For the first time in years, the number of people gaming on PC has overtaken those using consoles, according to a Newzoo study. The margin isn’t massive, but the momentum is undeniable — and it’s only expected to accelerate.
While PC gaming has always been a foundational pillar of the video game industry, consoles have long held the edge in accessibility and ease of use. That balance is now shifting. Newzoo’s latest PC and Console Gaming Report for 2025 reveals that in 2024, PC gamers outnumbered their console counterparts — a significant turning point for the global gaming ecosystem.
The study shows that PC gaming saw a 3.9% year-over-year increase, growing from 873.5 million users in 2023 to 907.5 million in 2024. Console gaming also grew, but at a slower pace — just 2.3% — from 615.6 million to 629.5 million users. Though the current gap may seem modest, the trend line points toward an accelerating divide in favor of PC.
This growth is fueled by several key factors: Steam’s vast and ever-expanding game library, the normalization of early access releases even in their incomplete states, competitive software pricing, and the high degree of hardware customization available to PC users. On the downside, steep hardware costs since 2020 have limited even faster PC adoption, acting as a brake on what might have been even more dramatic gains.
The Numbers Will Keep Climbing
Looking ahead, Newzoo’s forecasts suggest this PC surge is far from over. By the end of 2025, the PC gaming population is projected to reach 930.1 million, with console gamers lagging behind at 653.1 million. Should these projections hold true, PC gaming could cross the one-billion-user threshold by 2027, compared to a projected 698 million on consoles.
Interestingly, this explosion in PC players doesn’t automatically translate into higher revenues. Console gaming still leads financially, pulling in $42.8 billion in 2024 compared to $37.3 billion from PC games. Still, the total gaming market remains enormous, having generated $80.2 billion last year, with expectations of reaching $85.2 billion in 2025 and topping $92 billion in 2027.
In an era of constant industry transformation, the growth of PC gaming signals more than just a user shift — it represents a strategic challenge for console makers. Companies like Capcom, which have prioritized modernizing their PC ports and expanding their reach to desktop audiences, have already seen this investment pay off in multibillion-dollar returns. The shift is not just happening — it’s profitable.
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