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Market overview: Mobile games in Europe
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When you think of mobile gaming, Europe might not be the first region that comes to mind. But while Asian markets might often steal the spotlight, Europe has spent years building one of the world’s most mature, creative, and high-earning mobile gaming ecosystems in the world.
Yes, the region has fewer players than Asia or North America, but those players are diverse, loyal, and increasingly influential.
In this article, we’ll explore the latest statistics, player behavior, leading companies, and most popular titles shaping Europe’s mobile gaming landscape in 2025.
💡 Note: Europe is a diverse region that includes 44 different countries. For the sake of this article, we mainly focused on the top markets for the mobile gaming industry: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Despite not being a key industry for the region, mobile gaming is still a strong revenue driver for European gaming. In fact, mobile games have the highest number of players and are the second segment for revenue, after console games.
According to Statista, the European mobile gaming market is projected to reach $13.95 billion in 2025, with an annual growth rate of 7.19%. In 2030, this would lead to an expected market value of $19.74 billion.
While it leads in popularity, with 7 in 10 people playing mobile games, the mobile gaming industry has experienced a decrease in consumer spending and revenue (European Media Industry Outlook). In 2024, mobile gaming represented 26% of total consumer spending in the video game industry, for a total of $5.6 billion.
There’s a reason behind this. In a study carried out by Open Evidence for the European Union, respondents were asked why they didn’t spend money on video games. The answers were as follows:
So, if places like Japan or Vietnam are mobile-first, high-spending gamers in Europe prefer either consoles or PC gaming.
However, if consumer spending is low, in-app advertising is showing signs of growth. In 2024, in-app advertising reached a value of €4.7 billion, a +13.7% increase compared to 2023 (European Media Industry Outlook).
In 2024, there were around 192 million mobile players in Europe. According to VideoGames Europe, 54% of people aged 6 to 64 play video games, and 71% of them use smartphones or tablets.
When we look closer at who these players are, some interesting patterns appear. Mobile gaming in Europe is driven largely by women. About 47% of women say they play games on smartphones or tablets, compared with 35% of men.
Looking at age, we see that mobile gaming is the most popular across all age groups, with younger adults (18-30 years) representing the largest share of active players. Interestingly, older adults (60+) also show strong engagement: 51% of players over 60 play mobile games regularly, compared with 35% among 18-30-year-olds.
In Europe, mobile gaming is associated with social and casual engagement rather than hardcore competition. Players value connection, relaxation, and short entertainment bursts. In particular, women and older adults are more drawn to puzzle, word, and simulation games, while younger users show more interest in action and strategy genres.
The demographic data in this section is taken from the Study On Audiences Consumer Behaviour And Preferences Relating To The Consumption Of Media Content.
What do Candy Crush, Subway Surfers, and Angry Birds have in common?
They have all been developed in Europe!
According to the Council of the European Union’s 2025 report, there are around 5,300 game development studios and more than 200 publishers operating across the EU. These numbers refer to the entire European video game industry, including console, PC, and mobile development.
Several European countries have become recognized gaming hubs. Sweden leads the region, hosting more than 900 studios and consistently producing successful global titles. Finland is another powerhouse, home to world-renowned mobile studios and startups, while France, Poland, and Germany each support hundreds of developers and publishers.
Europe’s biggest gaming companies include Ubisoft (France), Embracer Group (Sweden), Gameloft (France), CD PROJEKT RED (Poland), Keyword Studios (Ireland), and Enad Global 7 (Sweden). These companies drive much of the region’s growth, though most focus on multi-platform development rather than mobile alone.
Looking at the most popular game genres in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany and Italy, we notice that these are the recurrent categories (Sensor Tower):
These charts confirm what we said above. Puzzle, simulation, and arcade lead in downloads, confirming that European mobile players favor short, accessible, and low-pressure experiences.
Now let’s take a closer look at the top titles of 2025.
According to AppMagic data, the top games in Europe in 2025 are the following:
Europe’s mobile gaming market stands out for its balance between creativity and commercial maturity. While it doesn’t match Asia’s scale, it still offers diverse and high-quality players, design talent, and sustainable growth.
Looking ahead, we can expect the European mobile gaming industry to continue to grow steadily. Innovation will likely remain a key driver, as developers explore new gameplay mechanics to engage players of all ages.
With in-app advertising on the rise and a solid base of free-to-play users, monetization strategies will become more sophisticated, blending player satisfaction with profitability. If you’re looking to grow your game in the European market, reach out to us today.