The latest SELL study, entitled “The French and video games”, states that 40.2 million French people have played video games at least once a year. It draws up the typical profile of the player, far removed from clichés.
Times have definitely changed. Formerly confined to «geeks » and others «otakus» of the playground, the video game is now, for 62% of French people, a means of “develop skills or know-how”and are, for 77% of them, “created by real artists”. Unpublished, these data come from the very latest study by the Union of Leisure Software Publishers (SELL), co-produced with the audience measurement company Médiamétrieand published at the end of September under the name “The French and video games”.
We learn in particular that 40.2 million French people have played a video game at least once during the year 2025 – an absolute record, while only 12 million French people played at the start of the 2000s -, and that the leisure activity is growing at a crazy pace (+800,000 players since 2024). “Today, 78% of players are regular players, playing at least once a week with an acceleration among adults”assures James Rebours, president of SELL. This “regularity is accompanied by an extension of the weekly game by 38 minutes on average – for a weekly practice of 7h55 for these regular players”.
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It must be said that the world of video games is expanding a little more each year: in 2024, the most popular gaming platform in the world, Steamrecorded nearly 19,000 new games, compared to 14,000 in 2023 and 12,300 in 2022. A wealth of titles which makes it possible to alternate large expensive productions (Assassin’s Creed Shadows, FIFA 26, Battlefield 6, Doom The Dark Ages…) and more confidential independent projects (Hollow Knight Silksong Baby Steps, Warhammer 40.000 Rogue Trader…).
Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch and Bennett Foddy / Devolver Digital
“At the same time, the diversity of media enriches this dynamic. Players combine on average 2.2 supports, confirming a great complementarity in the platforms”still assures James Rebours, three months after the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Despite the breakthrough of the smartphone, which occasional gamers are using more and more, the console (Playstation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, etc.) remains dominant and brings together 58% of gamers. PC gaming brings together 40% of players.
49% of 65-80 year olds play video games
The average age of console players is 34 years old, while that of PC players is 41 years old and that of portable console players is 31 years old. The typical French player is on average 40 years old. In detail, 90% of 25-34 year olds play video games, 75% of 35-49 year olds, and 49% of 65-80 year olds.
39% of French players favor the games «casuals» and, against all expectations, strategy games (Civilization, Age of Empire, Dawn of War…) at 28%. This is followed by car racing games (27%), role-playing games (The Witcher, Skyrim…) (27%) and platform games (Super Mario, Astrobot…) (26%).
According to SELL, 23% of French players have the feeling of belonging to a community, and 60% of players say they have created online friendships directly through gaming. If calling themselves a video game player could be mocked a few decades ago, it is now fully accepted, because 39% of players consider themselves to be «gamer». “This collective dimension transforms video games, a true relational media where friendships, exchanges and belonging to communities are forged, making this leisure activity a strong marker of identity and culture for all generations”continues James Rebours.
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More and more spendthrift
The French player is also a spender: his average basket is up 13%, with 119 euros per year. 17.8 million players subscribe to a gaming platform (Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, etc.), and spend 19 euros per month on these subscriptions. Despite their attraction to the dematerialized, the French remain attached to the physical, 67% preferring to buy video games in boxes rather than digitally. Either because they want “resell them afterwards”or because they want “collect”.
Overall, the opinion of the French on video games is positive. 81% of them believe that it is a “innovative sector”. 77% think that “video games are created by real artists”. 64% judge the activity «positive»and 62% consider that “video games allow you to develop skills or know-how”. Last lesson from the report: the practice of video games is becoming more feminine, with almost perfect parity achieved (51% of players and 49% of female players).
