The video game industry in Germany has grown significantly in recent years, holding both opportunities and challenges for brands. Audiences are getting broader and more diverse, but gamers perceive the cost for new games to be too high.
The Video Game Market in Germany – Current Landscape
The video game industry has experienced significant growth in recent years, attracting new customers along the way. While it remains true that young men remain the most avid gamers, the appeal of gaming goes far beyond that. Mobile gaming in particular has broken down barriers to new female gamers.
Despite the growth and a more diverse audience, significant challenges remain for the video game market. As the cost of producing a game has increased, and the number of games available has created an incredibly competitive market, so consumers have become cautious about prices. The majority of gamers think new games are too expensive, creating opportunities to ease the burden through subscriptions, in-game purchases, and brand sponsorships.
The gaming community is varied and deeply committed, with many younger players looking to socialise. For brands, there is a real opportunity to play within these social spaces. This can either be done digitally, by adding mods or introducing spaces into games themselves, or in adjacent physical spaces, such as esports or games awards events.
German Gaming Industry Statistics
- The German Video Gaming Market: 66% of Germans play video games, highlighting just how big gaming has become.
- Gaming Industry Trends: Mobile gaming in particular has broken down barriers to new gamers, with 47% of women over 65 having played some kind of video game.
Germany Gaming Industry Report – What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- An overview of current German gaming market performance and segmentation of the video game industry.
- Key product development and gaming industry trends.
- Consumer gaming habits and motivations by age and gender.
- The importance of mobile gaming and its accessibility.
- Opportunities for brands in esports and professional gaming events.
- Cloud gaming adoption and subscription models.
- The impact of economic factors on gaming purchases and preferences.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by Thomas Slide, Category Director at Mintel. Thomas joined Mintel in 2015 and is now Category Director of Professional Services research in Germany. Thomas leads a team of analysts conducting research across the Retail, Technology, Media, Automotive, Fashion, eCommerce, and Financial Services sectors.
Over half of the German population play video games, with smartphone gaming dominating this space. The popularity of gaming in Germany presents major opportunities for brands seeking to reach well beyond the stereotypical young male gamer.
Thomas Slide
Category Director
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Go beyond the gaming stereotype to reach smartphone gamers of all ages
- Smartphones have made everyone a gamer
- Think beyond the gaming stereotype to reach new audiences
- Leverage social and competitive gaming
- Meet young gamers where they want to socialise
- Become part of the conversation to encourage sharing
- Leverage games to tell a story
- Gamers are a diverse bunch
- Use gaming to tell a brand story
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CONSUMER
- Gaming habits
- Smartphones are the leading way to game
- Graph 1: frequency of gaming activity, 2024
- Smartphones bring gaming to the masses
- Gaming habits are heavily determined by age
- Graph 2: gaming habits in the last three months, by age, 2024
- Young men are most willing to pay for decent hardware
- Graph 3: ‘It is worth spending more to have the best technology products for gaming’, by generation, 2024
- Women over 65 buck the gender trend
- Graph 4: frequency of playing video games, by age and gender, 2024
- Germans’ love of gaming events offers prime opportunities for brands
- Graph 5: watched professional video game competitions (eg live streams/video clips, at live events), by generation, 2024
- IEM Cologne offers opportunities to reach game fanatics
- Motivations for gaming
- Gaming is the perfect way to relax and pass the time
- Graph 6: motivations to game, 2024
- Nintendo taps into desire for nostalgia
- Engage consumers where they hang out
- Make time for gaming
- EV transition provides new opportunities for gaming
- Storytelling can engage men aged 25-44
- Disney comes to Fortnite
- Gaming isn’t confined to the young
- Tie gaming to wellbeing
- Knorr reframes the conversation through mods
- Gaming purchases
- A third of 16-24 year old male gamers purchase in-game content
- Graph 7: gaming purchases, by age and gender, 2024
- Align products with gaming to drive engagement
- Oreo gets into gaming through in-pack codes to unlock exclusive content
- ‘Gaming’ products tend to focus on hardcore gamers
- Win over gamer dads
- Heineken offers gaming refreshment
- Schwarzkopf LIVE partners with Final Fantasy XIV
- Consider gaming products that appeal to a wider audience of gamers
- Media tie-ups can generate discussion
- Graph 8: selected attitudes towards gaming, 2024
- Blur the line between passive and active entertainment
- Netflix launches Anime series based on Cyberpunk 2077
- Underrepresented groups in gaming
- Two thirds want to see more underrepresented groups in games
- Graph 9: groups gamers want to see in video games, 2024
- Diverse storytelling adds to realism
- Tap into a desire for greater representation in gaming
- Microsoft introduces Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework
- Xbox promotes gaming for all
- Meet demand for accurate portrayals of mental health
- Socialising through gaming
- Gaming isn’t just a solitary activity
- Competitive socialising thrives in gaming circles
- Graph 10: reasons for gaming, by age, 2024
- The social impact of gaming isn’t just in-game
- Graph 11: activities done while gaming, 2024
- Heineken taps into the social side of gaming
- Highlight crossover social events to overcome lack of IRL socialising concerns
- Graph 12: attitudes towards gaming, 2024
- Hisense brings gamers together to show off its latest screen projectors
- Dedicated gamers are embarrassed to admit their passion
- Tackle the stigma attached to gaming
- Address toxicity to create brand-friendly spaces
- Graph 13: agreement that online multiplayer gaming is toxic (eg harassment in chats), by age and gender, 2024
- Cloud gaming and subscriptions
- Cloud and subscription gaming peaks among 25-34s
- Graph 14: use of gaming subscriptions and cloud gaming services, by age and gender, 2024
- Changing the game for subscriptions
- Subscriptions and partnerships help ease the cost burden
- Gamers are split on the future of cloud gaming
- Focusing too heavily on cloud gaming risks alienating the core fanbase
- ‘This is an Xbox’ campaign draws a mixed response
- Xbox broadens focus but remains commited to consoles
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INNOVATION
- Competitive strategies
- Microsoft pushes forward with multiplatform strategy
- KitKat leverages gaming through League of Legends
- Interoperability has the potential to change gaming
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency in gaming
- In-game advertising helps drive revenues
- Sony leans into legacy and community to cater to hardcore fans and develop the next generation
- Game-to-film adaptations
- Launch activity
- Sony releases the PS5 Pro
- Microsoft launches all-digital Xbox Series X
- Apple Vision Pro launches in Germany
- Sony announces potential Vision Pro competitor
- Nintendo teases Nintendo Switch follow-up
- Xbox starts adding AI features
- Samsung launches gaming-focused 3D TV
- Deutsche Telekom launches ‘gaming package’
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MARKET
- Market drivers
- Household finances improve slightly as inflation eases
- Graph 15: household finances, 2022-24
- Generative AI is changing the game
- Many Germans turn to gaming to relieve stress
- Graph 16: playing video games to relieve stress, by market, 2024
- A gaming device in every pocket
- Graph 17: device ownership, 2024
- Leglislation is shaping the industry
- Market size
- German games market set to decline in 2024
- Strong growth in 2023 reflects a shifting business model
- Market segmentation
- In-game and in-app purchases make up the biggest share of revenue
- Graph 18: gaming revenue market segmentation, 2020-24
- Mobile gaming revenue slows
- Graph 19: revenue from mobile gaming, 2018-23
- Mobile gaming revenues struggle to beat inflation
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, generations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- CHAID-Analysis
- A note on language
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