Last updated: 13 November 2026
The gaming world is hotly anticipating this month’s release of Grand Theft Auto VI. And it’s a big moment for the UK gaming industry. While New York-based Rockstar Games will publish it, the game is largely made in Britain: its lead developer, Rockstar North, is based in Edinburgh, with Rockstar studios in Dundee, Leeds, Lincoln and London also working on it.
So how big is the UK games industry, where are its hubs, and what has England’s newest call-up, Jobe Bellingham, got to do with it? The Data City’s Industry Engine has the answers.
Key figures: the UK games industry in November 2026
- There are over 1,000 gaming companies in the UK, employing just under 30,000 people.
- London accounts for 35% of UK gaming company locations, followed by Manchester (4.2%) and Brighton (3.3%).
- Brighton’s share of UK gaming companies is more than five times its share of all UK businesses (3.3% vs 0.6%).
- Dundee accounts for 1.1% of UK gaming companies but only 0.1% of all UK businesses.
- Around half of UK gaming companies are not classified under the two official gaming SIC codes.
- Around one in six UK gaming companies describe themselves as “indie”.
(Source: The Data City Industry Engine, November 2026)
How big is the UK games industry? It’s more than PCs and PS5s.
The UK games industry is made up of over 1,000 companies employing just under 30,000 people, according to The Data City’s Industry Engine. The majority of these companies are game development studios, from global names such as Rockstar North to small independent outfits.
But the sector is broader than studios. There are esports organisations, such as Fnatic. There are businesses providing the technology used to make games, such as Code Wizards. And there are companies working in immersive gaming (think VR headsets), such as Manchester-founded Rezzil (more on them below).
This breadth is exactly what official statistics miss. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes can identify a company that publishes games – there are classifications for ‘Ready-made interactive leisure and entertainment software development’ and ‘Publishing of computer games’. But a games-tech supplier or a VR sports-training firm will be filed under codes that say nothing about gaming. Around half of all UK gaming companies identified by the Industry Engine fall outside of these two SIC codes.
The Industry Engine identifies gaming companies from what they actually say they do, so it can see the whole sector, not just the part the SIC codes were designed for. Find out how our Real-Time Industrial Classifications work.
Why Rezzil is one to watch
Rezzil is interesting for three reasons. The first is that it sits in an emerging corner of the sector. It started out using virtual reality for sports training, cognitive performance and rehabilitation for athletes, and now describes its work as “movement intelligence”. Its tools have been used to power analysis on Match of the Day and Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, and its clients include a number of football clubs, Nike and Adidas.
The second is investment. Rezzil is the most recent UK gaming company to attract investment. In October 2026 it raised $10 million (around £7.5 million) in a round led by Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham, who has just received his first senior England call-up for this month’s Nations League games against Croatia and Spain. The Premier League is also among its backers.
The third is its expanding footprint. Rezzil are using this investment to open offices in London and Chicago in addition to its Manchester base.
Where are the UK’s gaming hotspots?
London dominates, but GTA’s home turf and some smaller towns punch above their weight
As with many cutting-edge sectors, London dominates. London accounts for 35% of all UK gaming company locations (see Figure 1). Manchester, Rezzil’s home city, comes second with 4.2% of UK gaming companies. Figure 2 shows where they are in the city; they’re clustered in the city centre in particular. Brighton comes third. It accounts for 0.6% of all UK businesses but 3.3% of UK gaming companies, more than triple the share of much larger cities such as Sheffield, Glasgow and Nottingham.
Then there is GTA’s home turf. Edinburgh, where Rockstar North is based, accounts for 1.9% of UK gaming companies against 0.7% of all UK businesses. Dundee, where the series began at DMA Design in the 1990s and where Rockstar now has another studio, accounts for 1.1% of gaming companies against 0.1% of all businesses.
Another strong performer is Leamington Spa (within Warwick local authority). It accounts for 1.8% of all gaming activities, double that of Nottingham and Glasgow. It is home to Playground Games, maker of the Forza Horizon series, and studios there have produced titles such as Guitar Hero Live (by FreeStyleGames, now Ubisoft Leamington) and Sonic Dash (by Hardlight). Figure 3 shows where in Leamington Spa they are.
Being an independent appears to be a badge of honour
In a sector with giants such as Sega and Electronic Arts, around one in six UK gaming companies describe themselves as “indie”. For many, that is simply a description – they are small and independently owned – but it is also how they choose to present themselves, as a signal of creative independence. It is not something you will find in any official dataset. It shows up only because the Industry Engine reads how companies describe themselves.
Whether your interest is Edinburgh’s studios, Leamington’s cluster or the next Rezzil, the Industry Engine lets you map the companies, jobs and investment in UK gaming – or any other frontier sector – down to your own patch. Start your free trial of The Data City Industry Engine today.
