With 42 million UK gamers in 2022, the sector is drawing in more than two thirds of the population, yet the money and talent look uneven across platforms and regions. Mobile leads with 38 million users, while exports hit £11.5 billion in 2022 and London studios alone generated £2.3 billion in turnover in 2021. We’ve pulled together the key UK Games Industry figures that help explain why growth, workforce change, and revenue are moving at different speeds.
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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
- 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 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
- 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
In 2022, 42 million UK gamers and 2,371 studios drove growing global exports and rising industry jobs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer And Market Trends30 stats
01
UK gamers number 42 million in 2022, with 67% of population playing
02
Average spend per gamer in UK is £80 annually in 2022
03
52% of UK gamers are female in 2022
04
Mobile is the most popular platform with 38 million UK users in 2022
05
25 million UK consumers play on PC in 2022
06
Console gamers in UK total 20 million in 2022
07
15-24 year olds are 28% of UK gamers in 2022
08
45+ age group makes up 22% of UK gamers in 2022
09
68% of UK gamers play daily or several times a week in 2022
10
Esports viewers in UK reached 12 million in 2022
11
55% of gamers prefer single-player experiences in 2022
12
Multiplayer/online games played by 62% of UK gamers 2022
13
32% of UK gamers subscribe to game services in 2022
14
Fortnite has 15 million monthly active UK users in 2022
15
Roblox boasts 10 million UK monthly players in 2022
16
FIFA series sells 2.5 million units annually in UK
17
Grand Theft Auto V has sold 8 million copies lifetime in UK by 2022
18
75% of UK gamers use smartphones for gaming in 2022
19
Cloud gaming used by 18% of UK gamers in 2022
20
VR headset ownership at 8% among UK gamers 2022
21
41% of parents play games with children in UK 2022
22
Microtransactions spent £1.8 billion by UK gamers in 2022
23
60% of gamers discover games via YouTube/Twitch in 2022
24
Steam has 25 million UK users in 2022
25
PlayStation Network active users 18 million in UK 2022
26
Xbox Live has 15 million UK monthly actives 2022
27
Nintendo Switch owners 12 million in UK by 2022
28
70% of UK gamers play social/casual games in 2022
29
Action/adventure top genre with 55% preference in UK 2022
30
UK spent £4.2 billion on games content in 2022
Interpretation
Consumer And Market Trends Interpretation
With 42 million people gaming in 2022 and 52% of gamers being female, the UK consumer market is not only large but increasingly diverse, while mobile remains the biggest access point at 38 million users and continues to shape where engagement is concentrated.
02 · Category
Employment And Skills28 stats
01
The UK games industry employed 53,000 people in 2022, a 25% increase from 2019
02
42,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles were in games development in 2021
03
Women make up 28% of the UK games workforce in 2022
04
15% of UK games employees are from BAME backgrounds in 2022
05
Average salary in UK games industry is £45,000 per year in 2022
06
7,000 freelancers work in the UK games sector annually
07
25% growth in games jobs in Scotland from 2019-2022
08
London hosts 14,200 games jobs in 2021
09
5,400 programming roles in UK games in 2022
10
Artists and animators number 8,200 in UK games workforce 2022
11
3,100 QA testers employed in UK games in 2022
12
49% of UK games companies report skills shortages in 2022
13
12,000 jobs in non-development roles like marketing in 2021
14
Under 30s make up 45% of UK games workforce in 2022
15
18% of employees have disabilities in UK games 2022
16
2,200 senior management roles in UK games 2021
17
Brighton & Hove has 2,650 games jobs in 2021
18
Manchester games employment at 3,800 in 2021
19
Edinburgh employs 1,900 in games 2021
20
35% of UK games firms hiring in 2022 despite economic challenges
21
4,500 roles in audio and design in UK games 2022
22
LGBTQ+ representation at 11% in UK games workforce 2022
23
Average tenure in UK games jobs is 4.2 years in 2022
24
1,800 HR and admin roles support UK games sector 2021
25
Dundee games jobs total 1,200 in 2021
26
28% of UK games devs have university degrees in 2022
27
Remote working adopted by 65% of UK games firms in 2022
28
22,000 direct development jobs in England 2021
Interpretation
Employment And Skills Interpretation
The UK games industry grew its workforce to 53,000 people in 2022, a 25% rise from 2019, and with 42,000 full time equivalent roles in 2021 plus 7,000 annual freelancers, it signals strong ongoing demand for employment and skills even as representation remains uneven with women at 28% and BAME employees at 15%.
03 · Category
Exports And Global Reach28 stats
01
UK games exports valued at £11.5 billion in 2022, up 25% YoY
02
85% of UK games studio revenue from international markets in 2021
03
US is top export market taking 35% of UK games exports 2022
04
EU countries account for 28% of UK games exports in 2022
05
Asia-Pacific region 22% of UK games export revenue 2022
06
450 UK studios export to over 100 countries in 2022
07
Crackdown 3 exported generating £200m+ overseas 2019-2022
08
Total War series exports £1.2 billion lifetime by 2022
09
72% of UK games turnover from exports in 2021
10
Games Fund supported 120 export-focused projects 2022
11
UK games attract £500m foreign investment annually avg 2020-2022
12
China imports £450m UK games content yearly 2022
13
Japan takes 12% of UK games exports in 2022
14
GTA franchise exports £5bn+ from UK origins by 2022
15
65 UK studios have offices in North America 2022
16
40 studios have EU offices for market access 2022
17
Australia/NZ import £180m UK games yearly 2022
18
92% of top 100 UK studios export globally 2022
19
F1 games series exports £800m to 50+ countries 2022
20
Planet Zoo and Zoo Tycoon exports £150m 2022
21
30% growth in digital exports post-Brexit 2021-2022
22
UK leads Europe in games exports value 2022
23
1,200 UK jobs supported by exports in 2021
24
Middle East exports up 40% to £120m in 2022
25
Latin America takes 8% of UK games exports 2022
26
55 UK studios attend Gamescom for exports annually
27
Warhammer IP exports £300m yearly from UK 2022
28
76% of indie exports via Steam globally 2022
Interpretation
Exports And Global Reach Interpretation
In 2022, UK games exports surged to £11.5 billion, a 25% year-on-year increase, driven by global reach where the US alone takes 35% and international markets supply 85% of studio revenue, underscoring how export-led growth is central to the UK games industry’s worldwide impact.
