Economic value of videogames in Belgium amounts to €582M in 2022

Substantial increase of 10% compared to pre-corona year 2019

Slight decrease of 3% compared to corona year 2021

FIFA 23 best-selling videogame

Nintendo Switch best-selling videogame device

Brussels, March 30th 2023 – For the year 2022, the total economic value of videogames in Belgium amounts to €582 million*, which is a solid growth of 10% compared to the pre-corona year 2019. It is a slight decrease of 3% compared to the record year of 2021.

“This slight decline from 2021 was to be expected,” explains David Verbruggen, CEO of BelgianGames. “Sales during the corona years 2020 and 2021 were historically high for our sector due to lockdowns and the absence of other forms of leisure and entertainment, such as hobbies, cinema visits and travel. Incidentally, the sharp increase over 2019 is also due to the pandemic. During corona, more and more people started playing videogames and our market grew.”

Research previously found that average videogame play time in Europe peaked during the most difficult periods of the pandemic but quickly normalized once some measures eased. Here are a few other striking figures and trends for the year 2022:

FIFA appears twice in the TOP5 of best-selling pc and videogames: the ’23 edition ranks first, the ’22 edition grabs fifth spot
Counting only physical games (sold in physical version through physical or online retailers), the TOP5 best-selling pc and videogames would include no less than three Nintendo Switch exclusive titles: Pokémon Legends Arceus, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Nintendo Switch Sports.
In the TOP5 best-selling videogame devices, the Xbox Series S and X consoles climb from fourth to second place compared to 2021.
In the TOP5 best-selling prepaid cards for videogames, the PlayStation Store Wallet card ranks first, just as it did in 2021.
In 2022, there were no less than 148 million mobile game downloads in Belgium on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store combined. That’s 1 million more thanin 2021.

TOP5 best-selling pc and console videogames in Belgium in 2022

FIFA 23
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Grand Theft Auto V
Elden Ring
FIFA 22

TOP5 mobile games in Belgium in 2022

Candy Crush Saga
Roblox
Pokémon GO
Clash of Clans
State of Survival: Zombie War

TOP5 free mobile games in Belgium in 2022

Stumble Guys
Subway Surfers
Roblox
Fishdom
Fill The Fridge

TOP5 best-selling videogame devices** in Belgium in 2022

Nintendo Switch
Xbox Series
PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch Lite
META Quest

TOP5 best-selling prepaid cards for videogames in Belgium in 2022

PlayStation Store Wallet
Xbox Live Gift Card
Nintendo eShop Card
Roblox Game Card
Steam Wallet

*pc and console figures (for 2022) compiled by Games Sales Data, the official tracker of the game sector, supplemented by additional data from individual videogame companies and taking into account sales generated by game consoles, first and third party console accessories, online console subscriptions, streaming subscriptions, prepaid cards, in-game microtransactions, full physical pc and videogame sales in all Belgian hypermarkets, supermarkets, specialized stores and online stores, except MediaMarkt, as well as full pc and videogame downloads on PSN, Xbox Live, Nintendo e-Shop (only third party publishers), Steam, Epic Games Store, Origin Store, Ubisoft Store, Battle.net, Rockstar Games store; mobile game figures (for 2022) compiled by AppMagic taking into account revenue generated by full videogame downloads as well as in-game microtransactions; local videogame development figures (for 2021) based on a sector wide survey

**pc hardware and accessories not included

VGFB

Video Games Federation Belgium (VGFB) is the federation representing videogame publishers and platforms in Belgium. The mission of VGFB is to support, represent and promote the game sector. VGFB is the voice of the game sector towards the government, advisory bodies and professional associations. VGFB also gives advice to its members in different areas and acts as a source of information for its members, the media and the public. VGFB is part of BelgianGames, the umbrella organization of the various videogame federations in Belgium.

Contact:

BelgianGames

BelgianGames is the umbrella of the various videogame federations in Belgium: VGFB, FLEGA, WALGA and games.brussels.

Contact:

FLEGA

FLEGA is the federation of Flemish videogame developers. FLEGA supports the Flemish sector and brings together all Flemish individuals and companies active in the Flemish game sector (such as developers, service providers, educational organizations, researchers, local publishers…). FLEGA proactively defends and promotes the interests of its members. FLEGA also advises its members and encourages them to share information and knowledge. FLEGA represents its members when it comes to communication with government and other non-videogame sectors or international organizations. FLEGA is part of BelgianGames, the umbrella organization of the various videogame federations in Belgium.

Contact:

games.brussels

games.brussels is the federation of Brussels videogame developers. The mission of games.brussels is to structure, represent, defend and promote the interests of its members. games.brussels facilitates networking and access to the industry through Brotaru, our monthly event aimed at companies, individuals and students. games.brussels is part of BelgianGames, the umbrella organization of the various videogame federations in Belgium.

Contact:

WALGA

WALGA is the federation of the Walloon videogame ecosystem (companies, start-ups, schools…) and is supported by the Walloon Region. WALGA proactively promotes games, game studios, esports stakeholders, events, education and training centers from Wallonia. WALGA provides all information relevant to game development on all platforms (pc, console, mobile, VR…) as well as on serious games, gamification, game studies and esports in Wallonia and acts as a central hub. WALGA is part of BelgianGames, the umbrella organisation of the different videogame federations in Belgium.

Contact:

David Verbruggen

Almost 30 years of experience in the videogame sector: networking, sales, retail, media, marketing, development, gamification and public affairs. 12 years of experience in content marketing (custom made media): print and online. Project management, social media and conversation management, digital projects.

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Economic value of videogames in Belgium amounts to €582M in 2022

Substantial increase of 10% compared to pre-corona year 2019

Slight decrease of 3% compared to corona year 2021

FIFA 23 best-selling videogame

Nintendo Switch best-selling videogame device

TOP5 best-selling pc and console videogames in Belgium in 2022

TOP5 mobile games in Belgium in 2022

TOP5 free mobile games in Belgium in 2022

TOP5 best-selling videogame devices** in Belgium in 2022

TOP5 best-selling prepaid cards for videogames in Belgium in 2022

VGFB

BelgianGames

FLEGA

games.brussels

WALGA

David Verbruggen

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