Economic value of video games in Belgium amounts to €708M in 2023

EA SPORTS FC™ 24 best-selling console video game

PlayStation 5 best-selling video game device

Baldur’s Gate 3 most streamed video game of Belgian origin

Leuven, March 26, 2024 – For the year 2023, the total economic value of video games in Belgium amounts to no less than €708 million*, which translates into a strong increase of 21.6% compared to 2022 (then €582 million). Compared to the exceptional top year of 2021, the 2nd corona year, there is an increase of 18%.

“This significant increase can largely be attributed to the explosive sales of PlayStation 5 consoles,” explains David Verbruggen, General Manager of Video Games Federation Belgium. “In the year 2022, the PlayStation 5 was hardly available due to chip shortages as a result of the corona pandemic. From the beginning of 2023, that situation was completely reversed and Belgian consumers bought PlayStation 5 consoles en masse. Sales of download software also increased significantly compared to 2022. Sales of the Nintendo Switch console remained virtually stable 6 years after launch.”

The economic value detail of €708M is described in footnote1. This figure includes both the sales of international video game soft- and hardware in Belgium as well as the worldwide sales of all video games of Belgian origin and/or developed in Belgium. Those worldwide sales refer to the year 2022 (as the 2023 figure is not yet known) and thus do not yet take into account the official release of Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023.

Here are some more striking figures and trends for the year 2023:

Physical software sales (sold in a package through physical or online retailers) account for 43% of all software sales. The other 57% are digital software downloads. Belgium is thus following an international trend that started several years ago.
Hogwarts Legacy is a great success in 2023 and comfortably reaches the higher echelons in the software charts below. EA Sports FC™ 24 (formerly FIFA) takes 1st spot in the console software charts.
Larian Studios does not share sales figures by region, but our information indicates that they do not make the pc and console software TOP5 with Baldur’s Gate 3. In our new streaming chart below, Baldur’s Gate 3 takes first place.
From this year onwards we also provide the TOP5 of most streamed international video games and most streamed video games of Belgian origin. These charts are compiled based on the number of hours streamed in Belgium on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, where consumers watch video game content (but do not play it themselves).
In the TOP5 of mobile games with the most turnover, Candy Crush Saga retains the 1st place compared to 2022. MONOPOLY GO!, which was released in April 2023, immediately comes in at number 2. And that game also immediately takes the 1st spot in the TOP5 most downloaded mobile games.
There were a total of 142 million downloads of mobile games in Belgium in 2023 in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store combined. That is 6 million less than in 2022. The turnover of mobile games also fell sharply compared to 2022. We do not immediately see an explanation for this.

This is the TOP5 best-selling console video games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on physical units and digital downloads)

EA SPORTS FC 24
Hogwarts Legacy
FIFA23
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom

This is the TOP5 best-selling console video games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on physical units only, as Nintendo does not share digital data for their own first party titles)

EA SPORTS FC 24
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom
Hogwarts Legacy
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

This is the TOP5 best-selling pc games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on physical units and digital downloads)

Diablo IV
Hogwarts Legacy
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Grand Theft Auto V
Red Dead Redemption 2

This is the TOP5 mobile games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on turnover)

Candy Crush Saga
MONOPOLY GO!
Roblox
Gardenscapes
Royal Match

This is the TOP5 mobile games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on downloads)

MONOPOLY GO!
Block Blast!
Roblox
Royal Match
My Perfect Hotel

This is the TOP5 best-selling video game devices** in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on units)

PlayStation 5
Nintendo Switch
Xbox Series
META Quest 2
PlayStation 4

This is the TOP5 best-selling prepaid cards for video games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on units)

PlayStation Store Wallet
Xbox Live Gift Card
Nintendo eShop Card
Steam Wallet
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

This is the TOP5 most streamed international video games in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on hours streamed)

League of Legends
Grand Theft Auto V
Fortnite
Valorant
Minecraft

This is the TOP5 most streamed video games of Belgian origin in Belgium for the year 2023

(based on number of hours streamed)

Baldur’s Gate 3
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin
Epistory: Typing Chronicles
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Bitch

*Pc and console figures (for 2023) collected by Games Sales Data, the official tracker of the video games sector, taking into account sales of video game consoles (including bundles), first and third party console and pc accessories, physical prepaid cards (for console and video game subscriptions), digital in-game microtransactions (estimate), full physical pc and console video games in all Belgian hypermarkets, supermarkets, specialized stores (except MediaMarkt) and online stores as well as full pc and console video game downloads (except Larian) on PSN, Xbox Live, Nintendo e-Shop (third party games only), Steam, Epic Games Store, Origin Store, Ubisoft Store, Battle.net, Rockstar Games store. In-game advertising, merchandise sales and pc hardware are not included.

*Mobile game figures (for 2023) compiled by AppMagic taking into account sales of full mobile game downloads as well as in-game microtransactions.

* Streaming figures (for 2023) collected by Sparkers Data Company based on total streaming hours watched on more than 20 platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.

* Local video game development turnover (for 2022) based on an annual sectoral survey. This is the worldwide turnover of all video games of Belgian origin and/or developed in Belgium. This worldwide turnover refers to the year 2022 (as the 2023 figure is not yet fully known) and thus do not yet take into account the official release of Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023.

**Pc hardware 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.

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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 video games in Belgium amounts to €708M in 2023

EA SPORTS FC™ 24 best-selling console video game

PlayStation 5 best-selling video game device

Baldur’s Gate 3 most streamed video game of Belgian origin

This is the TOP5 best-selling console video games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 best-selling console video games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 best-selling pc games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 mobile games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 mobile games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 best-selling video game devices** in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 best-selling prepaid cards for video games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 most streamed international video games in Belgium for the year 2023

This is the TOP5 most streamed video games of Belgian origin in Belgium for the year 2023

VGFB

BelgianGames

FLEGA

games.brussels

WALGA

David Verbruggen

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