The Nintendo Switch was the best selling console in Australia in 2021

New sales data for the Australian games industry is hard to come by, but thanks to IGEA we’ve got some fresh figures from 2021. The data covers all consoles and games and gives a digital versus physical breakdown. 

According to the report, in 2021, Australians spent almost 4 billion Australian dollars on video games, both physically and digital, hardware and mobile games as well. 

While there are no charts or actual figures for how much sold, the report says that the Nintendo Switch was the best selling console by units in 2021. The PlayStation 5 was the most sold by value, but it’s also a bit more expensive than a Switch. 

Nintendo dominated games as well, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Minecraft Switch Edition, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons the best performing physical games. Not so surprising as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe appears in the charts most weeks. 

The divide between digital and physical games grew as $378 million of games were sold at traditional retail, while $556 million was spent on digital games. Hardware racked up $560 million. 

However, the biggest figure for non-mobile games is in-game purchases, including add-ons, DLC, and virtual currencies, which topped $687 million. 

Mobile games generated a massive $1.51 billion in sales, and if you add it all up, it’s still not larger than the traditional gaming market – but it’s getting there. 

Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA, commented, “It was no surprise for IGEA to see consumer game sales and platforms perform strongly during 2021. Playing games provided a continued source of connection and entertainment for Australians throughout another year of the pandemic, with our Digital Australia 22 (DA22) report revealing that over 75% of us play games. All of the data confirms that games are one of the world’s most powerful entertainment mediums, and this looks set to continue.

Source: IGEA Press Release