Smartphones top the rankings of the most widely used gaming platforms in Germany

Smartphones top the rankings of the most widely used gaming platforms in Germany

• Number of smartphone players grows by a further 900,000
• Video game consoles continue to gain in popularity
• Tablet gaming rallies, registering 10.7 million players

Playing video games on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets is more popular than ever in Germany. Once again, smartphones headed the list of the most widely used gaming platforms in 2021. With 23.5 million players – 900,000 more than in 2020 – the smartphone is the most popular gaming platform in Germany. These are the numbers released today by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research companies GfK and data.ai. Tablet computers gained in popularity as well, rebounding from a decline in 2020 to acquire 800,000 new video game players last year. A total of 10.7 million people nationwide now use the tablet as a gaming device. Whether on smartphone or tablet, mobile gaming as a whole claims around 27.3 million enthusiasts across Germany. And this growth is reflected in the sales figures: the German mobile games market expanded by 22 per cent overall last year.

Video game consoles also gained ground, successfully defending their 2020 ranking of second-most widely used platform: 17.8 million people played on consoles in 2021, 800,000 more than the previous year. The current high popularity of games consoles is reflected in, among other things, the fact that demand for the latest models – such as the Nintendo Switch, the Sony PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S – still often outpaces supply.

The PC again saw a year-to-year drop in popularity, losing a further 900,000 players in 2021. Within a year, the number of PC players fell from 15.2 to 14.3 million.

‘Around half of video game players in Germany play on their smartphones every day or almost every day,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘The technical accessibility, the broad selection of games and the wide variety of free-to-play titles are making mobile gaming more and more popular in daily life. Since virtually everyone now owns a smartphone, many people are now being introduced to the world of gaming very casually and effortlessly. And the demand for consoles hasn’t let up, either. Their great popularity can be seen in the sustained demand for them, which suppliers often can’t keep up with.’

Another year of strong growth for the German games market

Following a historic 2020 performance with 32 per cent growth, sales revenues in the German games market continued to rise significantly in 2021 with a total of approximately 9.8 billion euros in sales revenue generated by games, games hardware and fees for online gaming services – an increase of 17 per cent compared to the previous year. Sales revenue from computer and video games grew by 19 per cent to about 5.4 billion euros, due among other things to increases in in-game and in-app purchases. Sales revenue from games hardware has also grown, by 18 per cent overall to about 3.6 billion euros. Demand for games consoles and gaming PC accessories was particularly strong.

About the market data

The market data is based on statistics compiled by the GfK Consumer Panel and data.ai. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s video games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global use. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population as a whole regarding their video game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.

game – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organisers, educational establishments and service providers. As a joint organiser of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.