The Gamer Skill Index

Revealing the best places for gaming in the UK and the country’s most successful players

In recent decades, video games have grown from a relatively niche hobby into one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, with the market set to reach a value of $189.3bn in 2024¹. However, while gaming has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment, gamers face several challenges that could prevent them from having fun.

As video games have become a core part of the entertainment mix, we at Independent Advisor Broadband have conducted a study to assess the video game landscape in the UK. We looked at various factors, including the availability of fast broadband, the games with the happiest online communities and the games with the most successful British esports players.

Expert tip: compare the best broadband deals to ensure you get the optimal speeds needed to game effectively and uninterrupted. 

Manchester is the best city overall for gamers

Rank	Town/city	Median download speed (Mbps)	4G coverage	Annual searches for hacks and cheats per 100,000 people	Annual searches for top 10 games per 100,000 people	Gaming jobs per 100,000 people	Gaming company HQs per 100,000 people	Tech Innovation Index score	Gaming score /10
1	Manchester	79.7	99.91%	117	117,939	14	7.0	4.9	8.12
2	Bristol	125.0	99.55%	108	109,992	10	5.2	2.7	7.44
3	Edinburgh	125.0	93.24%	93	58,327	10	4.4	6.3	6.32
4	Newcastle upon Tyne	78.2	99.88%	105	72,329	22	3.1	1.4	5.72
5	London	78.4	99.47%	55	70,754	6	7.3	42.1	5.49
6	Leeds	80.0	97.71%	99	87,086	12	1.7	2.4	5.49
7	Nottingham	125.0	100.00%	50	24,273	7	6.7	2.7	5.49
8	Birmingham	125.0	98.92%	78	111,600	3	1.6	3.0	5.41
9	Liverpool	80.0	100.00%	105	97,202	3	1.6	2.0	5.34
10	Glasgow	79.7	99.88%	60	59,676	5	3.2	3.8	5.19

1. Manchester

Gaming score: 8.12

Manchester tops the list, boasting a robust median download speed of 79.7Mbps and nearly universal 4G coverage at 99.91 per cent. The city has a high level of engagement with gaming content, evidenced by a substantial number of annual searches for the top 10 games (117,939) per 100,000 people. It also has a strong job market for gaming, with 14 gaming jobs per 100,000 people and several gaming company headquarters.

2. Bristol

Gaming score: 7.44

Bristol shines with the joint second-highest median download speed on the list at 125.0Mbps and impressive 4G coverage of 99.55 per cent. Although annual searches for gaming-related content are slightly lower than in Manchester, the presence of gaming jobs and company headquarters, alongside a Tech Innovation Index score of 2.7, make it a significant hub for gamers.

3. Edinburgh

Gaming score: 6.32

With the same high download speed as Bristol, Edinburgh’s gaming environment is slightly hindered by lower 4G coverage at 93.24 per cent. It has fewer annual searches for games and a moderate presence of gaming jobs and company headquarters. However, its Tech Innovation Index score of 6.3 is notable, reflecting its broader tech-friendly ecosystem.

Gamers in Worthing have the best overall internet experience

Rank	Council	Superfast	Gigabit	Full fibre	Mean download speed (Mbps)	Mean upload speed (Mbps)	Broadband score
1	Worthing District	99.80%	98.00%	91.20%	215	67	9.56
2	Barking and Dagenham	99.40%	95.80%	86.60%	265.5	75.3	9.33
3	Coventry District	99.10%	98.20%	95.60%	222.5	81.7	9.28
4	Milton Keynes	99.50%	94.90%	94.90%	176.3	98.2	9.23
5	City of Derby	99.60%	97.90%	83.60%	185.8	68	9.19
6	West Northamptonshire	99.40%	93.80%	91.50%	191.3	89.5	9.12
7	Newham	99.50%	93.00%	81.90%	212.5	127.9	9.09
8	City of Kingston upon Hull	99.70%	99.70%	99.70%	166.4	57.9	9.08
9	Cambridge District	99.40%	94.70%	82.00%	183.5	103	8.97
10	Slough	99.30%	94.10%	83.30%	200.9	79.2	8.94

1. Worthing District

Broadband score: 9.56

Worthing has the best overall internet in the UK, with a broadband score of 9.56, making it an excellent location for online gaming. This West Sussex seaside town has average download speeds of 215Mbps and upload speeds of 67Mbps. Coverage for different broadband types is also high, with 99.9 per cent of homes having access to superfast internet, while 98 per cent have access to gigabit broadband and 91.2 per cent can access full fibre.

