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The Latest PC Gaming Statistics (2025)

by Fabio Duarte
November 21, 2024

With over 3 billion gamers worldwide, it is no surprise that the PC gaming market continues to go from strength to strength.

Below, we’ll dive into the latest data surrounding PC gaming and other relevant statistics:

Contents

Top PC Gaming Statistics 2025 (Editor’s Picks)

  • Globally, there are around 1.86 billion PC gamers
  • 64% of game developers have a preference for PC titles
  • F2P PC games market revenue is estimated to be $25.22 billion in 2024
  • The gaming PC graphics hardware market is worth approximately $38 billion

How Many PC Gamers Are There?

According to the latest available data, there are an estimated 1.86 billion PC gamers worldwide.

graphic stating the number of global PC gamers

Source: DFC Intelligence

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Number of PC Gamers Over Time

Between 2008 and 2018, the number of global PC gamers rose by 41.27%.

bar chart showing the number of PC gamers over time

Here’s a breakdown of the number of PC gamers since 2008:

Year

PC Gamers

Change Over Previous Year

Change Over Previous Year (%)

2008

1.1 billion

-

-

2009

1.1 billion

-

-

2010

1.14 billion

↑ 40 million

↑ 3.6%

2011

1.18 billion

↑ 40 million

↑ 3.5%

2012

1.22 billion

↑ 40 million

↑ 3.4%

2013

1.27 billion

↑ 50 million

↑ 4.1%

2014

1.31 billion

↑ 40 million

↑ 3.1%

2015

1.36 billion

↑ 50 million

↑ 3.8%

2016

1.4 billion

↑ 40 million

↑ 2.9%

2017

1.44 billion

↑ 40 million

↑ 2.9%

2018

1.5 billion

↑ 60 million

↑ 4.1%

2019

1.55 billion

↑ 50 million

↑ 3.3%

2020

1.75 billion

↑ 200 million

↑ 12.9%

2021*

1.77 billion

↑ 20 million

↑ 1.1%

2022*

1.8 billion

↑ 30 million

↑ 1.7%

2023*

1.83 billion

↑ 30 million

↑ 1.7%

2024*

1.86 billion

↑ 30 million

↑ 1.6%

*Predicted figures.

Source: DFC Intelligence

Games-as-a-Service and Pay-to-Play Stats

There are several ways in which gamers can access PC titles aside from one-time purchases.

Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) PC Gaming

One such method is the continuing revenue model known as GaaS. This model was first popularised by hugely lucrative titles such as RuneScape (2001) and World of Warcraft (2004).

In 2024, an estimated 1.8 billion gamers opted for low-end GaaS PC gaming. That’s an increase of around 800 million since 2008.

graphic stating the number of GaaS PC gamers

The premium GaaS category has the next-highest number of participants with approximately 381.4 million people.

Pay-to-Play PC Gaming

Increasingly popular pay-to-play PC games have also seen significant growth in recent years.

Low-end pay-to-play PC games have gained over 100 million players since 2008, reaching 297.6 million this year.

Likewise, premium pay-to-play gaming has seen an increase of almost 80 million players since 2008 (179.5 million in 2024).

line graph showing the popularity of different types of PC gaming

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular PC gaming categories since 2008:

Year

Pay-to-play Low-End

Pay-to-play Premium

GaaS Low-End

GaaS Premium

2008

186.8 million

101 million

1.03 billion

233.6 million

2009

192.5 million

104.7 million

1.06 billion

244.6 million

2010

199 million

108.5 million

1.1 billion

253.1 million

2011

204.6 million

112.4 million

1.1 billion

260.5 million

2012

211.3 million

117.1 million

1.18 billion

267.8 million

2013

217.4 million

121.9 million

1.22 billion

277.3 million

2014

224.2 million

126 million

1.23 billion

285 million

2015

231.7 million

131 million

1.3 billion

295.9 million

2016

238.6 million

135.7 million

1.34 billion

306.2 million

2017

247.5 million

140.1 million

1.38 billion

317.5 million

2018

255.8 million

143.9 million

1.43 billion

326.2 million

2019

255.9 million

148.9 million

1.48 billion

336.3 million

2020

275 million

169.8 million

1.7 billion

359.6 million

2021*

279.4 million

172.1 million

1.72 billion

366.5 million

2022*

283.8 million

174.3 million

1.75 billion

371.2 million

2023*

288.6 million

176.5 million

1.8 billion

376.9 million

2024*

292.9 million

179.5 million

1.8 billion

381.4 million

2025*

297.6 million

182.7 million

1.83 billion

388.2 million

*Predicted figures.

