UK Gaming Sales Took A Dive In 2022
Although 2022 had massive hits like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok, things weren't looking that great in the United Kingdom.
06th Jan 2023 14:10
Unsplash James Giddins | Activision | FromSoftware | Sony Santa Monica
UK Gaming Sales Took A Dive In 2022
Although 2022 had massive hits like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok, things weren't looking that great in the United Kingdom.
06th Jan 2023 14:10
Unsplash James Giddins | Activision | FromSoftware | Sony Santa Monica
2022 was a doozy for gaming, and will likely go down in history as a year that delivered some of the best video games of all time.
While juggernauts like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok duked it out for Game of the Year, there was a welcome return to form for Call of Duty, indie greats like Tunic, and the long-awaited arrival of Return to Monkey Island.
Sadly, while it looked like we were throwing our money at software and hardware in a bid to play that new-gen-only version of Gotham Knights, the numbers suggest the gaming market took a slump in some territories.
Why Was Gaming Down In The UK In 2022?
According to GamesIndustry.biz, the yearly GSD figures report a 6% drop in software sales in the United Kingdom. That might not seem so bad, but compare it to a 29% drop in hardware sales, and it ain't looking good.
Apparently, the dip across the board comes from those ongoing stock shortages that have rolled over from the pandemic, coupled with a boom in popularity in older titles. We're looking at you PS Plus and Game Pass.
The site reports that although there were 34.2 million games sold in the UK in 2022, it's down 6% when compared to 2021. 20 million of these were via digital download stores, which was a 3.4% drop but nothing compared to a 9% fall in physical sales year-on-year.
We should also note that Nintendo doesn't release its digital download figures, so some numbers might be skewed. Speaking of which, Switch sales fell by 27.5%, but it remained the UK's best-selling console.
Despite Jim Ryan saying console shortages are over, it's thought this led to the PS5's sales dropping by nearly 33%, while the Xbox Series X/S only fell by 15%. Shockingly, only 60,000 units separated all three platforms.
It's not all doom and gloom though, as 13.9 million of the games sold last year were new releases - marking a 20% jump from 2021.
What Were The Best-Selling Games Of 2022?
Unsurprisingly, the best-selling games of 2022 were legacy franchises FIFA and Call of Duty. It's a sad state of affairs that even the might of Elden Ring and God of War can't break through the pump and dump of these annual releases.
Interestingly, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga landed ahead of Elden Ring to claim third. There were plenty of new releases that didn't make the Top 20, including: NBA 2K23 (22), Gotham Knights (25), Saints Row (28), Kirby and the Forgotten Land (31), Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (35), Splatoon 3* (38), and Football Manager 2023 (45).
Despite criticisms, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet sales rocketed by 36% against Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, and there's more good news for CoD as MW2 beat Vanguard by 67%.
The figures make for some interesting reading, and while news of falling sales might ring alarm bells, it's not actually that bad. As we returned to work and the world went back to normal, we always expected a post-pandemic industry to look very different.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
