Australians’ love of playing video games is stronger than ever, according to consumer sales data released today by the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA).

In 2021, Australians spent close to $4 billion on video games and consoles.

Mobile game sales exceeded $1.5 billion in Australia last year, making mobile games the most popular consumer category. Video game hardware sales were worth more than half a billion dollars, supporting strong software sales in both digital and physical formats.

IGEA has recently updated agreements with data suppliers sourcing consumer sales from GSD and Newzoo. GSD reports on the major publisher and hardware sales in both physical and digital format across numerous international markets, while Newzoo reports on game sales data globally. Working with its members, IGEA ensured both sources offer reliable and consistent global consumer sales data that identifies global trends. Newzoo also provides subscription data which is essential when looking at how subscription services impact the way Australians are now playing games.

Aidan Sakiris, ANZ Territory Manager and Senior Analyst at GSD, said,

“Australian video game sales in 2021 continued to experience the lasting effects of COVID-19. The Australian retail software charts were led by family-friendly back-catalogue titles on the Nintendo Switch. Top performing retail titles in Australia for 2021 include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Minecraft Switch Edition and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

“Across GSD reporting, hardware in 2021 remained the only Australian video game category in year-on-year spending growth, despite ongoing stock shortages from the latest console generation. Increased spending on hardware was led by the ongoing demand for higher priced consoles, including the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, and significant unit sales from Nintendo Switch. PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in value sold in the Australian market for 2021, whilst the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in units sold.”

Tom Wijman, Head of Market Analysis & Forecasting at Newzoo, said,

“Australia’s games market continued to grow in 2021, mainly due to the pandemic driving up game engagement and spending. Spending on digital PC games grew +11.5% year-on-year and was an important growth driver for the market—growing considerably above the global average. However, spending growth on mobile and digital console gaming content stayed below the global average.”

Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA, commented,

“It was no surprise for IGEA to see consumer game sales and platforms perform strongly during 2021. Playing games provided a continued source of connection and entertainment for Australians throughout another year of the pandemic, with our Digital Australia 22 (DA22) report revealing that over 75% of us play games. All of the data confirms that games are one of the world’s most powerful entertainment mediums, and this looks set to continue.

“IGEA is also excited to see our local game development industry grow due to increased demand for games both locally and abroad.”