Annual UK game sales declined for the first time since 2012

UK video game software sales declined last year for the first time since 2012.

Combined physical and digital software sales fell 3.4% to £3.77 billion in 2019, according to data released on Friday by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA).

Physical game sales dropped 21.7% to £602.5 million, while digital sales increased 1.1% to £3.17 billion.

The arrival of PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2020 was likely behind the decline, with the last such downturn recorded ahead of the PS4 and Xbox One launches in 2013.

However, games remain the UK’s biggest entertainment sector, bringing in almost as much as the combined national spend on video (£2.38 billion) and music (£1.32 billion) last year.

“Since 2010, the combined music, video and games markets have grown by a third thanks primarily to the innovation and investment of digital services and retailers,” said ERA CEO Kim Bayley. “The stand-out performer, however, is clearly games – up an incredible 76.2% over the past 10 years.”

While digital title information isn’t currently available, FIFA 20 was the best-selling physical game of 2019, moving over 1.5 million units.

Grand Theft Auto V was the UK’s best-selling title in terms of unit sales in the first half of 2019.

Rockstar‘s game was also the top-selling physical game of the 2010s, according to GfK data published on the BBC.