Ever more games in Germany are purchased via download

Game, the German Games Industry Association, has revealed that the purchase of games via download option increased in 2019.

The latest figures released by game, based on data collected by the market research company GfK, shows that around 45% of games for PCs, consoles and handheld devices were bought this way in the past year. This represents an increase of 4% compared to 2018.

The rise in the number of purchases was accompanied by a positive development in revenue generated from downloads of games for PC, consoles and handhelds. The share of digital games sales from downloads in Germany increased from 28% in 2018 to 33% in 2019. Game apps available exclusively as downloads are not included in this number.

Download portals such as the Epic Games Store, Nintendo eShop Origin, PlayStation Store, Steam, Uplay or the Xbox Games Store are thus positioned as equal sales channels to classic commercial outlets. For PC players, the portals are even the number one contact point. For console games, downloads make up slightly less than one-quarter of titles purchased, at 24%.

“For years now, download portals have been gaining in popularity among players compared to traditional commercial outlets. The convenient access and wide variety, as well as game extensions and beta versions, make the platforms particularly attractive to many gamers. Especially in these times, one of the great strengths of digital distribution is becoming apparent: even under quarantine, no one has to do without the latest gaming fun,” Felix Falk, Managing Director of game, said.