German games market rose 4% in 2025 to €9.4bn, driven by hardware sales

The German games market grew 4% in 2025 to €9.4 billion, driven by higher console hardware sales, particularly the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2.

That’s according to a report from the German Games Industry Association (Game), based on data collected by market research companies YouGov and Sensor Tower.

Hardware revenue grew 12% overall to €3.4 billion, with consoles reaching €1 billion, a 26% increase. Sales of gaming PCs rose 7% to €651 million, driven by the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally.

Sales of gaming PC accessories rose by 13% to €1.4 billion, including graphics cards, input devices, monitors, and VR headsets. In contrast, demand for console accessories decreased, with revenue falling 10% to €360 million.

Online gaming services revenue increased 7% year-on-year, surpassing €1 billion for the first time. In 2024, this segment generated €967 million. Over six years, revenue has more than doubled from €461 million in 2019.

Game sales dipped by 1% to €5 billion, compared to €4.9 billion in 2025, while the computer and video games submarket fell 13% to €807 million.

“The German games market is back on track for growth, and once again it is innovation above all that is driving this momentum,” said Game managing director Felix Falk.

“Rising sales of game consoles, driven by new devices, and of online gaming services demonstrate the strong interest in new gaming offerings.”

“Overall, the data for the German games market shows just how much gaming habits in Germany are changing: sales from the purchase of individual games are declining significantly, whilst in-game and in-app purchases continue to grow slightly at a much higher level.

Falk continued: “Some games have become genuine long-running hits: over the years, they have built up a huge community that is regularly supplied with new content and remains loyal to ‘their’ game. Many online gaming services also regularly feature new games, meaning that fewer new titles are purchased overall.”