NPD Insight

Unboxing Games & Puzzles

Rory Partis, director UK Toys & EuroToys NPD, examines the latest data from the Games & Puzzles supercategory.

As has been well-documented, Games & Puzzles experienced significant growth over the Covid period in the UK. In particular, the category saw a surge in sales over the lockdown in Q2 2020 and Q1 2021. Inevitably therefore, is it challenging to look at trends vs. either 2021 or 2020. However, the supercategory has a very healthy trend of +32% vs. 2019. This points to the surge in popularity of Games and Puzzles during lockdown bringing in new consumers, who have stayed in the category, which can only be a good thing. The Games & Puzzles supercategory is -4% for YTD July 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, which is marginally better than the overall market trend of -5%.

Looking at Games in 2022, the standout subclass is Strategic Trading Card Games, which now accounts for around a third of all Games spend. This growth has been driven by the popularity of Pokémon, which was the top growth property in the total market in 2021 and continues to grow in 2022, with a trend of +20% in Games. There are several other Games subclasses that have grown in 2022, with Card Games having a positive trend of +7% and Brainteasers growing by +30%. You can see the impact of the Card Games subclass when looking at the top items in games, with Uno from Mattel in the top spot and Dobble from Asmodee at No.2. The third spot is taken by the Pokémon Sword and Shield Brilliant Stars Booster Box, also from Asmodee. Classic Monopoly from Hasbro and Rubiks Cube from John Adams are the two other items that make up the top five for the Games segment.

Turning to Puzzles, the overall segment has a -24% trend vs. 2021 but, like the overall Games & Puzzles supercategory, it’s worth looking at the trend vs. 2019, which is +7%. Adult Puzzles was one of the success stories of the Covid period and it remains the largest Puzzles subclass, accounting for over half of all value for the segment in 2022, a hint that adults have stayed with the category long after lockdowns have ended. The top item in Puzzles is actually a carry case, with the PortaPuzzle De Luxe 1000 in the No.1 spot and then the Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle 3D Puzzle 197 Pieces from University Games at No.2.