How many people play video games in the UK? What platforms dominate, and how much do gamers spend? We analyzed the latest Ofcom data to answer the questions about gaming in Britain.
Reach & Usage
How Many People Play Video Games in the UK? (2024)
52% of UK adults aged 16 and over play games on devices, down from 56% in 2022.
90% of 3-15 year olds play games on devices, either online or offline. Gaming is near-universal among children.
34% of online adults aged 16 and over play or download games on phones.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Much Time Do Gamers Spend Playing? (2024)
UK gamers aged 16-64 spend an average of 6 hours 57 minutes per week gaming.
25-34 year old gamers spend the most time at 7 hours 29 minutes per week. 16-24 year olds' gaming time fell 18%, from 7 hours 47 minutes to 6 hours 22 minutes.
Male gamers aged 16-64 spend 8 hours 4 minutes per week, compared to 5 hours 51 minutes for female gamers. Female gamers' time increased by 18 minutes (+5%) year-on-year.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024, Ampere
Are Children Gaming Online More? (2024)
41% of 5-7 year olds game online, up 7 percentage points from 2022. 23% of 3-4 year olds game online, up 5 percentage points from 2022.
Online gaming among young children is growing rapidly as connected gaming becomes the norm.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Consoles
What Gaming Consoles Do UK Households Have? (2024)
38% of UK adults aged 16 and over live in a household with at least one games console. 22% personally used a console, up from 20% in 2023.
PlayStation 5 is the most popular console, found in 30% of console households, up from 23% in 2023.
Xbox Series X or S is in 29% of console households, down 4 percentage points.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Popular Is VR Gaming in the UK? (2024)
4% of UK adults play games on VR headsets, up from 3% in 2023.
9% of 16-24 year olds play VR games, compared to just 1% of those aged 65 and over. VR gaming is concentrated among younger adults.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Gaming Subscriptions
How Many Gamers Subscribe to Gaming Services? (2024)
36% of gamers subscribe to a gaming subscription service. 45% of 16-24 year old gamers subscribe, compared to just 12% of those aged 55 and over.
Male gamers are more likely to subscribe at 41%, compared to 30% of female gamers.
PlayStation Plus is the most popular subscription, used by 17% of UK gamers. Xbox subscriptions are used by 14%. 32% of gamers have a console multiplayer subscription.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Market Size
How Much Do UK Gamers Spend? (2024)
UK gamers are forecast to spend £5,676 million on games content and services in 2024.
Mobile gaming spend is forecast to increase 6.6% to £1,888 million. Console gaming spend is forecast to decrease 4.4% to £2,824 million.
Mobile gaming is growing while console spending shrinks, reflecting the shift toward more accessible gaming platforms.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024, Ampere
Top Games
What Are the Most Popular Games in the UK? (2024)
EA Sports FC 24 was the most popular game with 2.93 million active users across Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam in May 2024. Players spent an average of 23 hours on the game during the month.
Fortnite is second with 2.65 million active users, averaging 17 hours of play. Call of Duty HQ is third with 1.76 million users.
Five of the top ten games are free-to-play. Nine of the top ten games have multiplayer functionalities.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
How Is Roblox Performing? (2024)
Roblox ranked sixth with 1.22 million active users, up 740,000 from 2023. Growth was driven by the PlayStation launch.
Grand Theft Auto V/Online fell to fourth with 1.36 million users, down 410,000 from 2023.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
Mobile Gaming
How Many People Play Mobile Games? (2024)
36% of UK smartphone users aged 16 and over use at least one games app, down from 39% in 2023.
Candy Crush Saga is the highest-reaching mobile game with 2.2 million adult visitors. 26% of its audience is aged 55-64, while only 5% is aged 18-24.
Monopoly GO! almost doubled its audience, reaching 1.71 million, up from 900,000 in 2023.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024, Ipsos iris
Who Plays Mobile Games? (2024)
Top ten mobile games skew 60% female and 40% male. All top ten mobile games skew toward women.
Candy Crush Saga is 70% female. Roblox is 58% female.
Mobile gaming has a strong female audience, contrasting with console and PC gaming which skew male.
Sources: Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024
- [Ofcom Online Nations Report 2024](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2024/online-nation-2024-report.pdf)
- Ampere
- Ipsos iris