Regardless of AAA titles delivering, annual stories present general recreation gross sales dropped 6% in 2022. Console gross sales are additionally down 29% from the earlier yr.
In 2022, online game, console, and accent gross sales have all decreased from the earlier yr. Continued shortages in inventory and lack of blockbuster titles have been cited as the 2 main causes.
Studies from the GSD (Sport Gross sales Information) present that simply over 34 million video games have been offered this yr, a 6% lower from 2021. For these not acquainted, the GSD is chargeable for monitoring recreation gross sales (digital and bodily) from all the highest publishers worldwide.
Solely 14 million video games have been bought from bodily retail shops, whereas the opposite 20 million copies have been obtained from digital shops, proving as soon as extra that digital buy is the popular technique for players nowadays.
The market knowledge additionally exhibits that round 14 million of general gross sales have been from new releases, which is definitely a 20% enhance when in comparison with final yr.
One stunning element to come back out of the report was that although players most popular to purchase their video games digitally these days, digital downloads have been really significantly decrease within the UK in comparison with 2021.
The worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns most certainly helped the substantial progress in digital downloads throughout 2020 and 2021.
As anticipated, the top-selling video games for 2022 have been as soon as once more FIFA and Name of Obligation franchises. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga completed the yr in third place simply forward of FromSoftware’s Elden Ring.
Another titles to make it onto the highest 20 checklist have been God of Struggle Ragnarok, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Grand Theft Auto V and Pink Lifeless Redemption 2 additionally positioned robust once more this yr.
The Nintendo recreation that offered essentially the most this yr was Nintendo Swap Sports activities, though if the gross sales from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are mixed, the 2 video games technically offered extra.
Concerning console gross sales, the GSD market knowledge confirmed that solely 2 million gaming methods have been bought within the UK throughout 2022, which is a 29% drop in comparison with final yr.
That is principally because of a giant drop in PS5 and Nintendo Swap console gross sales particularly. It’s been effectively documented that Sony’s PS5 gross sales have been impaired by inventory shortages for almost all of the yr. Gross sales of Nintendo Swap additionally dropped dramatically, regardless of this the hand held console nonetheless completed the yr as the preferred console general.
Xbox Collection S and X once more see themselves ending in third place for the yr. Identical to the PS5 although, the Xbox Collection X additionally noticed gross sales undergo on account of a scarcity of provide.
In the long run, there have been lower than 60,000 items separating the three consoles in complete gross sales, making 2022 one of many closest years in current reminiscence.
So far as accent gross sales have been involved, over 9 million controllers, headphones, and different equipment have been offered in the UK in 2022, which can be a lower in comparison with the yr earlier than.
Beneath are the best-selling video video games (each boxed and digital) within the UK throughout yr 2022:
1. FIFA 23
2. Name of Obligation: Fashionable Warfare 2
3. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
4. Elden Ring
5. Grand Theft Auto 5
6. God of Struggle Ragnarok
7. FIFA 22
8. Horizon: Forbidden West
9. Pink Lifeless Redemption 2
10. Nintendo Swap Sports activities*
11. Pokémon Legends: Arceus*
12. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*
13. Gran Turismo 7
14. Pokémon Violet*
15. WWE 2K22
16. F1 22
17. Pokémon Scarlet*
18. Minecraft: Nintendo Swap Version*
19. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
20. Sonic Frontiers