Two thirds of UK game sales were digital in 2020 Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Two thirds of UK game sales were digital in 2020 Bought via eShop, Steam, PSN and Xbox Live. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 11 Jan 2021 36 comments Two thirds of UK games sold in 2020 were digital, new figures have revealed, showing a further acceleration in the transition from retail to download sales. GSD chart data reported by GamesIndustry.biz shows that 67 per cent of UK game sales were made through Nintendo eShop, PSN, Steam and Xbox Live last year, up from 52 per cent in 2019. The shift to digital game sales has been ongoing for years, and 2020's results are just the latest step along that path. The fact 2020's figure is so high is unsurprising, with many bricks and mortar shops shut for much of the year while in lockdown. Even so, UK sales of boxed games also grew in 2020 - although not as much as digital. 18.2m physical games were sold in the UK last year, a two per cent rise from 2019. Lump in consoles and accessories and the UK physical games market was worth £2.1bn in 2020. As we reported earlier today, Nintendo is doing particularly well with physical games. In 2020, it was the biggest boxed games publisher, with more than 20 per cent of all physical games sales. Watch on YouTube Perhaps understandably, Nintendo Switch was the best-selling games console in the UK last year - being the only one released and not superceded throughout the full 12 months. PS4 and Xbox One sales dropped off, as you'd expect, while PS5 and Xbox Series X only arrived on the scene in November. Still, it's eye-opening just how well Switch performed. Hardware sales were up 52.2 per cent from 2019, more than enough to make up for the flagging sales of last-gen consoles. Overall, with Switch doing gangbusters and next-gen's arrival, 3.16m consoles were sold in the UK last year - up nearly 30 per cent on 2019. Behind Switch, PS5 was the second-best selling console in the UK last year. PS4 was third. There's loads more analysis over on GamesIndustry.biz if you fancy a read. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store