A report has found European gamers spend far less in comparison to the US, with the majority going towards in-game currency.
The US games market has always been far bigger than Europe, despite the latter being far larger in population size.
The different languages don’t make things easy, and in the old days the different television standards, compared to the US and Japan, were a problem, but there’s no obvious reason why there should still be such a big difference today.
Nevertheless, a new report by Newzoo and Tebex provides a breakdown of player spending habits across both regions, where they found players in North America spend far more, on average, on games than in Europe.
According to the report, North American players spend on average $325 (£239) a year on gaming. In Europe, players spend almost three times less, for an average of $125 (£92).
However, it’s worth noting that there’s a sharp divide in the European figure when split between Western and Eastern Europe. In 2025, the former had an average annual spend per player of $170 (£125.29), while Eastern Europe’s average is $51.6 (£38).
There is no specific mention of the UK in the report but traditionally British tastes skew much closer to the US than to Europe, so the average spend in the UK is likely to be one of the highest in Europe.
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Interestingly, while North America and Europe make up only 20% of players (3.54 billion) worldwide, these two regions together account for 46% of global spending. North America leads the average spend per player annually, with the $325 figure.
According to the report (via GamesIndustry.biz), the global games market size in 2025 is $189 billion, up 3.4% year-on-year. North America accounts for 28% of that total, while Europe represents 18% with $33.1 billion.
While the overall market size has increased, the report finds the Western games market is slowing down when it comes to ‘payer growth’. North America has a 1.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), while Europe’s is 3.1% between 2023 and 2027.
There’s a noticeable split in what drives spending on games between the two regions too. In North America, 34% of players spend money to unlock exclusive content, while 29% are looking to splash out on personalisation/character customisation.
In comparison, European players are more likely to chase a bargain, with 28% of players prioritising their spend on deals and offers. The report states that ‘discounted bundles and subscription models can increase conversion in this region’.
Across both regions, the majority of spend goes towards in-game currencies and content packs (27% in America, 21% in Europe), followed by subscription services.
While this report probably defines ‘gamer’ in the broadest sense, it’s a worthwhile reminder that the average person doesn’t actually spend much money on games per year at all.
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