Worldwide exports of video game consoles and related equipment totaled US$26.8 billion in 2021. That dollar amount reflects an average 25.8% increase for all video games shippers over the five-year period starting in 2017 when exported video games were worth $21.3 billion.

Year over year, international sales of video games accelerated by 22.3% from $21.9 billion during 2020.

The 5 biggest video games exporters are mainland China, Japan, Poland, Germany, and the United States of America. Collectively, that cohort of major technology suppliers generated almost four-fifths (79.5%) of exported video game sales in 2021.

Among continents, suppliers in Asia sold the highest dollar worth of exported video games during 2021 with shipments valued at $19.7 billion or 73.4% of the global total. In second place were European exporters at 20.7% while 5.5% of worldwide shipments of video games originated from North America.

Tinier percentages came from providers of video games in Oceania (0.3%) mostly Australia, Africa (0.1%), then Latin America (0.02%) 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 contrast, gaming equipment operated by any means of payment including coins is distinguished under HTS code 950430. Video games requiring money to play were worth $2.65 billion falling -31.8% since 2017 but rising 27.8% from 2020 to 2021. The top 5 countries selling video games requiring user payment are the mainland China (21.2% of the global total), United States of America (12.5%), Austria (8.9%), Bulgaria (5.3%) and Mexico (4.8%).

Top Video Games Exports by Country

Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of video games-related equipment during 2021, excluding video games requiring user payment to play.

1. China: US$14.6 billion (54.6% of video games exports)
2. Japan: $2.9 billion (10.7%)
3. Poland: $1.5 billion (5.5%)
4. Germany: $1.18 billion (4.4%)
5. United States: $1.17 billion (4.4%)
6. Hong Kong: $911.1 million (3.4%)
7. Vietnam: $853.2 million (3.2%)
8. Spain: $839.3 million (3.1%)
9. Netherlands: $446.3 million (1.7%)
10. United Kingdom: $356.9 million (1.3%)
11. Sweden: $247.1 million (0.9%)
12. Czech Republic: $202.7 million (0.8%)
13. Malaysia: $197.8 million (0.7%)
14. France: $180.6 million (0.7%)
15. Singapore: $177.2 million (0.7%)

By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 95.9% of globally exported video games in 2021.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing video games exporters since 2020 were: Netherlands (up 172.2%), Malaysia (up 54.3%), mainland China (up 46.7%) and Czech Republic (up 31.7%).

Five top suppliers posted declines in their exported video games sales namely Germany (down -14.9%), Hong Kong (down -13.3%), Vietnam (down -10.6%), Poland (down -3.3%) and Spain (down -1.5%).

Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Video Games

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for video games during 2021 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.

1. China: US$14 billion (net export surplus up 46.9% since 2020)
2. Japan: $1.2 billion (down -2.8%)
3. Vietnam: $788.9 million (down -16.9%)
4. Malaysia: $181.5 million (up 66.8%)
5. Singapore: $21.3 million (down -63.6%)
6. Cambodia: $8.8 million (down -1%)
7. Cameroon: $4.5 million (up 1251.4%)
8. Myanmar: $707,000 (reversing a -$4,000 deficit)
9. Estonia: $355,000 (down -80.1%)
10. Afghanistan: $40,000 (reversing a -$39,000 deficit)
11. Bahamas: $3,000 (reversing a -$154,000 deficit)
12. Chad: $1,000 (reversing a -$2.6 million deficit)
13. US Minor Outlying Islands: $1,000 (down -98.6%)

By far, the People’s Republic of 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 2021 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.

1. United States: -US$8.8 billion (net export deficit up 64.3% since 2020)
2. United Kingdom: -$1.7 billion (up 35.3%)
3. Germany: -$1.5 billion (up 77.1%)
4. France: -$1.2 billion (up 29.5%)
5. Canada: -$677.8 million (up 26.6%)
6. Spain: -$379.6 million (up 879.5%)
7. Australia: -$374.8 million (down -7.2%)
8. Mexico: -$352.3 million (up 8.6%)
9. South Korea: -$301.2 million (up 70.4%)
10. United Arab Emirates: -$289.9 million (up 435.6%)
11. Italy: -$267.4 million (up 19.4%)
12. Taiwan: -$224.2 million (down -22.5%)
13. Netherlands: -$183.5 million (down -41.6%)
14. Switzerland: -$166.7 million (up 8.9%)
15. Belgium: -$149.1 million (up 28.6%)

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)

 

Searchable List of Video Games Exporters in 2021

The top 100 exporting countries listed in the following automated database generated 99.996% of international sales for video games during 2021.