More related reading
04 · Category
Revenue And Economic Contribution30 stats
01
The UK games industry generated £7 billion in revenue in 2021, representing a 1% increase from the previous year
02
UK games exports reached £6.1 billion in 2021, accounting for 72% of total sector turnover
03
The video games sector contributed £4.1 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2021
04
London-based games companies generated £2.3 billion in turnover in 2021, the highest of any UK region
05
Indie studios in the UK achieved £1.2 billion in combined revenue in 2022
06
The UK mobile games market was valued at £2.4 billion in 2022
07
PC games generated £1.8 billion in the UK in 2022, up 12% year-on-year
08
Console games revenue in the UK hit £1.6 billion in 2022
09
UK games industry paid £2.5 billion in staff costs in 2021
10
The sector's total turnover grew by 14% to £7.4 billion in 2022
11
Scotland's games industry contributed £430 million to turnover in 2021
12
The UK VR/AR games market reached £250 million in 2022
13
Cloud gaming services generated £150 million in UK revenue in 2022
14
Esports-related revenue in the UK games sector was £120 million in 2022
15
Merchandising and IP licensing added £300 million to UK games revenue in 2021
16
The UK games industry's tax contributions totaled £1.2 billion in 2021
17
Digital downloads accounted for 92% of UK games revenue in 2022
18
Physical game sales declined to £180 million in the UK in 2022
19
Subscription services like Xbox Game Pass contributed £400 million in UK in 2022
20
Free-to-play games generated £3.2 billion in the UK in 2022
21
Premium games sales reached £1.1 billion in the UK market in 2022
22
In-app purchases drove £2.1 billion of UK mobile games revenue in 2022
23
UK games R&D spend was £1.3 billion in 2021
24
The sector supported 2,636 FTE jobs through supply chain in 2021
25
Northern Ireland games turnover was £82 million in 2021
26
Wales games industry revenue hit £150 million in 2022
27
South East England games turnover £1.1 billion in 2021
28
North West England contributed £450 million to games turnover in 2021
29
Yorkshire & Humber games revenue £220 million in 2021
30
East of England games sector turnover £380 million in 2021
Interpretation
Revenue And Economic Contribution Interpretation
In the Revenue And Economic Contribution lens, the UK games industry reached £7 billion in revenue in 2021 and added £4.1 billion in GVA to the economy, with exports driving much of the turnover at £6.1 billion or 72% of the sector total.
05 · Category
Studio And Company Data28 stats
01
There are 2,371 active UK games studios in 2022
02
90% of UK games studios are SMEs with fewer than 50 employees
03
London is home to 595 games studios in 2021
04
1,450 indie studios operate in the UK in 2022
05
Scotland has 144 games studios in 2021
06
25% of UK studios focus on mobile games development
07
18% of studios specialize in PC games
08
Console-focused studios make up 22% of UK total in 2022
09
42 new studios launched in UK in 2022
10
15 studio closures reported in UK games in 2022
11
Manchester hosts 127 games studios in 2021
12
Brighton has 104 games development studios in 2021
13
Guildford area has 85 studios in 2021
14
65% of UK studios are under 5 years old in 2022
15
12% of studios employ over 100 people in 2022
16
Dundee has 28 games studios in 2021
17
35% of studios are single-person operations in 2022
18
Edinburgh hosts 62 studios in 2021
19
28% of UK studios publish their own games in 2022
20
52% of studios use Unity engine primarily in 2022
21
Unreal Engine used by 38% of UK studios in 2022
22
75% of studios report funding challenges in 2022
23
220 studios received UK Games Fund support since 2019
24
Cambridge has 45 games studios in 2021
25
41% of studios are multi-platform developers in 2022
26
Liverpool hosts 32 studios in 2021
27
19% of studios focus on VR/AR exclusively in 2022
28
Bristol has 48 games studios in 2021
Interpretation
Studio And Company Data Interpretation
With 2,371 active UK games studios in 2022 and 90% of them being SMEs of fewer than 50 employees, the studio and company landscape is dominated by small indie-led teams, including 1,450 indie studios and 25% focused on mobile development.
report visual · Comparison
UK gaming: audience, spend, and engagement (2022)
A large share of the UK population plays games, with steady daily engagement and strong average spend per gamer.
Average spend per gamer in UK is £80 annually in 2022£80
68% of UK gamers play daily or several times a week in 2022
68%
UK gamers number 42 million in 2022, with 67% of population playing
67%
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Uk Games Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-games-industry-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Uk Games Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/uk-games-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Uk Games Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-games-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
14 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level