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2023 was a big year for gaming with the release of several highly-anticipated titles and there are even more to look forward to in 2024. A recent Uswitch broadband survey has revealed which releases were the most popular amongst UK gamers.
Gamers’ favourite 2023 game releases
EAFC 24, the first instalment of the EA Sports FC series and direct successor to their well known ‘FIFA’ games, was gamers’ favourite 2023 release. EAFC 24 is the 31st instalment overall of EA football simulation games, and is available to play on all the major consoles.
Despite EAFC 24 being the favourite overall, the second most popular, the Nintendo Switch exclusive Super Mario Bros. Wonder, was the top in more UK cities than any other release, including Cardiff (25%), Edinburgh (24%), Belfast (24%), Birmingham (19%), Nottingham (19%) and Plymouth (16%).
The next favourite tied between Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the thirteenth major instalment of the Assassin’s Creed series and the third entry to Marvel’s Spider-Man series, Spider-Man 2 (both 14%). Similar to EAFC 24, Mirage is available on the majority of consoles, apart from the Nintendo Switch, but Spider-Man 2 is exclusively available on PS5.
Most bought 2023 game releases
Assassin’s Creed Mirage was the most owned 2023 game, with 27% of gamers surveyed purchasing it. Ubisoft made a strategic move to capture nostalgia with the release by creating a game in the classic style of the early Assassin’s Creed games.
Mirage was closely followed by Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which despite only being available on one console, both set sales records.
26% of gamers surveyed purchased Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The game became the fastest-selling Super Mario game to date in Europe within just three days of being on the market.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, purchased by 25% of gamers, sold over 2.5 million copies on its release day, making it the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game in a 24-hour period.
The most popular gaming consoles
The survey also investigated platform preference, since each console has different capabilities, game libraries and new models are constantly being released.
The most popular gaming console is the Sony PlayStation, which is unsurprising since PlayStation holds the title of the best-selling console of all time with the PS2 having global lifetime sales of 158.7 million.
The second favourite console for gaming is the mobile. Mobile gaming has risen in popularity due to its accessibility, convenience and the fact that 94% of UK adults already own a smartphone. It’s the highest-earning segment of online gaming, with the market expected to grow to $125 billion by 2028, as smartphone hardware capability and technology continue to evolve and mobile game developers harness the segment’s popularity.
Lastly, the survey also revealed that 20% of gamers play on Xbox the most frequently. Microsoft has been battling Sony for console popularity since the Xbox first launched in 2001, but PlayStation is still firmly taking the lead; Xbox Series X/S reportedly saw a 52% decrease in sales year-on-year in October 2023, whilst PS5 sales were up by 143%.