2. Barking and Dagenham

Broadband score: 9.33

Barking and Dagenham has the second-best internet in the country, with a broadband score of 9.33. Gamers here can enjoy average download speeds of 265.5Mbps and upload speeds of 75.3Mbps. Over 99 per cent of homes can access superfast internet, with 95.8 per cent coverage for gigabit broadband and 86.6 per cent availability for full fibre.

3. Coventry District

Broadband score: 9.28

Coventry has the third-best internet in the UK, with a broadband score of 9.28. This Midlands city could be a great place to enjoy your favourite video games, with average download speeds of 222.5Mbps and upload speeds of 81.7Mbps. Gamers in Coventry will also benefit from widespread broadband coverage, with superfast internet available in 99.1 per cent of homes, while 98.2 per cent can access gigabit broadband, and 95.6 per cent have access to a full fibre connection.

Online gaming is most difficult in the Shetland Islands

Rank	Council	Superfast	Gigabit	Full fibre	Mean download speed (Mbps)	Mean upload speed (Mbps)	Broadband score
1	Shetland Islands	76.90%	5.70%	5.70%	43.3	9.4	0.02
2	Na h-Eileanan an Iar	80.50%	6.40%	6.40%	30.8	10.4	0.04
3	Perth and Kinross	89.10%	46.00%	17.70%	55.4	10.3	0.23
4	Angus	89.50%	40.00%	26.80%	51.2	12.9	0.25
5	Argyll and Bute	87.60%	15.30%	15.30%	77.2	13.6	0.28
6	Aberdeenshire	88.30%	35.90%	35.90%	54.6	14.6	0.33
7	Highland	84.90%	36.50%	36.50%	64.3	17.2	0.42
8	Mid Devon District	88.30%	43.10%	43.10%	72.8	15.8	0.62
9	Dumfries and Galloway	92.40%	34.20%	34.20%	77.6	21.8	0.69
10	Powys	88.60%	46.70%	46.70%	67.1	15.8	0.71

1. Shetland Islands

Broadband score: 0.02

The Shetland Islands have the lowest broadband score in the UK at just 0.02, making it a very difficult place for gamers to pursue their hobby. Average download speeds in the area are just 43.3Mbps, while the average upload speed is a measly 9.4Mbps. Superfast internet is available in 76.9 per cent of homes, but only 5.7 per cent have access to gigabit or full fibre broadband. 

2. Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Broadband score: 0.04

Na h-Eileanan an Iar, formerly known as the Western Isles, has the second-worst internet in the UK with a broadband score of 0.04. Gamers here may experience considerable difficulty playing online, with average download speeds of 30.8Mbps and upload speeds of 10.4Mbps.

3. Perth and Kinross

Broadband score: 0.23

Perth and Kinross saw the third-lowest broadband score in the UK at just 0.23. Average download speeds of 55.4Mbps and upload speeds of 10.3Mbps could make gaming difficult in the area.

Rachel Sadler, Broadband Deals expert, comments: 

“This data highlights the difficulty that people in more remote areas can face when trying to access reliable high-speed broadband. 

“Additionally, we can see coverage can vary considerably depending on the region you’re in. Scotland accounts for all three of the worst UK locations for broadband while also having eight of the bottom 10, while England and Wales have only one area from each with poor broadband provision.”

Broadband factor	Best area	Highest score	Worst area	Lowest score
Superfast availability	Blackpool & Epsom and Newell	99.90%	City of London	66.30%
Gigabit availability	City of Kingston upon Hull	99.70%	Shetland Islands	5.70%
Full fibre availability	City of Kingston upon Hull	99.70%	Shetland Islands	5.70%
Mean download speed (Mbps)	City of Southampton	286.9	Na h-Eileanan an Iar	30.8
Mean upload speed (Mbps)	City of Southampton	183.3	Shetland Islands	9.4

The best UK locations for superfast broadband are Blackpool and the combined area of Epsom and Newell, with 99.9 per cent availability in both. Meanwhile, Kingston upon Hull is the best UK location for gigabit and full fibre availability, with 99.7 per cent coverage for both broadband types.

The City of London has the lowest availability for superfast broadband at 66.3 per cent, while the Shetland Islands have the least access to gigabit and full fibre internet at just 5.7 per cent each.

