According to various reputable sources, the global gaming industry is now estimated to be worth somewhere in the region of $180 billion, and the expert analysts who follow this industry closely expect it to climb to a whopping $257 billion by 2028.
On this page, we will be taking a quick look at the video game industry in the United States, which is home to the world’s largest gaming market, second only to China, and then comparing the US gaming market to the United Kingdom’s, which is currently ranked at number 6 on the world’s largest markets.
How do the US and UK gaming industries compare?
The gaming industry in the United States is older and more mature than its UK counterpart. It’s also now the world’s largest gaming market, generating $46.7 billion in 2024, compared to the UK’s $5.5 billion.
The iGaming industries in both countries are also thriving. However, some of the most successful iGaming UK slots sites (e.g., online casinos and bingo sites, etc.) generate more money than many of the biggest iGaming companies that operate in regulated US markets.
It’s the only sector of the digital entertainment industry where the UK dominates the US in certain niche sectors. In every other gaming industry sector, the US has total dominance over the UK.
For example, the US has higher consumer spending on gaming products and services. There are more gamers in the US than in the UK, and there are far more game development studios, software providers, and manufacturers in the US.
The infrastructure and game development ecosystem is more mature in the US, and the industry here receives more government support and financial investment than in the UK.
Some of the biggest and most well-known game development studios and publishers call the US home. These market-leading companies contribute significantly to the US economy and boost the market’s global dominance more than any other.
Examples include the following:
- Company: Sony Interactive Entertainment. HQ: San Mateo, California. Revenue (2024): $31 billion
- Company: Microsoft Gaming. HQ: Redmond, Washington. Revenue (2024): $21.5 billion
- Company: Electronic Arts. HQ: Redwood City, California. Revenue (2024): $7.6 billion
- Company: Epic Games. HQ: Cary, North Carolina. Revenue (2024): $6.00 billion
- Company: Roblox Corporation. HQ: San Mateo, California. Revenue (2024): $3.6 billion
- Company: Scopely. HQ: Culver City, California. Revenue (2024): $3.0 billion
In the UK, you have to go all the way down to number 67 on the list to find a UK-based gaming company. Wakefield, England, is home to Team17, which generated $165 million in revenue last year, which is nothing compared to the vast amounts that the top US gaming companies make.
Will the UK gaming market grow?
Yes. Experts project that the UK gaming market will grow, but at a very slow pace, and it could take many more decades before the UK’s gaming market will be anywhere near as big as the US gaming market – that’s if it ever happens.
In fact, the overall gaming market in the United Kingdom actually decreased in 2025 by just under 4.5% to £4.62 billion. However, the games development sector did grow slightly, but at a much slower rate in 2024 than in previous years. The mobile gaming sector in the UK is also showing solid signs of continued growth.
Final thoughts
When comparing the US and UK gaming markets, the UK clearly has a lot of catching up to do. Some of the main ways it can do this include overcoming various economic pressures, getting more support from government funding and initiatives, and generating more foreign investment backing.
The United Kingdom also needs to nurture its gaming market infrastructure and ecosystem, become more hospitable for gaming company startups, look for emerging technologies to help the industry grow and provide better education to produce a new generation of highly skilled and talented developers.