UK Game Prices Increased 7% on Average in 2022
Spending at physical brick-and-mortar stores slightly grew compared to the previous year, although 96.8% of sales were generated through online stores or digital download platforms.
According to new data from GfK (via GamesIndustry.biz), the average expenditure on a video game in the UK increased by 6.7% to £36.47 last year, based on physical retail sales. Meanwhile, data firm Omdia reported that the average selling price of full-game downloads was £15.19, reflecting a 7.3% increase from the previous year.
As GamesIndustry.biz notes, this increase is slightly lower than the inflation rate in the UK, which stands at just over 10%.
The increased game costs became most noticeable with the recent jump to £70 in the UK for top-tier AAA titles. A number of best-selling games last year, including FIFA 23 (2.5 million sales), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (1.68 million sales), God of War Ragnarök (670,000 sales), and Horizon Forbidden West (530,000 sales), were sold at this higher price point.
Spending at physical brick-and-mortar stores saw a slight increase to reach £150 million. However, these outlets accounted for just 3.2% of sales, with the remaining 96.8% of sales being generated through online stores or digital download platforms.
Online retailers, such as Amazon, dominated the physical game revenue, representing £338.7 million, which equates to 69% of the total revenue generated from physical video games. This marks a slight decrease from the previous year's 72%.
Based on ERA's statistics, the digital sales of major video games continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace. For the period ending on January 31st, 2022, FIFA 23's digital share was 61.3%, whereas FIFA 22's digital share was 60.8% for the same period the previous year. In comparison, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II's digital share was 65.3%, while Call of Duty Vanguard's digital share was 58.3%.
According to ERA, for the Top 20 games (excluding Nintendo, which doesn't share digital data with the charts), 50% of the games were purchased from physical outlets, while the remaining 50% were acquired through digital download stores.
You can find more info and see the list of best-selling 2022's video games in the UK here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform, our Reddit page, and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
