It is all online
Boxed video game sales are fast going the way of Blockbuster and the dodo according to data from Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA).
As music sales and streaming revenue reaches a high of $3 billion — the highest since 2001, not accounting for significant inflation — the UK video game market, which has grown almost continually for decades, has shrunk by 4.4 per cent.
The most significant decline was in boxed video game sales, down 35 per cent .puts the total worth of the UK video game market in 2024 at $5.7 billion, double the music market and behind TV and movies at $6.2 billion.
The numbers show a shift in players’ purchasing habits that has been ongoing for years, from physical games to digital downloads and in-game purchases in popular, established games such as Fortnite and Roblox.
Boxed games now account for 27.7 per cent of new game sales in the UK, according to ERA data.
