UK video games market hits record £8.76bn — its highest valuation ever, up 7.4%
Data article: UK video games market reaches record £8.76 billion in 2025, growing 7.4% year-on-year, according to Ukie industry report.
The UK video games sector reached £8.76 billion in consumer spending in 2025 — its highest-ever valuation — representing 7.4% year-on-year growth, according to a new industry report published by trade body Ukie at London Games Festival on 14 April 2026.
- UK consumers spent £8.76 billion on video games in 2025 — the highest figure ever recorded.
- Software spending rose 7% to £6.03bn; mobile gaming grew 7.9% to £2.07bn.
- Game Culture (film, TV, merchandise) surged 42% to £566 million, powered by A Minecraft Movie.
- The industry now supports over 73,000 jobs and contributes £6bn annually to the UK economy.
The figures, unveiled at London Games Festival — the UK’s premier week-long showcase of interactive entertainment — confirm the sector has more than doubled in size over the last decade. Ukie’s annual market report is compiled from consumer spending data across software, hardware, and associated cultural products.
Spending by segment
Software spending — the largest component of the market — rose 7% to reach £6.03 billion. Hardware grew a more modest 3% to £2.17 billion. The standout performer, however, was the newly defined Game Culture category, which encompasses video game-related film, television, toys, and merchandise.
Source: Ukie UK Games Market Report 2026
Platform-by-platform breakdown
Digital console spending was the biggest single driver, rising 9.2% to £2.49 billion as the installed base of new-generation hardware reached critical mass. Mobile followed closely, growing 7.9% to £2.07 billion. Digital PC software reached £1.15 billion.
Source: Ukie UK Games Market Report 2026
| Platform / segment | 2025 spend | YoY change |
|---|---|---|
| Digital console software | £2.49bn | +9.2% |
| Mobile games | £2.07bn | +7.9% |
| Game hardware | £2.17bn | +3% |
| Digital PC software | £1.15bn | — |
| Toys & merchandise | £333m | +43% |
| Game-related film & TV | £159m | +70% |
| Total market | £8.76bn | +7.4% |
Source: Ukie UK Games Market Report 2026
Game culture: the 42% category nobody saw coming
The most dramatic growth story belongs to Game Culture. Overall Game Culture spending reached £566 million — up 42% year-on-year. Within that, toys and merchandising hit £333 million (up 43%), and game-related film and TV revenue surged 70% to £159 million.
A Minecraft Movie — released in early 2026 — 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 driver of that film and TV uplift, according to Ukie.
Source: Ukie UK Games Market Report 2026
Industry reaction
“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.”
Poole added that the next 12 months could be “genuinely defining” for the UK games industry, with studios in every region of the country preparing new titles for release.
A decade of growth
The wider context underlines just how far the sector has come. The UK games industry has more than doubled in size over the past 10 years and now supports over 73,000 jobs. It contributes £6 billion in gross value added to the UK economy annually, with studios active from Dundee to Leamington Spa, Manchester to Guildford.
Source: Ukie annual market data (2025 figure confirmed; prior years estimated from Ukie decade-on-decade growth claims)
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Abi has been writing about gaming, sports, puzzles, and UK entertainment since 2019. She covers everything from game reviews and festival previews to your daily Wordle hints — always from a British perspective.
