The Most Popular Gaming Platforms in Germany: Console and Smartphone Attract Ever More Video Game Players

In 2024, the PC saw a drop in video game players in Germany, to 13.1 million people, 400,000 fewer than in 2023. It thus continued its downward trend of recent years: compared to 2019, when there were 16.3 million PC game players in Germany, this development represents a decline of 20%. In contrast, more German players are again reaching for the tablet computer, with this group having grown by 300,000 within twelve months, to a total of 10.3 million people. Many Germans don’t limit their play to just one device: about 19 million use two or more platforms.

“For years, the tremendous success of the smartphone as the most widely used gaming platform has been unsurpassed. It offers millions of Germans an accessible way to play, along with a huge variety of games for beginners and experienced players alike. But the game console is closing in on the top spot. A major contribution to this is coming from the great popularity of the current generation of consoles, which is enjoying ongoing technical development in various aspects – from more high-performance versions to special accessories that continue to optimise the gaming experience,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

The market data is based on statistics compiled by YouGov Shopper, Nielsen IQ and data.ai (a Sensor Tower company). The methods used by YouGov Shopper to collect data on Germany’s digital game market are unique worldwide and stand out for their quality. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population regarding their video game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.

The game console is approaching the top position in popularity among gaming platforms in Germany. Some 20.5 million Germans played on consoles in 2024, more than ever before, and up from 18.7 million in 2023. In recent years, console gaming has shown strong overall development, with the number of console players in Germany having risen by 29% since 2019. This can be traced in significant part to the great popularity of the current console generation, including PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, whose makers have all come out with new, technically optimised versions – for example, PlayStation 5 Pro and the Nintendo Switch OLED Model. These are the figures released by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by YouGov. The most popular gaming platform in Germany remains the smartphone, which likewise shows continued success. The smartphone was used as a gaming platform by around 22.9 million people in Germany last year, registering a gain of 200,000 within 12 months.