Source: DFC Intelligence

PC vs Other Platforms

Overall, game developers have a clear preference for PC as a platform.

A 2023 survey found that around 2 in 3 (65%) game developers were currently working on a PC game.

By comparison, the two most popular game consoles had approximately half as many game developers working on titles for those platforms in 2023.

Around 1 in 3 (33%) of developers were working on a PlayStation 5 game. While 3 in 10 (30%) were working on an Xbox Series X/S title.

bar chart showing the popularity of different gaming systems with developers

Here’s a full breakdown of the platforms game developers were focussing on in 2023:

RankPlatformShare of Game Developers That Worked on Game Projects
1PC65%
2PlayStation 533%
3Xbox Series X/S30%
4Android27%
5iOS26%
6Xbox One (or One X0)19%
=7Nintendo Switch18%
=7PlayStation 4 (or Pro)18%
=7Mac18%
10VR Headsets12%
11Web Browser11%
12Linux9%
13Xbox Cloud Gaming6%
14AR Hardware4%
15PlayStation Plus (Extra and Premium)3%
=16Tabletop Games2%
=16Media Platforms (Netflix, TikTok, etc.)2%
=18Google Stadia1%
=18UGC Platforms (Roblox, Minecraft, etc.)1%
=18Virtual Tabletop1%
=18Amazon Luna1%
=18Playdate1%
-Other4%

The number of major PC video games released/planned for release between late 2022 and the end of 2024 backs up the above figures.

Once again, PC leads the way with a total of 156 releases. That’s at least 35% more than the PlayStation 5 (115) or the Xbox Series X/S (113).

bar chart showing the number of major video game releases by platform

Here’s a closer look at the most popular gaming platforms in terms of major game releases:

RankPlatformNumber of Major Video Game Releases
1PC156
2PlayStation 5115
3Xbox Series X/S113
4PlayStation 478
5Xbox One76
6Switch73
7Switch Only33
8Xbox, not PlayStation26
9PlayStation, not Xbox22

And when it comes to personal preference, game developers also opt for PC as their platform of choice.

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Here’s a full list of gaming platforms ranked in order of preference by game developers:

RankPlatformMost Interesting Gaming Platforms According to Developers
1PC64%
2PlayStation 546%
3Nintendo Switch35%
4Xbox Series X/S33%
=5iOS23%
=5VR Headsets23%
7Android22%
8Mac14%
9Xbox One (or One X)13%
10AR Hardware12%
=11PlayStation 4 (or 4 Pro)11%
=11Web Browser11%
13Xbox Cloud Gaming10%
14Linux9%
15Tabletop Games8%
16PlayStation Plus (Extra or Premium)7%
17Media Platforms (Netflix, TikTok, etc.)6%
18Virtual Tabletop5%
=19Playdate4%
=19UGC Platforms (Roblox, Minecraft, etc.)4%
20Amazon Luna2%
21Google Stadia1%
-Other3%

Sources: Game Developers Conference, DFC Intelligence, Game Developers Conference (2)

PC Gaming Market and Revenue Stats

The free-to-play (F2P) PC gaming market has seen its revenue grow year-over-year since 2018.

Annual market revenue for F2P PC games was projected to hit $25.22 billion in 2024.

bar chart showing F2P PC games market revenue

Below, is a breakdown of F2P PC games market revenue over time:

Year

F2P PC Games Market Revenue

2018

$21.6 billion

2019

$21.5 billion

2020

$22.7 billion

2021*

$23.1 billion

2022*

$23.66 billion

2023*

$24.39 billion

2024*

$25.22 billion

*Predicted figures.

Similarly, premium PC games revenue continues to increase, climbing from $5.38 billion in 2008 to an estimated $26.33 billion in 2024.

bar chart showing premium PC games revenue over time

Here’s a breakdown of revenue from the premium PC gaming market over time:

Year

P2P Premium Revenue

GAAS Premium Revenue

Total Premium PC Games Revenue

2008

$1.58 billion

$3.8 billion

$5.38 billion

2009

$1.85 billion

$4.2 billion

$6.05 billion

2010

$2.28 billion

$5.36 billion

$7.64 billion

2011

$2.69 billion

$6.64 billion

$9.33 billion

2012

$3.2 billion

$7.44 billion

$10.64 billion

2013

$3.6 billion

$9.12 billion

$12.72 billion

2014

$4.12 billion

$10.29 billion

$14.41 billion

2015

$4.24 billion

$12.1 billion

$16.34 billion

2016

$4.62 billion

$13.02 billion

$17.64 billion

2017

$4.82 billion

$13.5 billion

$18.32 billion

2018

$5.11 billion

$14.88 billion

$19.99 billion

2019

$5.36 billion

$15.55 billion

$20.91 billion

2020

$6.86 billion

$17.88 billion

$25.74 billion

2021*

$6.99 billion

$18.49 billion

$25.48 billion

2022*

$7.13 billion

$18.55 billion

$25.68 billion

2023*

$7.21 billion

$18.83 billion

$26.04 billion

2024*

$7.34 billion

$18.99 billion

$26.33 billion

*Predicted figures.

