According to March to May 2022 survey data, 47 percent of responding UK gamers had downloaded video games for free via app stores, digital PC game storefronts like Steam or Origin, or digital console gaming stores in the past three months. Individual game purchases were ranked second with a 45 percent usage rate among survey respondents.
Leading services used to download or stream video games in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022
Characteristic
Share of respondents
Downloading video games for free through Apple App Store, Google Play, PlayStation or Xbox Store, Origin etc.
47%
Paying a single fee to download individual video games through services such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, PlayStation or Xbox Store
45%
A video game streaming service such as PlayStation Now or Google Stadia
19%
Social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat
11%
Paying to access games through a subscription service (PlayStation Plus, Apple Arcade)
10%
BitTorrent or another file-sharing or P2P service where links todownload files are typically available on sites
6%
Download for free from the internet, without really being sure where it comes from
5%
A file hosting web site or cyberlocker
5%
Receiving a link to download video games made available by someone else (e.g. via social media or a forum)
4%
Downloading mod versions of mobile games for free
3%
Receiving the file(s) directly from someone else
3%
Paying a small fee to access one or many games through a shared/unknown account
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GOV.UK, & Intellectual Property Office (UK). (February 3, 2023). Leading services used to download or stream video games in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/291838/leading-services-used-for-digital-video-games-in-the-united-kingdom/
GOV.UK, und Intellectual Property Office (UK). "Leading services used to download or stream video games in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022." Chart. February 3, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/291838/leading-services-used-for-digital-video-games-in-the-united-kingdom/
GOV.UK, Intellectual Property Office (UK). (2023). Leading services used to download or stream video games in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/291838/leading-services-used-for-digital-video-games-in-the-united-kingdom/
GOV.UK, and Intellectual Property Office (UK). "Leading Services Used to Download or Stream Video Games in The United Kingdom (Uk) in 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Feb 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/291838/leading-services-used-for-digital-video-games-in-the-united-kingdom/
GOV.UK & Intellectual Property Office (UK), Leading services used to download or stream video games in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/291838/leading-services-used-for-digital-video-games-in-the-united-kingdom/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Leading services used to download or stream video games in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2022 [Graph], GOV.UK, & Intellectual Property Office (UK), February 3, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/291838/leading-services-used-for-digital-video-games-in-the-united-kingdom/
