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NielsenIQ and Wargaming have presented the results of the first ever complex video game players research in Ukraine. According to it, the most popular game is World of Tanks, the most popular genres are Puzzle, Vehicle Shooter and Shooter. Most of the respondents prefer mobile and a PC for games. The average age of Ukrainian gamer is 31 years old, and the main reasons for the passion for video games are the desire to relax, “to kill time”, and escape reality. During the pandemic, most Ukrainian players began to play more often, while their spending on video games remained almost unchanged.
Most played games
According to NielsenIQ research, World of Tanks is the most popular game in Ukraine – 16% of respondents play it more often than other games, and 26% of respondents have played a game at least once during the last month. The top five most popular games also include FIFA20/FIFA21 (9% of respondents play most often and 17% play at least once a month), Minecraft (8% and 19%), Grand Theft Auto V (7% and 12%) and Counter -Strike: Global Offensive (6% and 14%). World of Warcraft rounded out the ten most popular games.
The most known game is also World of Tanks – 81% of Ukrainian players know the shooter. Minecraft is second with 69% of the audience, and Dota 2 is third with 68%. The top five games include FIFA 20/FIFA21 and World of Warcraft, tenth place is hold by League of Legends.
What they play and what they spend
The most popular genres of video games in Ukraine are Puzzle, Vehicle Shooter, Shooter and Simulation. Most often, games of these genres are played by 12%, 11%, 10% and 10% of players, respectively. From time to time, Ukrainians mainly play the Shooter (38%), Simulation (32%), Action (31%) and Adventure (31%) genres games.
The most popular video game genres that respondents spend money on are Vehicle Shooter (8%) and Sport (7%). Average monthly spending on games of these genres is 242 hryvnia and 342 hryvnia, respectively. Most of all, Ukrainian players spend on games in the genres of Fighting and RPG – 433 hryvnia and 617 hryvnia per month, respectively.
Mobile and computer vs. PlayStation and Xbox
It is noteworthy that 44% of Ukrainians most often play on mobile devices, and 40% on PC. At the same time, only 15% use console as the main platform. 73% of gamers use smartphone or tablet to play from time to time, PC and console – 68% and 28%, respectively. 29% of respondents plan to buy PlayStation 5, 7% – Xbox Series X/S, and 10% goes for both platforms. 55% of players do not plan to buy next-generation consoles at all.
Coronavirus and video games
The coronavirus pandemic has affected the habits of Ukrainian players – 56% of respondents began to play video games more often, and only 4% – less often. At the same time, 46% of paying players did not change their spending during the pandemic, 31% began to pay more, and 13% – pay less.
As for the time that the respondents spend on games, 54% spend 1-3 hours playing on weekdays, and 43% do on weekends. Players play 4 times a week on average, playing almost 4 hours on weekends.
How much do they spend on games
Free 2 Play games are played by 72% of Ukrainian players most often and 88% – from time to time. Premium games with a paid subscription are preferable for 9% and 24%, respectively, and premium games (one-time purchase) – 18% and 40%, respectively. 41% of respondents spend from 250 to 500 hryvnia per month on video games, another 30% – up to 250 hryvnia per month. 29% of players spend more than 500 hryvnia per month.
The video game market in Ukraine is actively developing today, and we are pleased to share the results of this research with NielsenIQ. We know a lot about our products and the preferences of our users, but we wanted to know more about the players in Ukraine in general. We are pleased that the World of Tanks game, which is being developed as well in Kyiv, is so popular among Ukrainian players, – said Serhii Shumygora, Executive Director, Wargaming Kyiv.Who is Ukrainian video game player According to the study, 73% of Ukrainian players spend time playing video games to relax, and 57% play to kill time. 37% cited video games as a way to spend time with friends, while 46% of the respondents who chose this item are players aged 19-25. The average age of Ukrainian player is 31 years, while the gender balance has been preserved, both men and women play in almost the same proportion. 65% of survey respondents are married, and 7 out of 10 have at least one higher education degrees.