Since 2011, the online PC gaming market has grown from $21.1 billion to an estimated $41.6 billion – an increase of around 98.1%.

bar chart showing the global online PC gaming market value over time

Here are the detailed figures:

Year

Global Online PC Gaming Market Value

Change Over Previous Year

2011

$21.1 billion

-

2012

$23.6 billion

↑ $2.5 billion

2013

$28.8 billion

↑ $5.2 billion

2014

$24.7 billion

↓ $4.1 billion

2015

$25.1 billion

↑ $0.4 billion

2016

$31 billion

↑ $5.9 billion

2017

$38.4 billion

↑ $7.4 billion

2018

$41.6 billion

↑ $3.2 billion

2019

$38.4 billion

↓ $3.2 billion

2020

$42.2 billion

↑ $3.8 billion

2021

$44.6 billion

↑ $2.4 billion

2022*

$42.9 billion

↓ $1.7 billion

2023*

$41.9 billion

↓ $1 billion

2024*

$41.8 billion

↓ $0.1 billion

2025*

$41.6 billion

↓ $0.2 billion

2026*

$41.3 billion

↓ $0.3 billion

2027*

$41.3 billion

-

*Predicted figures.

Sources: SuperData Research, DFC Intelligence, Capcom

Gaming PC Software & Hardware Stats

In the space of a decade, the gaming PC graphics hardware market has doubled in value.

In 2012, the market was worth $18.37 billion. By 2022, that figure had more than doubled to an estimated $37 billion.

As of 2024, the graphics hardware market for gaming PC graphics stands at approximately $38 billion.

bar chart showing the market value of PC graphics hardware over time

Here’s a breakdown of the gaming PC graphics hardware market since 2012:

Year

Gaming PC Graphics Hardware Market Value

Change Over Previous Year

2012

$18.37 billion

-

2013

$20.88 billion

↑ $2.51 billion

2014

$24.74 billion

↑ $3.86 billion

2015

$29.27 billion

↑ $4.53 billion

2016

$29.87 billion

↑ $0.6 billion

2017

$33.5 billion

↑ $3.63 billion

2018

$35.48 billion

↑ $1.98 billion

2019

$34.57 billion

↓ $0.91 billion

2020

$36 billion

↑ $1.43 billion

2021*

$36 billion

-

2022*

$37 billion

↑ $1 billion

2023*

$37 billion

-

2024*

$38 billion

↑ $1 billion

*Predicted figures.

Gaming PC graphics software sales revenue has also seen a steady rise for over a decade.

In fact, sales revenue has increased by almost 4x since 2008 ($9.29 billion), reaching an estimated $39.45 billion in 2025.

bar chart showing gaming PC graphics software revenue over time

Here’s a look at how sales revenue from gaming PC graphics software has progressed over time:

Year

Gaming PC Graphics Software Sales Revenue

Change Over Previous Year

2008

$9.29 billion

-

2009

$10.31 billion

↑ $1.02 billion

2010

$12.79 billion

↑ $2.48 billion

2011

$15.34 billion

↑ $2.55 billion

2012

$17.11 billion

↑ $1.77 billion

2013

$20.46 billion

↑ $3.35 billion

2014

$22.62 billion

↑ $2.16 billion

2015

$25.24 billion

↑ $2.62 billion

2016

$26.98 billion

↑ $1.74 billion

2017

$27.66 billion

↑ $0.68 billion

2018

$29.65 billion

↑ $1.99 billion

2019

$30.57 billion

↑ $ 0.92 billion

2020

$36.28 billion

↑ $ 5.71 billion

2021*

$37.34 billion

↑ $ 1.06 billion

2022*

$37.59 billion

↑ $ 0.25 billion

2023*

$38.31 billion

↑ $ 0.72 billion

2024*

$38.81 billion

↑ $ 0.5 billion

2025*

$39.45 billion

↑ $ 0.64 billion

*Predicted figures.

Sources: Jon Peddie Research, DFC Intelligence

Key Takeaways

The PC gaming market is booming.

And interest from game developers suggests that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

If you found these stats interesting, take a look at some of our other related content: Amazing Video Game Industry Statistics, How Many Gamers Are There?, and Huge Gaming Industry Trends.