Southampton has the best internet speeds in the country, with average download speeds of 286.9Mbps and upload speeds of 183.3Mbps. Meanwhile, Na h-Eileanan an Iar has the slowest average download speed of 30.8Mbps, and the Shetland Islands have the slowest upload speeds, averaging just 9.4Mbps.

UK countries: gamers in Northern Ireland look up hacks and cheats the most often

Rank	Name	Population	Hack searches	Searches per 100,000
1	Northern Ireland	1,903,175	960	50.44
2	Wales	3,107,494	1,410	45.37
3	Scotland	5,479,900	2,220	40.51
4	England	56,490,048	22,860	40.47

We looked at the number of Google searches for several search terms related to cheating in video games and calculated the rate of searches per 100,000 people. We can see that gamers in Northern Ireland are most likely to search for hacks and cheats, with 50.44 searches per 100,000 people. England has the lowest rate of searches at 40.47 per 100,000.

UK cities: Manchester gamers are most likely to search for video game hacks and cheats

Rank	City	Population	Hacks searches	Searches per 100,000
1	Manchester	470,411	550	116.92
2	Bristol	425,232	460	108.18
3	Southampton	249,604	150	60.10
4	Newcastle upon Tyne	286,468	300	104.72
5	Liverpool	506,552	530	104.63
6	Leeds	536,321	530	98.82
7	Edinburgh	505,310	470	93.01
8	Coventry	344,322	300	87.13
9	Brighton and Hove	277,106	220	79.39
10	Birmingham	1,121,408	880	78.47
11	Stoke-on-Trent	260,602	120	46.05
12	Belfast	293,298	210	71.60
13	Sheffield	500,552	320	63.93
14	Cardiff	348,546	220	63.12
15	Glasgow	631,690	380	60.16
16	Kingston upon Hull	270,806	160	59.08
17	Derby	275,599	160	58.06
18	London	8,776,535	4,830	55.03
19	Leicester	406,588	210	51.65
20	Nottingham	299,797	150	50.03

1. Manchester

Searches per 100,000 people: 116.92

Of the 20 largest UK cities, gamers in Manchester are the most likely to search for hacks and cheats, with 116.92 searches per 100,000 people. In contrast, Nottingham saw the lowest rate of searches for video game hacks, with 50.03 searches per 100,000 people. 

2. Bristol

Searches per 100,000 people: 108.18

Bristol saw 460 searches for video game hacks and cheats, which translates to the second-highest rate of 108.18 searches per 100,000 people. This is almost double the rate seen in London, where there were 55.03 searches per 100,000 people.

3. Newcastle upon Tyne

Searches per 100,000 people: 104.72

Newcastle upon Tyne has the third-highest rate of searches for hacks and cheats in video games at 104.72 per 100,000 people, taken from a total of 280 searches. Only four cities in our study recorded search rates higher than 100 per 100,000 people, with the fourth highest being Liverpool. 

Fortnite is the most popular video game in 2024

Rank	Title	Discord server size	Twitch: average viewers	Insta posts	TikTok posts	UK search volume	Net positive Reddit sentiment	Popularity score
1	Fortnite	1,053,876	59,832	47,308,874	60,200,000	5,871,000	17.02%	9.63
2	Roblox	1,024,622	4,225	7,895,899	65,200,000	26,240,000	16.14%	8.66
3	Minecraft	1,354,378	25,281	19,874,636	21,400,000	4,744,000	14.19%	8.22
4	Valorant	1,074,261	124,772	3,610,470	10,000,000	1,059,000	14.59%	7.93
5	Grand Theft Auto V	541,820	196,176	8,760,505	8,000,000	890,000	13.71%	7.47
6	League of Legends	344,569	145,939	8,986,754	4,600,000	671,000	14.16%	7.01
7	PUBG: Battlegrounds	120,770	14,498	20,747,620	48,800,000	260,600	16.89%	6.81
8	Apex Legends	795,068	36,700	5,690,520	7,600,000	423,600	13.67%	6.77
9	Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege	694,678	28,576	3,268,441	3,100,000	349,300	14.74%	6.47
9	Rocket League	695,407	8,736	1,930,503	6,700,000	507,900	14.76%	6.47

1. Fortnite

Popularity score: 9.63

Fortnite saw the highest popularity score in our study at 9.63. Fortnite is a free-to-play multiplayer game that incorporates the “battle royale” game format with building mechanics for a unique gameplay experience. The game is incredibly popular, particularly among younger gamers, so it’s no surprise that it stole the top spot. 

