UK consumers spent a record high of £7.16 billion (approximately $9.14 billion) on video games in 2021, according to UK games trade body Ukie.

In its latest report, Ukie highlighted that the annual figure is up 1.9 per cent from 2020, a figure that was boosted due to multiple country-wide lockdowns that in turn increased spending.

Beyond mobile, all other software sales declined by 6.32 per cent year-over-year to £4.28 billion ($5.6 billion), although this still remains slightly above pre-pandemic levels.

However, the trade body reported that the only category of software sale that did not suffer a deline was mobile games, which retained the same levels seen in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The year of correction

For 2021, UK mobile games generated £1.46 billion ($1.92 billion) in consumer spending, which accounts for roughly 20.4 per cent of overall UK consumer spending on games.

Spending on mobile games was the second largest software spend for the year, behind digital console spend at £1.65 billion ($2.17 billion) but above digital PC spend at £620 million ($815 million).

"The important story here is of how much of the lockdown-related boost seen in 2020 has been successfully retained during 2021’s year of correction," commented Omdia senior analyst, games Steven Bailey.

"We expect a return to growth for most digital areas in 2022, as game-makers continue creating new standards of compelling content, and explore combinations of business models that can help keep people engaged and connected even during unstable times."

Earlier this month, Ukie reported that 56 per cent of games industry professionals would prefer a hybrid working model going forward post-pandemic.