UK consumers spent a record $7.4 billion (£5.7 billion) on gaming in 2018.

Trade body UKIE revealed the figure today, which represents a 10 per cent year-over-year gain. The organisation expects growth to continue through 2019.

The lion's share of value came from software sales, increasing 10 per cent annually to hit $5.2 billion (£4.01bn). 50 per cent of all UK software revenues are now coming from digital and online spending, with battle royale hits like Fortnite and PUBG cited as a key driver.

Meanwhile, on mobile, games spending increased by 8.2 per cent to hit $1.5 billion (£1.17bn). That means just under a third of all game software spending in the UK is taking place on mobile at 29 per cent.

It’s not good news across the board, though. While physical sales remain steady with a mere 2.6 per cent drop, pre-owned sales dropped 30.8 per cent to $88.7 million (£67.9m), putting the pressure on an already strained physical retail industry.

When it comes to hardware, PC game hardware sales have increased by 18.4 per cent to $580.6 million (£445m). Virtual reality hardware sales fell 20.9 per cent to £79 million, while peripherals and accessories revenue grew 19.9 per cent to $463 million (£355m).