Both PC gaming and console gaming fans will swear by their preferred platforms regardless of the advantages the other alternative provides.
The smooth tactile feel of an RGB keyboard or the butter-smooth frame rate from a dedicated GPU is undeniable. On the other hand, lazing around on a beanbag and enjoying full mobility with a controller beats the stress of sitting by a computer for hours.
So, while the debate between gaming platforms rages on, the buying habits, market trends, performance surveys, and other data prove that both systems still offer a lot of value for users.
To help you understand better, here are some of the top findings that put each platform in its rightful place. PC gaming vs console gaming statistics 2023 infographic below.
According to recent and insightful research, console owners constitute a little more than half of global gamers who use PC. Till the end of 2022, PC gamers numbered over 1.1 billion worldwide, but console gamers still made up about 611 million players.
To be fair, finding the precise number of gamers buying or switching between PC and consoles is not an exact science. There may be overlaps between platforms from the same users. Other times, data for buying and selling PCs and consoles between users don’t reach official numbers. So, it’s advisable to consider these figures with a grain of salt before jumping to unreasonable conclusions.
This particular research comes from Newzoo, a gaming industry leader in gaming research and global gaming data. So, we still consider it among the more reliable findings compared to other online gimmicky comparisons.
With over 155 million units sold since its release in 2020, the Play Station 2 remains the highest-selling home console to date. Introduced during the golden era of console gaming, the PS2 sold over 50 million units in the US alone. Europe accounted for another 50+ million, while the remaining units made their way across continents and gamers worldwide.
| Home Console | Total Sales |
| Play Station 2 | 158 million |
| Play Station | 102.5 million |
| Wii | 99.4 million |
| Xbox 360 | 75 million |
| Play Station 3 | 72 million |
| NES | 61 million |
| SNES | 49 million |
The closest other gaming device that comes close to the PS2 is the Nintendo DS, launched during the 2004-05 period with about 155 million units sold. However, the Nintendo DS is in the portable, hand-held category. Sony’s most recent home console, the Play Station 5, was released back in 2020 and is yet to make a mark on this list, having sold a paltry 40 million compared to its predecessors.
So, among home gaming consoles, the original Play Station is the nearest rival to the PS2 in terms of sales but far behind at 102 million units.
Whether you’re an old adult born in the 80s or a pre-teen growing up in the current decade, there’s a good chance video games are your go-to entertainment source.
A Newzoo report on people aged 10 to 50 revealed that most people chose interactive entertainment during their free time. More than 70% of the respondents agreed that video games remain a favorite activity whenever they have time to spare.
Of course, this data doesn’t conclude that people are gaming without care or control. A substantial 60% agreed that sports and fitness activities remained important in the schedule. And an equally important 62% reported engaging with books and reading as good ways to spend leisure time and relax.
Movies and television shows came up as alternatives among 30% of respondents, showing the decline of cinemas and sitcoms. Conventionally popular alternatives like music also appeared in only about 33% of the responses.
You should remember here that ‘video games’ in this context include mobile and other gaming devices. So, the data is not proof that PC and console gaming are bigger sources of entertainment than other avenues. But it does show the inclination of people of all ages toward the rise of both PC and console gaming.
Statista’s research on video gaming preferences reveals that 60% of adult gamers between the ages of 29 to 30 prefer gaming on consoles they know and trust.
This data makes a lot of sense if you consider how consoles boomed during the 2000s. The popularity of classics like the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in the late 90s led to the culmination of the PS2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PSP, and Wii throughout the 2000s. Teens and children who grew up on these devices would be adults today who naturally prefer sticking to these classics or upgrading to modern consoles.
On the other hand, teens and younger users prefer PC gaming over console, not counting mobile gaming. More than 50% of gamers below 20 years of age are believed to indulge in PC games more than consoles. With PCs becoming more customizable and wide options on game-specific configurations, one can see why younger players prefer PC over console.
Nielson, a data and analytics company, researched hundreds of New Zealand households in 2021. An analysis by Bond University revealed that console gamers make up almost half of the gaming population every year.
| Year | Percentage ofConsole Gamers |
| 2013 | 53% |
| 2015 | 52% |
| 2017 | 46% |
| 2019 | 47% |
| 2021 | 50% |
The data revealed that console gamers comprised more than half of the gaming community until the 2015-16 period. The lowest recorded percentage in this phase was 52% in 2015.
However, by 2017, the results revealed a clear decline in console users in New Zealand. The proliferation of affordable PCs, high-end gaming rigs, and the surge in mobile gaming may have caused this change in preferred platforms.
However, the rise in gaming trends during the pandemic also witnessed a resurgence of console gaming. By 2021, console gamers made up at least 50% of the gaming households who participated in the survey.
The vast majority of console gamers in New Zealand are male, according to Start.io. Out of the total console users in the country, over 83% of the users are men, leaving less than 17% of the audience female.
Within the demographic of male gamers, the majority of them are younger users who may have more leisure time.
Comprehensive data all over the world reveals that console games sell better than PC games on the higher end. So, if you’ve ever wondered who spends more, console gamers or PC gamers, there’s your answer.
Highest-selling PC games like PUBG have recorded about 41 million in sales over the years. This figure seems impressive until you find out that Wii Sports for consoles has sold over 80 million copies worldwide.
However, classic best-sellers like Minecraft still enjoy a more PC-dominated fanbase compared to console users. The video game remains among the all-time highest-selling video games, having sold over 238 million copies since its introduction. But most of these sales come from PC users because the game has been on PC for longer.
Other best-sellers like Grand Theft Auto also see more PC customers compared to console users. But this is because the game’s performance and optimization are better suited to PCs over consoles.
