In 2023, the Italian video game market experienced a surge in growth, surpassing 2.3 billion euros with a 5% increase from the previous year, according to the report “Video games in Italy in 2023” published by IIDEA. This makes Italy one of the top five European markets in the sector, with 13 million players across various gaming devices, representing 31% of the Italian population aged 6 to 64.
The majority of Italian video gamers are men, with 8 million (61%) and an average age of 30, while female gamers number 4.9 million (38%) with an average age of 31. Additionally, there are now over half a million individuals who identify as neither male nor female, reported for the first time in Italy in 2023.
Mobile devices are still the most popular gaming platforms in Italy, with over nine million users playing Brain/Puzzle (20%), Trivia (18%), and Role Playing/Strategy (16%) games. Consoles follow closely behind, with nearly six million gamers focusing on Sports (29%), Racing (26%), and Shooter (22%) genres. PCs remain a significant player in the market as well, used by over four million gamers primarily for Strategy (19%), Shooter (16%), and Sports (14%) games.
In terms of hardware sales, Italy had a record-breaking year in 2023 due to the availability of new consoles. Hardware sales reached an estimated value of over €487 million euros, up an incredible €70% annually from the previous year. Accessories also saw growth as well, with sales up by over €178 million euros or roughly €46%. Despite this growth though software still remains