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:
The most important PC gaming statistics for 2024 (Editor’s Choice)
- Globally, there are approximately 1.86 billion PC gamers
- 64% of game developers love PC titles
- F2P PC gaming market revenue expected to reach $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.
Number Of PC Gamers Over Time
Between 2008 and 2018, the number of PC gamers globally increased by 41.27%.
| 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% |
Games as a service and pay-to-play statistics
There are several ways players can access PC titles other than one-time purchases.
Games as a Service (GaaS) for PC gaming
One such method is the sustainable revenue model known as GaaS. This model was first popularized by highly engaging titles like RuneScape (2001) and World of Warcraft (2004).
In 2024, an estimated 1.8 billion gamers will choose lower-spec GaaS PC games. This represents an increase of about 800 million since 2008.
The premium GaaS category has the second largest number of participants at approximately 381.4 million people.
Pay-to-play computer games
The increasingly popular pay-to-play PC games have also seen significant growth in recent years.
Low-end pay-to-play PC games have added more than 100 million players since 2008, reaching 292.9 million this year.
Likewise, premium pay-to-play games have seen an increase of about 80 million players since 2008 (to 179.5 million in 2024).
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 |
PC vs other platforms
In general, game developers have a clear preference for PC as a platform.
The 2023 survey found that nearly 2 in 3 (65%) of game developers currently work on PC games.
In comparison, the two most popular consoles had about half of game developers working on titles for those platforms in 2023. Nearly 1 in 3 developers (33%) were working on a PlayStation 5 game. While 3 in 10 (30%) ) They are working on an Xbox Series X/S title.
Here’s a full breakdown of the platforms game developers were focusing on in 2023:
| Rank | Platform | Share of Game Developers That Worked on Game Projects | GaaS Low-End |
| 1 | PC | 65% | 1.03 billion |
| 2 | PlayStation 5 | 33% | 1.06 billion |
| 3 | Xbox Series X/S | 30% | 1.1 billion |
| 4 | Android | 27% | 1.1 billion |
| 5 | iOS | 26% | 1.18 billion |
| 6 | Xbox One (or One X0) | 19% | 1.22 billion |
The number of major PC games released/planned for release between late 2022 and late 2024 supports the above numbers.
Once again, PC leads the way with a total of 156 releases. That’s at least 35% more than the PlayStation 5 (115) or Xbox Series X/SÂ (113).
| Rank | Platform | Number of Major Video Game Releases |
| 1 | PC | 156 |
| 2 | PlayStation 5 | 115 |
| 3 | Xbox Series X/S | 113 |
| 4 | PlayStation 4 | 78 |
| 5 | Xbox One | 76 |
| 6 | Switch | 73 |
| 7 | Switch Only | 33 |
| 8 | Xbox, not PlayStation | 26 |
| 9 | PlayStation, not Xbox | 22 |
And when it comes to personal preference, game developers also opt for PC as their platform of choice.
Here’s a full list of gaming platforms ranked in order of preference by game developers:
| Rank | Platform | Most Interesting Gaming Platforms According to Developers |
| 1 | PC | 64% |
| 2 | PlayStation 5 | 46% |
| 3 | Nintendo Switch | 35% |
| 4 | Xbox Series X/S | 33% |
| =5 | iOS | 23% |
| =5 | VR Headsets | 23% |
| 7 | Android | 22% |
| 8 | Mac | 14% |
| 9 | Xbox One (or One X) | 13% |
| 10 | AR Hardware | 12% |
PC Games Market and Revenue Statistics
The free-to-play (F2P) PC gaming market has seen year-over-year revenue growth since 2018.
By 2024, the annual F2P PC gaming market revenue is expected to reach $25.22 billion.
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 |
Likewise, revenue from premium PC games continues to grow, from $5.38 billion in 2008 to $26.33 billion in 2024.
PC Gaming Software and Hardware Statistics
Within a decade, the market for gaming graphics hardware has doubled in value.
In 2012, the market was valued at $18.37 billion. By 2022, this number will double to an estimated $37 billion.
By 2024, the graphics hardware market for gaming PC graphics is expected to be worth approximately $38 billion.
Conclusion
The PC gaming market is booming.
The interest of game developers suggests that they will continue to do so in the near future.
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