That dollar amount results from an average 64.5% increase for all video games shippers over the five-year period starting in 2019 when exported video games were worth $19 billion.
Year over year, international sales of video games rose 3.9% starting from $30.1 billion during 2022.
The 5 biggest sellers of exported video games are mainland China, Japan, United States of America, Vietnam and Germany. Collectively, that cohort of major technology suppliers generated almost four-fifths (79.2%) of exported video game sales in 2023.
Among continents, suppliers in Asia sold the highest dollar worth of exported video games during 2023 with shipments valued at $23.6 billion or 75.5% of the global total. In second place were European exporters at 17.3% while another 6.7% of worldwide shipments of video games originated from providers in North America.
Tinier percentages came from providers of video games located in Oceania (0.3%) mostly Australia, Africa (0.1%), then Latin America (0.03%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 950450 for video game consoles and machines.
In addition, gaming equipment operated by any means of payment including coins is distinguished under HTS code 950430. Video games requiring money to play were worth $4.2 billion increasing by 13.7% since 2019 and accelerating by 19.8% from 2022 to 2023.
The top 5 countries selling video game hardware requiring user payment are mainland China (23.5% of the global total), United States of America (18.8%), Austria (8.3%), Bulgaria (5.8%) and Mexico (5.4%).
Top Video Games Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of video games-related equipment during 2023, excluding video game hardware requiring user payment to play.
- mainland China: US$18.2 billion (58.1% of video games exports)
- Japan: $2.1 billion (6.7%)
- United States: $1.8 billion (5.6%)
- Vietnam: $1.4 billion (4.5%)
- Germany: $1.3 billion (4.3%)
- Poland: $1.1 billion (3.6%)
- Hong Kong: $822.1 million (2.6%)
- Spain: $709.7 million (2.3%)
- Malaysia: $654.7 million (2.1%)
- United Kingdom: $498.7 million (1.6%)
- Netherlands: $465.5 million (1.5%)
- Singapore: $316.6 million (1%)
- Sweden: $314.7 million (1%)
- Mexico: $205.2 million (0.7%)
- France: $180.4 million (0.6%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 96.1% of globally exported video games in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing video games exporters since 2022 were: Malaysia (up 197.9%), Singapore (up 63.8%), United Kingdom (up 59.3%) and Sweden (up 55.6%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported video games sales were: Hong Kong (down -12.2% from 2022), Germany (down -10%) and Japan (down -9.7%).
Searchable List of Video Games Exporters in 2023
The top 100 exporting countries listed in the following automated database generated 99.998% of international sales for video games during 2023.
| Rank | Exporter | Video Game Exports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | mainland China | $18,170,006,000 | +0.4% |
| 2. | Japan | $2,085,795,000 | -9.7% |
| 3. | United States | $1,752,969,000 | +49.4% |
| 4. | Vietnam | $1,418,007,000 | +13.9% |
| 5. | Germany | $1,339,454,000 | -10% |
| 6. | Poland | $1,120,141,000 | +2.5% |
| 7. | Hong Kong | $822,090,000 | -12.2% |
| 8. | Spain | $709,691,000 | +12.9% |
| 9. | Malaysia | $654,708,000 | +197.9% |
| 10. | United Kingdom | $498,670,000 | +59.3% |
| 11. | Netherlands | $465,472,000 | +13.9% |
| 12. | Singapore | $316,593,000 | +63.8% |
| 13. | Sweden | $314,654,000 | +55.6% |
| 14. | Mexico | $205,198,000 | +20.7% |
