According to data compiled by GSD Market Data, a total of 76.1 million video games were sold in Europe in the first six months of this year, a 13.5 percent increase over last year.
The largest European market for game sales was Germany, where nearly 15.4 million programs were sold in the first six months of this year (sales up 13.6 percent over the same period in 2021). The U.K. followed with 14.3 million sales (+2 percent), followed by France with 10.2 million (+12.1 percent).
Elden Ring was by a wide margin the best-selling game in the first six months of this year, although it should be noted that Pokémon Legends Arceus, which ranked third, does not include downloadable game sales (Nintendo does not share its digital numbers). In physical sales alone, Pokémon Legends Arceus was the No. 1 game, and after all, we know that Nintendo Switch games tend to lean more toward the physical retail market than games sold on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
Elden Ring topped the U.K. charts, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus was a triumph in Germany and France. Meanwhile, it was FIFA 22 that dominated the first six months in Spain and Italy. 74% of the games sold in the first half of the year in Europe were in digital format.
Below you can see a list of the top 20 best-selling games in Europe in the first six months of 2022, which includes games like GTA 5, LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7 and others.
- Elden Ring (Bandai Namco)
- FIFA 22 (EA)
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Nintendo)
- Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar)
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Warner Bros.)
- Horizon: Forbidden West (Sony)
- Gran Turismo 7 (Sony)
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar)
- Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo)
- Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo)
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo)
- NBA 2K22 (2K Games)
- F1 2022 (Codemasters)
- Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (Nintendo)
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (Ubisoft)
- Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain (Nintendo)
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (Activision Blizzard)
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft)
- Just Dance 2022 (Ubisoft)
It was a tough year for consoles, with just over 2 million units sold in all European countries (excluding the UK and German markets, however). The decrease compared to the previous year was more than 21%. This was mainly due to the lack of sales of the PS5, whose sales in the first half of the year fell by almost 44%. However, Sony’s console was still the second most popular console in Europe.
Nintendo Switch retained first place, recording a 7% increase in sales compared to the same period in 2021. Meanwhile, Xbox Series S and X sales were also up 9% over the same period last year.