2. Roblox

Popularity score: 8.66

Roblox has the second-highest popularity score at 8.66. Roblox differs from the traditional video game experience, as it provides a platform for user-generated content as well as creative tools and a social media element. Roblox received more than 26.2 million UK searches in the last 12 months and has exploded on TikTok, with 65.2 million posts on the platform.

3. Minecraft

Popularity score: 8.22

Minecraft has the third-highest popularity score in our study at 8.22. Minecraft is a sandbox survival, exploration and crafting game in which players can explore worlds solo or with friends. The crafting element of Minecraft cannot be understated, with some players pouring hundreds of hours into creating vast and complex buildings, cities and more.

Our tech expert, Rachel Sadler, comments:

“This research highlights the success of the free-to-play model, with seven of the 10 most popular video games being available at no cost. Free-to-play games make their money through in-game purchases and microtransactions, often providing seasonal content updates, new modes and special events to keep players coming back.”

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the most positively discussed game on Reddit

Rank	Name	Positive sentiment	Negative sentiment	Neutral sentiment	Net positive sentiment
1	Animal Crossing: New Horizons	51.61%	16.39%	32.00%	35.23%
2	Red Dead Redemption 2	40.81%	23.62%	35.57%	17.19%
3	Fortnite	40.83%	23.82%	35.35%	17.02%
4	PUBG: Battlegrounds	41.82%	24.92%	33.26%	16.89%
5	Dota 2	42.60%	26.00%	31.40%	16.60%
6	World of Warcraft	45.13%	28.95%	25.92%	16.18%
7	Roblox	41.14%	24.99%	33.87%	16.14%
8	Diablo 4	43.78%	27.98%	28.24%	15.80%
9	Overwatch 2	44.22%	28.43%	27.35%	15.79%
10	Starfield	43.85%	28.32%	27.83%	15.53%

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Net positive sentiment: 35.23%

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the most positively discussed game on Reddit, with a net positive sentiment of 35.23 per cent across all posts. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social simulation game developed by Nintendo, where players can design, build and customise their own island and share it with their friends. Following our analysis, as many as 51.61 per cent of Reddit posts about the game were found to be positive, while just 16.39 per cent had an overall negative sentiment.

2. Red Dead Redemption 2

Net positive sentiment: 17.19%

Red Dead Redemption 2 received the second-highest net positive sentiment on Reddit at 17.19 per cent. This story-driven action-adventure game follows a group of outlaws as they attempt to outrun the law, fend off other gangs and survive in a rapidly changing world. Developed by Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption 2 has received 25 separate awards, including Game of the Year, at multiple different awards ceremonies. In total, 40.81 per cent of Reddit posts about the game were found to be positive, with 23.62 per cent being negative.

3. Fortnite

Net positive sentiment: 17.02%

Fortnite has the third highest net positive reception on Reddit at 17.02 per cent. While similar battle royale games such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends have built large and dedicated player bases, Fortnite has continued to dominate the free-to-play shooter market with its fun and accessible gameplay. As much as 40.83 per cent of Reddit posts about Fortnite were found to be positive, while 23.62 per cent had an overall negative sentiment.

“Boring, broken and hacked”: Fortnite players discuss these issues the most on Reddit

Term	Game with most mentions	Reddit posts with the term
boring	Fortnite	23.07%
broken	Fortnite	20.06%
cheat	Valorant	21.26%
hacked	Fortnite	5.02%
microtransactions	Fortnite	2.01%
terrible	Fortnite	14.04%
hilarious	Animal Crossing: New Horizons	21.79%

While Fortnite received one of the highest net positive sentiment scores on Reddit, the game did see the most prevalent use of several negative terms. Almost a quarter of posts about Fortnite used the term “boring”, while a fifth included the term “broken”. Fortnite-related posts also received the most mentions of “hacked” (5.02 per cent), “microtransactions” (2.01 per cent) and “terrible” (14.04 per cent). This suggests that while the game is immensely popular, there remains a lot of criticism surrounding certain aspects of the gameplay experience.

However, it’s worth mentioning that another free-to-play shooter, Valorant, saw the most (21.26 per cent) Reddit posts mentioning the term “cheat”, the highest rate in our study. Meanwhile, Animal Crossing: New Horizons saw the highest rate of “hilarious” mentions at 21.79 per cent of posts, showing that the game’s online community is eager to share the fun they have.

