top 100 UK studios export globally 2022
- F1 games series exports £800m to 50+ countries 2022
- Planet Zoo and Zoo Tycoon exports £150m 2022
- 30% growth in digital exports post-Brexit 2021-2022
- UK leads Europe in games exports value 2022
- 1,200 UK jobs supported by exports in 2021
- Middle East exports up 40% to £120m in 2022
- Latin America takes 8% of UK games exports 2022
- 55 UK studios attend Gamescom for exports annually
- Warhammer IP exports £300m yearly from UK 2022
- 76% of indie exports via Steam globally 2022
Exports and Global Reach Interpretation
Despite Brexit-induced anxieties, the UK games industry is casually trouncing Europe by treating the globe as its personal arcade, proving that while you can take Britain out of the EU, you can't stop Brits from digitally conquering it—and everywhere else.
Revenue and Economic Contribution
- The UK games industry generated £7 billion in revenue in 2021, representing a 1% increase from the previous year
- UK games exports reached £6.1 billion in 2021, accounting for 72% of total sector turnover
- The video games sector contributed £4.1 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2021
- London-based games companies generated £2.3 billion in turnover in 2021, the highest of any UK region
- Indie studios in the UK achieved £1.2 billion in combined revenue in 2022
- The UK mobile games market was valued at £2.4 billion in 2022
- PC games generated £1.8 billion in the UK in 2022, up 12% year-on-year
- Console games revenue in the UK hit £1.6 billion in 2022
- UK games industry paid £2.5 billion in staff costs in 2021
- The sector's total turnover grew by 14% to £7.4 billion in 2022
- Scotland's games industry contributed £430 million to turnover in 2021
- The UK VR/AR games market reached £250 million in 2022
- Cloud gaming services generated £150 million in UK revenue in 2022
- Esports-related revenue in the UK games sector was £120 million in 2022
- Merchandising and IP licensing added £300 million to UK games revenue in 2021
- The UK games industry's tax contributions totaled £1.2 billion in 2021
- Digital downloads accounted for 92% of UK games revenue in 2022
- Physical game sales declined to £180 million in the UK in 2022
- Subscription services like Xbox Game Pass contributed £400 million in UK in 2022
- Free-to-play games generated £3.2 billion in the UK in 2022
- Premium games sales reached £1.1 billion in the UK market in 2022
- In-app purchases drove £2.1 billion of UK mobile games revenue in 2022
- UK games R&D spend was £1.3 billion in 2021
- The sector supported 2,636 FTE jobs through supply chain in 2021
- Northern Ireland games turnover was £82 million in 2021
- Wales games industry revenue hit £150 million in 2022
- South East England games turnover £1.1 billion in 2021
- North West England contributed £450 million to games turnover in 2021
- Yorkshire & Humber games revenue £220 million in 2021
- East of England games sector turnover £380 million in 2021
Revenue and Economic Contribution Interpretation
While its exports are conquering the globe and digital downloads dominate at home, the UK games industry, from London's AAA titans to the spirited indie underdogs, is proving itself to be an economic powerhouse that’s far more than just child's play.
Studio and Company Data
- There are 2,371 active UK games studios in 2022
- 90% of UK games studios are SMEs with fewer than 50 employees
- London is home to 595 games studios in 2021
- 1,450 indie studios operate in the UK in 2022
- Scotland has 144 games studios in 2021
- 25% of UK studios focus on mobile games development
- 18% of studios specialize in PC games
- Console-focused studios make up 22% of UK total in 2022
- 42 new studios launched in UK in 2022
- 15 studio closures reported in UK games in 2022
- Manchester hosts 127 games studios in 2021
- Brighton has 104 games development studios in 2021
- Guildford area has 85 studios in 2021
- 65% of UK studios are under 5 years old in 2022
- 12% of studios employ over 100 people in 2022
- Dundee has 28 games studios in 2021
- 35% of studios are single-person operations in 2022
- Edinburgh hosts 62 studios in 2021
- 28% of UK studios publish their own games in 2022
- 52% of studios use Unity engine primarily in 2022
- Unreal Engine used by 38% of UK studios in 2022
- 75% of studios report funding challenges in 2022
- 220 studios received UK Games Fund support since 2019
- Cambridge has 45 games studios in 2021
- 41% of studios are multi-platform developers in 2022
- Liverpool hosts 32 studios in 2021
- 19% of studios focus on VR/AR exclusively in 2022
- Bristol has 48 games studios in 2021
Studio and Company Data Interpretation
The UK games industry is a remarkably fertile but fragile ecosystem, teeming with thousands of tiny, agile studios—most barely five years old—that are passionately building worlds on shoestring budgets, proving you don't need a corporate army to launch an invasion of our consoles, PCs, and phones.
Sources & References
- Reference 1UKIEukie.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 2TIGAtiga.orgVisit source
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- Reference 4STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 5GAMEREVENUEgamerevenue.comVisit source
- Reference 6SCOTTISHGAMESscottishgames.netVisit source
- Reference 7SUPERDATAsuperdata.netVisit source
- Reference 8GFKgfk.comVisit source
- Reference 9GAMESINDUSTRYgamesindustry.bizVisit source
- Reference 10SENSOR-TOWERsensor-tower.comVisit source
- Reference 11APPANNIEappannie.comVisit source
- Reference 12NORTHERNGAMESWEEKnortherngamesweek.comVisit source
- Reference 13WELSHGAMESwelshgames.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 14UKGAMESFUNDukgamesfund.comVisit source