| 15. | France | $180,366,000 | +3.7% |
| 16. | Czech Republic | $168,096,000 | -6.8% |
| 17. | Slovakia | $155,984,000 | +22.2% |
| 18. | Canada | $147,441,000 | +11.1% |
| 19. | Australia | $92,921,000 | +52.2% |
| 20. | Italy | $70,220,000 | +76.1% |
| 21. | Belgium | $69,286,000 | -14.9% |
| 22. | Denmark | $68,201,000 | +45.1% |
| 23. | Cambodia | $44,368,000 | +485.2% |
| 24. | Austria | $42,170,000 | -27% |
| 25. | South Korea | $40,575,000 | +64.1% |
| 26. | United Arab Emirates | $34,551,000 | -91.3% |
| 27. | Romania | $31,364,000 | +31.8% |
| 28. | Taiwan | $29,110,000 | +15.3% |
| 29. | Ireland | $28,568,000 | -6.6% |
| 30. | Bulgaria | $23,232,000 | +227.3% |
| 31. | Tunisia | $21,516,000 | +38.7% |
| 32. | Greece | $21,247,000 | +50.8% |
| 33. | Hungary | $18,114,000 | +2.6% |
| 34. | Estonia | $17,445,000 | +21.7% |
| 35. | Lithuania | $15,544,000 | -34.5% |
| 36. | Croatia | $14,678,000 | +39.2% |
| 37. | Latvia | $9,846,000 | -58.1% |
| 38. | Finland | $9,639,000 | -30.5% |
| 39. | Israel | $6,454,000 | +14.9% |
| 40. | Slovenia | $6,350,000 | +2% |
| 41. | Panama | $6,320,000 | +41.3% |
| 42. | Switzerland | $5,716,000 | +57.5% |
| 43. | Norway | $4,575,000 | +68.7% |
| 44. | Ukraine | $3,076,000 | +42.5% |
| 45. | India | $3,020,000 | +267.4% |
| 46. | South Africa | $2,805,000 | +63.7% |
| 47. | Türkiye | $2,779,000 | +463.7% |
| 48. | Portugal | $2,766,000 | +66.3% |
| 49. | Serbia | $2,239,000 | +76.4% |
| 50. | Armenia | $2,119,000 | -42.1% |
| 51. | Colombia | $2,006,000 | +2376.5% |
| 52. | Myanmar | $1,900,000 | 0% |
| 53. | Brazil | $1,364,000 | +57.9% |
| 54. | Thailand | $987,000 | +184.4% |
| 55. | Russia | $980,000 | -57.4% |
| 56. | Kazakhstan | $813,000 | +52.5% |
| 57. | New Zealand | $758,000 | +353.9% |
| 58. | Georgia | $716,000 | -28.7% |
| 59. | Indonesia | $623,000 | +73.5% |
| 60. | Cyprus | $575,000 | +122.9% |
| 61. | Belarus | $310,000 | -58.1% |
| 62. | Macao | $205,000 | +97.1% |
| 63. | Chile | $201,000 | -56.4% |
| 64. | Iceland | $184,000 | +300% |
| 65. | Azerbaijan | $114,000 | +11300% |
| 66. | Luxembourg | $97,000 | -63.4% |
| 67. | Dominican Republic | $92,000 | -7.1% |
| 68. | Malta | $81,000 | -18.2% |
| 69. | Saudi Arabia | $76,000 | -99.8% |
| 70. | Namibia | $63,000 | +472.7% |
| 71. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $56,000 | -18.8% |
| 72. | Peru | $45,000 | +45.2% |
| 73. | Andorra | $36,000 | +63.6% |
| 74. | Costa Rica | $35,000 | +52.2% |
| 75. | Cameroon | $34,000 | -99.3% |
| 76. | Guatemala | $32,000 | -36% |
| 77. | Bahrain | $30,000 | -90.4% |
| 78. | Bangladesh | $29,000 | +52.6% |
| 79. | Qatar | $29,000 | 0% |
| 80. | El Salvador | $18,000 | +1700% |
| 81. | Gabon | $15,000 | -16.7% |
| 82. | Mauritius | $15,000 | 0% |
| 83. | Curaçao | $15,000 | +200% |
| 84. | Kuwait | $13,000 | -99.3% |
| 85. | Honduras | $12,000 | 0% |
| 86. | Ghana | $12,000 | +1100% |
| 87. | Paraguay | $11,000 | 0% |
| 88. | Philippines | $9,000 | -99.6% |
| 89. | Moldova | $9,000 | +125% |
| 90. | Kenya | $8,000 | +60% |
| 91. | Tanzania | $7,000 | +250% |
| 92. | Ivory Coast | $6,000 | +20% |
| 93. | Algeria | $6,000 | +200% |
| 94. | Faroe Islands | $5,000 | -28.6% |
| 95. | Jordan | $5,000 | -93% |
| 96. | Nicaragua | $5,000 | +66.7% |
| 97. | Pakistan | $5,000 | +150% |
| 98. | Montenegro | $4,000 | +300% |
| 99. | Albania | $4,000 | 0% |
| 100. | Bahamas | $3,000 | -25% |