Rank	Exporter	Video Game Exports	2020-1
1.	China	$14,642,978,000	+46.7%
2.	Japan	$2,865,835,000	+5.4%
3.	Poland	$1,468,116,000	-3.3%
4.	Germany	$1,181,073,000	-14.9%
5.	United States	$1,174,430,000	+17.3%
6.	Hong Kong	$911,095,000	-13.3%
7.	Vietnam	$853,159,000	-10.6%
8.	Spain	$839,266,000	-1.5%
9.	Netherlands	$446,261,000	+172.2%
10.	United Kingdom	$356,866,000	+7.7%
11.	Sweden	$247,088,000	+18.6%
12.	Czech Republic	$202,718,000	+31.7%
13.	Malaysia	$197,770,000	+54.3%
14.	France	$180,649,000	+24.4%
15.	Singapore	$177,247,000	+6.8%
16.	Mexico	$161,126,000	+55.3%
17.	Canada	$145,231,000	+37.9%
18.	Slovakia	$136,538,000	+12.4%
19.	Belgium	$114,576,000	+30.7%
20.	Australia	$73,737,000	+40%
21.	Austria	$60,272,000	+27.1%
22.	Italy	$45,803,000	-40.6%
23.	Denmark	$43,786,000	-36.8%
24.	Romania	$35,043,000	-16.4%
25.	Bulgaria	$27,869,000	+24.8%
26.	Hungary	$24,143,000	+20.6%
27.	Ireland	$21,188,000	+45.4%
28.	Russia	$21,022,000	+32.7%
29.	United Arab Emirates	$18,886,000	-91.3%
30.	Taiwan	$18,794,000	-2.4%
31.	Greece	$18,066,000	+1.4%
32.	Tunisia	$15,333,000	+34.8%
33.	Lithuania	$14,782,000	-5.9%
34.	Croatia	$13,860,000	+35.9%
35.	Latvia	$10,809,000	+42.3%
36.	Cambodia	$8,819,000	-1%
37.	Finland	$8,625,000	+19.5%
38.	Estonia	$7,443,000	+2.8%
39.	Slovenia	$7,301,000	-1.2%
40.	Cameroon	$4,603,000	+618.1%
41.	Panama	$4,434,000	+12.3%
42.	South Korea	$4,101,000	+74.8%
43.	Switzerland	$4,013,000	+2%
44.	Ukraine	$3,465,000	-2.6%
45.	Portugal	$3,173,000	-25%
46.	Israel	$2,990,000	+230.4%
47.	Belarus	$2,464,000	-47%
48.	Norway	$2,339,000	+20.4%
49.	South Africa	$1,858,000	+12.2%
50.	Turkey	$1,838,000	-48.3%
51.	India	$920,000	+90.5%
52.	Chile	$910,000	-92.2%
53.	New Zealand	$881,000	-23.3%
54.	Myanmar	$714,000	0%
55.	Macao	$635,000	-14.8%
56.	Brazil	$565,000	-50.4%
57.	Andorra	$453,000	+58.4%
58.	Cyprus	$349,000	+128.1%
59.	Indonesia	$348,000	+25.2%
60.	Malta	$258,000	+3125%
61.	Serbia	$242,000	-56%
62.	Thailand	$190,000	+81%
63.	Qatar	$172,000	0%
64.	Lebanon	$107,000	+1237.5%
65.	Bosnia/Herzegovina	$104,000	0%
66.	Guatemala	$69,000	+165.4%
67.	Luxembourg	$65,000	-96.6%
68.	Jordan	$64,000	+1180%
69.	Iceland	$51,000	0%
70.	Colombia	$48,000	-97.4%
71.	Costa Rica	$43,000	-31.7%
72.	Afghanistan	$43,000	0%
73.	Uganda	$34,000	0%
74.	Philippines	$33,000	+120%
75.	Trinidad/Tobago	$29,000	+1350%
76.	Bahrain	$21,000	-30%
77.	Fiji	$21,000	+250%
78.	Mauritius	$20,000	+400%
79.	Venezuela	$19,000	+850%
80.	Moldova	$17,000	-57.5%
81.	Peru	$17,000	-77.9%
82.	Saudi Arabia	$15,000	0%
83.	Bahamas	$15,000	+1400%
84.	Ecuador	$14,000	+600%
85.	Kuwait	$14,000	-99.1%
86.	Kazakhstan	$13,000	-48%
87.	Sierra Leone	$10,000	+150%
88.	Angola	$7,000	-50%
89.	Honduras	$5,000	-70.6%
90.	Paraguay	$4,000	-100%
91.	Morocco	$4,000	+100%
92.	Nicaragua	$4,000	-42.9%
93.	El Salvador	$3,000	0%
94.	Azerbaijan	$3,000	+200%
95.	Barbados	$3,000	0%
96.	Dem. Rep. Congo	$3,000	0%
97.	Albania	$2,000	0%
98.	Iraq	$2,000	0%
99.	Ivory Coast	$2,000	0%
100.	Guinea	$2,000	0%

Focusing on the 100 main suppliers of video games sold on international markets, the fastest growers were Malta (up 3,125% from 2020), Bahamas (up 1,400%), Trinidad and Tobago (up 1,350%), Lebanon (up 1,238%), Jordan (up 1,180%) then Venezuela (up 850%).

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 2020 data was unavailable.

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 July 25, 2022

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 25, 2022
s
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 25, 2022

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 25, 2022

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 25, 2022

Wikipedia, List of video game developers. Accessed on July 25, 2022

Wikipedia, Video game industry. Accessed on July 25, 2022