Types of mobile games played in the UK 2019, by gender

Puzzle, card, board and word games were collectively the most popular mobile games played by smartphone users in the United Kingdom in 2019. When it came to these types of games, the number of players were predominantly female with 61 percent having played puzzle games in contrast to only 43 percent of male respondents. Within the smaller pool of players who had played strategy and action games the percentage of male players more than doubled that of their female counterparts. Sports and racing games in particular had a predominantly male user base.

Positive outlook for UK mobile gaming

Mobile gaming in the UK is forecast to continue rising in popularity, reaching a peak of 41.1 percent penetration in 2023. Not only that, consumer spending on mobile games has also been on the rise. This amounted to 1.2 billion British pounds in 2019, 40 million more than the previous year and the highest annual spend since 2011.  

Who are the most frequent gamers?

The majority of mobile gamers in 2019 were aged between 16 and 24-years-old, with gaming decreasing in popularity among the higher age groups. When asked when they tended to play games on their mobile phone, an overwhelming majority at 62 percent of respondents said they did so while relaxing at home.