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 was a challenging year for video game consoles across Europe, affecting all major players including the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation. The year saw a significant downward trend in new console sales throughout the region, though the gaming industry as a whole wasn't entirely in the red.
The only new console released by the big three gaming companies in 2024 was the PlayStation 5 Pro, an enhanced version of the existing model. Despite the excitement around a more powerful Sony console, it failed to reverse the overall sales decline in Europe compared to previous years.
According to a report by Video Games Chronicle, sales data revealed a tough year for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch in Europe, with a 21% drop in overall console sales from the previous year. PlayStation, buoyed somewhat by the PS5 Pro's launch, fared the best but still saw a 20% decrease in sales compared to 2023. The Nintendo Switch saw a 15% decline, while the Xbox Series X/S experienced a dramatic 48% drop. Analysts attribute this to a stagnant console market, with the original PS5 and Xbox Series consoles having been released in 2020, and the Nintendo Switch back in 2017. Interestingly, on Amazon's US site, the Meta Quest 3S outsold all major game consoles in 2024, suggesting a broader trend of stagnation in console sales.
Video Game Sales Shift and Growth Stagnates
Overall, the gaming market in Europe saw only a marginal increase in 2024, with 188.1 million PC and console games sold, marking a mere 1% rise from the previous year. While any growth is positive, it fell short of what many game publishers had hoped for. The data also highlighted a significant shift in consumer behavior, with digital game sales surging to 131.6 million units, a 15% increase over 2023, while physical game sales plummeted to 56.5 million units, a 22% decrease 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 drive significant sales. However, it's important to note that the 2024 console sales figures exclude data from key markets such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria. Including these regions might have presented a less bleak picture for 2024's performance.
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