UK mobile gaming market grows 50% during pandemic

Locked down Britons are turning to mobile gaming in their droves to banish boredom, according to new research from Facebook’s booming gaming arm.

The upbeat assessment shows that the UK mobile gamer market has grown by 50% since the onset of the pandemic, equivalent to 8.6 million new gamers.

A gaming nation
Virtual escapism is pushing the buttons of more and more Britons according to the study, which found that the UK mobile gamer addressable audience has grown 50% since the onset of the pandemic – the equivalent of 8.6m new gamers.

Riding the crest of this wave, Facebook Gaming hours surpassed 1bn for the first time during the third quarter of 2020 – a stratospheric jump from the 500m hours recorded in the final quarter of 2019.

The go-to genre for most is the humble puzzle game, with 33% looking to exercise their grey matter. More action-oriented titles fell way behind, with shooters drawing the attention of 12% and simulations embraced by 9%. Drawing up the rear were sports and strategy games on 8% and 7% respectively.

The survey was participated by approximately 3,850 smartphone users in Germany, Brazil, Singapore, Japan, the US and the UK in April 2021.