Summary

• Major gaming console sales in Europe dropped in 2024 due to market saturation and lack of new releases.
• The PlayStation 5 Pro was the only new console from big companies, but couldn't prevent overall sales decline.
• Overall gaming sales in Europe only saw a 1% increase in 2024, with digital sales rising and physical copies falling.

2024 wasn't a stellar year for video game consoles in Europe, with all major platforms including the Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation experiencing a decline. Despite this, the gaming industry wasn't entirely in the doldrums.

The only new console launched by the big three game companies in 2024 was the PlayStation 5 Pro, a more powerful iteration of the existing PS5. While it garnered significant interest from fans eager for enhanced performance, it couldn't reverse the downward trend in console sales across the region.

According to a report by Video Games Chronicle, sales of the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch fell sharply in Europe. Overall console sales dropped by 21% from the previous year. PlayStation, buoyed somewhat by the PS5 Pro's launch, saw the least decline at 20% compared to 2023. The Nintendo Switch experienced a 15% drop, while the Xbox Series X/S saw a staggering 48% decline. Analysts attribute this to market saturation, with the original PS5 and Xbox Series consoles having been released in 2020, and the Nintendo Switch in 2017. Interestingly, on Amazon's US site, the Meta Quest 3S outsold all major game consoles in 2024, suggesting a shift in consumer preferences.

Video Game Sales Shift and Growth Stagnates

Overall, gaming sales in Europe for 2024 were modest, with 188.1 million PC and console games sold, marking just a 1% increase from the previous year. This slight uptick might be welcome, but it falls short of what many game publishers hoped for. The data also highlights a significant shift towards digital sales, which rose to 131.6 million units, a 15% increase over 2023. In contrast, physical game sales plummeted to 56.5 million units, a 22% drop from the prior year.

Looking ahead, 2025 is anticipated to be a more robust year for gaming in Europe and globally. The upcoming release of the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to boost sales significantly. It's important to note, however, that the 2024 sales figures exclude data from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and other regions, which could potentially alter the overall perspective on the year's performance.

[ttpp]