Compared to the previous year, the German games market has shrunk in 2024. Sales of game consoles in particular have declined. Demand for subscription models like Game Pass is on the rise.
In recent years, the German games market had “reached new heights” – in 2024, it is taking a “break from growth”. This is according to a report by the German games industry association game e.V.
Last year, a total of 9.4 billion euros was generated in Germany from video games, hardware and online gaming services – however, this represents a decline of six percent compared to the previous year.
The hardware sector was particularly affected, with a decline of ten percent (from 3.27 billion euros to 2.94 billion). Game sales also fell by six percent to 5.5 billion euros.
PS Plus and Co. are enjoying great popularity
One bright spot is online gaming services such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. Sales in this segment rose by 12 percent to 960 million euros. This is reflected in video games: sales of physical and digital games fell by 17 percent.
In-game transactions remained stable with only a three percent decline. Console sales were hit hard, with 26 percent less revenue than in the previous year.
“One reason for this is that there were fewer major game releases last year and, in addition, demand for game consoles has returned to normal,” explains game managing director Felix Falk. The growth of online gaming services underscores “the continued dynamism and innovative strength of the games industry”.
This, together with new game consoles such as the Nintendo Switch 2 and major blockbuster titles such as GTA6, “means that renewed growth can be expected in the near future”.
