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Players in Germany

Games are more popular in Germany than ever before: around six out of every ten Germans play computer and video games. 59 per cent of the population between the ages of 6 and 69 reach for their PC, console, smartphone or tablet to dive into the digital world of games. Taken together, the past two years witnessed a significant increase in player numbers, with some 6 per cent more people playing games than in 2019 – that’s a record-breaking number of Germans playing games. And the genders are essentially equal here: 48 per cent of players are women and 52 per cent are men. The continuous increase in the number of players demonstrates that, even after the sharp spike during the pandemic in 2020, millions of Germans are still passionate about games.

Around 6 in 10 Germans play video games

Players who play at least occasionally

50- to 59-year-olds continue to make up one of the largest groups of gamers: approximately one fifth of German video game players are in this age bracket. Along with the over-60s, they make up nearly a third of the video game players in Germany. Many people who played games in the 1980s and 1990s have stayed true to games in old age. In recent years, this effect has led to a consistent increase in the average age of video game players in Germany, which rose from 37.4 in 2020 to 37.6 in 2021.

Players are over 37 years old on average

Players in Germany most frequently reach for mobile devices to play games. Smartphones expanded their lead as the most-used gaming platform, gaining an additional 900,000 new players last year. Approximately 23.5 million gamers play on their smartphones. After dropping from 11.2 to 9.9 million players in 2020, tablet computers also regained some of their popularity. A total of 10.7 million people in Germany used tablets as gaming devices in 2021 – an increase of 800,000 new players compared to the previous year. On smartphones and tablets alike, mobile gaming is extremely popular, with around 27.3 million enthusiasts across Germany. Video game consoles also gained ground, successfully maintaining their 2020 ranking as the second-most widely used platform: 17.8 million people played on consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation or Xbox in 2021, 800,000 more than the previous year. PCs, however, were once again in less demand among video game players. In 2021, there were just 14.3 million PC gamers instead of 15.2 million – a further loss of 900,000 players.

Smartphones top of rankings of the most widly used gaming platforms in Germany

game’s top 20 charts show which games and game genres players in Germany love most: once again, the top spot of the bestselling PC and console games in 2021 was taken by the latest edition of the EA football simulator – ‘EA SPORTS FIFA 22’ (EA), followed by the open-world game ‘GTA V’ (Rockstar Games) in second place. In third place was the racing game ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ (Nintendo). Fourth and fifth place were held by ‘Farming Simulator 22’ (Giants Software) and ‘Minecraft’ (Microsoft). This continues a trend from the previous year: games with multiplayer modes that allow players to play with or against one another were at the top of the PC and console game charts once again in 2021. The games were purchased both as physical media and as downloads.

The 20 best-selling PC and console games in Germany in 2021