Jaden Ashman (aka “Wolfiez”) is the UK’s most successful esports player

Rank	Player Name	Player ID	Total winnings	Highest paying game
1	Jaden Ashman	Wolfiez	$1,367,708.07	Fortnite
2	Harry Pearson	Veno	$766,450.96	Fortnite
3	Benjamin Bance	Bance	$756,929.94	Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
4	Henrik Mclean	Hen	$739,497.84	Fortnite
5	Kyle Jackson	Mongraal	$718,429.23	Fortnite
6	Jamie Craven	Insight	$691,682.26	Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
7	Benjy David Fish	BenjyFishy	$652,275.32	Fortnite
8	Donovan Hunt	TekKz	$620,626.74	FIFA 19
9	Thomas Trewren	Tommey	$612,049.28	Call of Duty: Warzone
10	Cameron McKilligan	Cammy	$573,150.00	Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
11	Rhys Price	Rated	$520,765.22	Call of Duty: Warzone
12	Finlay Ferguson	rise.	$456,199.88	Rocket League
13	Zachariah Siddall	Pinq	$434,676.16	Fortnite
14	Trei Morris	Zer0	$397,258.73	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
15	Spencer Ealing	HugeGorilla	$387,209.46	FIFA 17
16	Ethan Pink	Fifakill	$352,072.43	Call of Duty: Warzone
17	Jack Robertson	Doki	$333,280.54	Rainbow Six Siege
18	Joseph Kidd	noly	$300,913.96	Rocket League
19	Kyle Robertson	Scrub Killa	$296,148.32	Rocket League
20	Alex McMeekin	ALEX	$289,680.28	Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

1. Jaden Ashman / “Wolfiez”

Total competition winnings: $1,367,708

Jaden Ashman, also known as Wolfiez, is the UK’s most successful esports player, having earned almost $1.37 million from video game tournaments. All of Ashman’s winnings have come from entering Fortnite tournaments, and he has earned more than $1m at the age of just 15.

2. Harry Pearson / “Veno”

Total competition winnings: $766,451

Harry Pearson, who also goes by Veno, is the British esports player with the second-highest winnings at $766,451. Like Wolfiez, all of Veno’s esports winnings have come from playing Fortnite, with almost half being won in a single year. 

3. Benjamin Bance / “Bance”

Total competition winnings: $756,930

The UK’s third-most successful esports player is Benjamin Bance, or Bance for short, having earned a total of $756,930. Bance specialises in Call of Duty titles, with earnings recorded for 11 different games within the franchise. The most lucrative title for Bance so far has been Call of Duty: Cold War, with winnings of $285,000.

Methodology

We wanted to assess the gaming landscape in 2024, revealing the best places to be a gamer in the UK as well as the most successful UK esports players and some of the most well-received games online.

To rank the best cities for gamers, we analysed the following factors, giving each a normalised score out of 10 before taking an average of the following:

• Median download speed*: sourced from Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2023 report
• 4G coverage*: the percentage of outdoor places that can receive a 4G signal from all four major operators, sourced from Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2023 report
• Annual searches for hacks and cheats: the number of searches made in each city between April 2023 and March 2024 for keywords such as “cheat codes”, “gaming hacks”, “videogame hacks” and “[game] hacks” using Google Ads Keyword Planner
• Annual searches for top 10 games: the number of combined searches for the top 10 most popular games, also from Keyword Planner
• Gaming jobs: the number of jobs listed for the term “gaming” on Indeed as of 24 April 2024
• Gaming company HQs: the number of companies listed under the gaming category on Crunchbase
• Tech Innovation Index score: sourced from the UK Tech Innovation Index

*For London, an average of all boroughs was taken

Data for esports earnings was sourced from esportsearnings.com. 

Data for internet speeds and coverage was taken from thinkbroadband.com. 

To create our popularity score when comparing video games, we combined the number of posts for each video game on Instagram and TikTok, the size of each game’s Discord community, the average number of viewers each game saw on Twitch in the past 30 days, each game’s UK search volume from the past year and the net rate of positive posts on Reddit for each game. 

The sentiment analysis to find the number of posts that were positive, negative or neutral for each game was carried out by comparing all Reddit posts with an extensive list of terms that were inherently positive or negative. The net positive score was then calculated by comparing the number of posts with positive sentiment to those that were negative. 

¹ https://www.reuters.com/technology/video-game-market-recovery-pick-up-steam-2024-strong-console-sales-report-2024-01-23/