Download Sales of PC and Console Games Increase Slightly in Germany

While PC games are almost exclusively purchased via download, more than one in two console games in Germany is still sold as a physical disc. The age of the buyer also plays an important role, according to the industry association game.

60 per cent of all PC and console games sold in Germany in 2023 were be sold as a download. This is the result of the latest analysis of market data for 2023, which has just been published by game - Verband der Deutschen Games-Branche (game - The German Games Industry Association). The figure is up again, but only by one percentage point compared to the previous year and two percentage points compared to 2020, when the pandemic caused a sharp increase from 45 percent in 2019 to 58 percent in 2020.

Although the trend is clear, there are some significant differences between physical and digital purchases in terms of platforms and buyer groups. PC games, for example, are almost exclusively sold digitally. In terms of units sold, game has calculated a share of 98 per cent for downloaded games for 2023. The situation is very different for console games. Although the share is also rising steadily, only 40 percent of all console games in Germany are sold digitally.

In terms of age groups, the picture is as expected: the older the buyer, the lower the digital share. What is surprising, however, is that there are virtually no differences between the age groups 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59.

"We’re seeing a clear trend: downloads are becoming an established way of buying games, and their share of the games market is continually increasing, even though that growth has slowed a bit since the pandemic," says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. "For many people, downloads are a quick and convenient way to buy games. Last year, a number of big blockbuster games, like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Alan Wake II, were initially released as digital exclusives. Plenty of successful indie games have been download-only for ages, as well. All these factors have given the popularity of downloads a massive boost."

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