Focusing on the 100 main suppliers of video games sold on international markets, the fastest growers were Azerbaijan (up 11,300% from 2022), Colombia (up 2,377%), El Salvador (up 1,700%), Ghana (up 1,100%) then Cambodia (up 485.2%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. Note: excluded are video games that require user payment to play. Also, an entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2022 data was unavailable.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Video Games
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for video games during 2023 excluding those that require user payment. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported video games and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- mainland China: US$17.4 billion (net export surplus up 0.02% since 2022)
- Vietnam: $1.3 billion (up 5.3%)
- Malaysia: $620.4 million (up 206.5%)
- Hong Kong: $71.1 million (down -65.1%)
- Cambodia: $37.9 million (up 405.7%)
- Estonia: $5.4 million (up 60.7%)
- Myanmar: $1.6 million (reversing a -$6,000 deficit)
- Anguilla: $2,000 (reversing a -$4,000 deficit)
By far, mainland China enjoys the highest surplus in the international trade of video games. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms China’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Posting Largest Trade Deficits from Video Games
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for video games during 2023 excluding those that require user payment. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported video games purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$9.1 billion (net export deficit down -12.6% since 2022)
- United Kingdom: -$1.8 billion (up 18.1%)
- France: -$1.4 billion (up 52.7%)
- Germany: -$1.2 billion (up 68.9%)
- Spain: -$661.3 million (up 97.8%)
- Canada: -$650.2 million (up 5.7%)
- Italy: -$599 million (up 108.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$511.7 million (up 93.3%)
- Mexico: -$510 million (up 21.1%)
- Japan: -$507.7 million (reversing a $284.8 million surplus)
- Netherlands: -$458.1 million (down -1.1%)
- Australia: -$424.1 million (down -19.6%)
- Brazil: -$307.3 million (up 55.6%)
- South Korea: -$213.5 million (down -19.4%)
- Switzerland: -$197.4 million (up 56.5%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of video games. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for video games-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Companies that Develop Video Games & Related Equipment
Below are businesses that design and build video games for the international market. The home country for each company is shown within parenthesis.
- Crytek (Germany)
- Die Gute Fabrik (Denmark)
- Frictional Games (Sweden)
- Microsoft Studios (United States)
- Netease (China)
- Next Level Games Inc (Canada)
- Nihon Falcom Corporation (Japan)
- Pendulo Studios (Spain)
- Spil Games (Netherlands)
- Techland (Poland)
- Typhoon Games Ltd (Hong Kong)
- VoxelStorm Ltd (United Kingdom)
See also Top Toys Exporters for Traditional Toys Versus Video Games, Top Industrial Robots Exporters, Heart Pacemaker Export Sales by Country and Top Importers of Laptop Computers Ranked by Dollar Value
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for video games. Accessed on September 11, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 11, 2024
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Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 11, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 11, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 11, 2024
Wikipedia, List of video game developers. Accessed on September 11, 2024
Wikipedia, Video game industry. Accessed on September 11, 2024