Classic block-building game Tetris remains among the best-selling console games so far. The video game boasts over 520 million copies in sales all over the world. Among console-based games, it’s still the highest-selling title to grace the console market.
The market share for PC gaming and console games is fast approaching the $100 billion mark as games continue reaching new audiences.
2022’s impressive figure of $92.3 billion is surprisingly a dip compared to previous years. This market share is about 2.2% lower than the preceding year. And it’s a visible downturn from the pandemic year when gaming at home witnessed a huge surge owing to lockdowns and social distancing measures across the world.
Platforms like Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox experienced about a 23% aggregate drop in the number of hours clocked. This drop explains the slight fall in revenue as people resumed pre-pandemic work cultures and lifestyles over the last year couple of years.
It’s also important to note that most developers and publishing giants withheld the release of their major titles during the pandemic. So, the market can expect a slow but sure uptick toward more activity and higher revenue as we move on to 2024 and beyond.
The PC and Console Gaming Report 2023 was released recently. And there’s good news for people who wished for more gender equity in the gaming space. Women make up around 40% of the players when you combine the figures for both PC and console gaming.
It’s a trend in the gaming industry that continues to grow, and we’re all the happier to see it unfolding. This data proves that more and more women continue delving into video games as their preferred form of entertainment. Also, one can assume that many of these growing numbers include avid gamers who spend considerable time honing their skills and avatars.
Most of the gamers in the competitive space remain young men (below 24 in most cases). But this visible increase in the number of female gamers taking up a bigger share of the user market is a welcome sign for all sections of the gaming community.
Cross-platform gaming is becoming the norm as more people dive into gaming for leisure, entertainment, and competition. Data from the PC and Console Gaming Report 2023 shows that separating PC gamers from console users is becoming more difficult.
For instance, one figure in the report suggests that over 66% of gamers may use either a PC or a console. But the same line of data reveals that more than 73% of people who game on consoles or PCs use one or more other platforms.
So, someone who traditionally preferred the PlayStation 2 may very well be spending as much time on a gaming PC. Alternatively, the teenager who relies on his high-powered gaming rig could be on Xbox the next day.
This fluid connection between platforms makes it harder to draw a strict line between two platforms like PC and console. Most avid gamers spend equal hours on a PC, a home console, and a mobile device. And you don’t have to be a tech enthusiast to switch between platforms today. Most consoles and gaming interfaces have become so user-friendly that casual gamers may switch between them instantly with little effort.
Gone are the times when the demography of gamers had only two categories – the casual gamer and the hardcore gamer. New research on gamer segmentation has revealed that you can club gaming enthusiasts across nine unique categories.
The method of clubbing together specific gaming enthusiasts includes qualities like degree of engagement, willingness to spend, or relationship with the gaming community.
Here are the proposed nine segments of gamers according to this report.
This segment makes up the biggest percentage of gamers at 23%. As the name suggests, this category includes those gamers who mostly indulge in gaming only when they have free time. They’re also the ones who prefer mobile gaming over PC or console systems.
This group of gamers makes up 21% of the gaming community. They spend a moderate amount of time playing and prefer well-curated games that impress them. But they don’t shell out fortunes on high-end games. That’s why the report also calls them ‘bargain buyers.’
These are your classic hardcore gamers. They constitute about 14% of the market and are willing to pay top dollar for quality games and new titles. They come with gaming skills, knowledge, and insights from developers that few other gamers even hear about.
The popcorn gamer represents a very modern and internet-dependent section of the gaming community. They may play some PC or console, but their primary enjoyment comes from watching others play. Live streams, compilations, and Twitch sessions rely on this group to run well. Not surprisingly, they make up another 14% of the community.
The all-rounder is the guy who dips his toes in all forms of gaming and gaming-related content. They’re the popcorn gamer, sometimes watching their favorite e-sport athletes. Other times, they’re shredding it at their favorite PC battle royale, racking up kills, and decking their stats for the leaderboard.
Many PC gamers who know their rigs and systems fall into this category. They’re savvy on all things hardware and know how to configure their equipment for a particular game. They’re willing to spend and build; perhaps that’s why they represent 9% of the community.
Similar to the popcorn gamer, this category includes former avid gamers who now prefer watching more than getting their hands dirty. The 6% of gaming enthusiasts who make up this segment enjoy watching even more because they know the thrill first-hand.
In the past, the conventional player would have been the majority probably. They own their gear, whether it’s PC or console. And they make time for playing rather than host watch parties for streamers. Today, this segment makes up only 3% of the entire community.
You could be a PC gamer or a console enthusiast and still belong to any of these categories. But like any other gaming club, divisions aren’t strict here. And it’s common for gamers to switch between these segments depending on their lifestyle or mood.
The Game Market Reports and Forecasts reveal that the US remains the biggest experience in terms of market revenue ahead of Asian countries that have more gamers.
With over $46 billion in the past year alone, the US continues to top the list as far as market revenue goes. This figure includes revenues generated by PC users and console gamers alike.
However, this gaming industry data does not represent only the numbers generated by the PC or console. With mobile gaming on the rise, a substantial part of this revenue may come from hand-held personal devices that everyone has today.
Here’s a list of the top five countries by gaming revenue.
| Country | Revenue ($) |
| United States | 46 billion |
| China | 44 billion |
| Japan | 19 billion |
| South Korea | 7.5 billion |
| Germany | 6.5 billion |
The National Tracking Poll conducted by Morning Consult revealed that most console users consider price the most important factor when purchasing a home console.
The poll showed over 60% of the console users answered in the affirmative when asked if console price affected their decision-making. In comparison, only 34% marked manufacturer reputation as an important factor, and barely 40% relied on console reviews as an influencing factor. A measly 32% agreed that the opinions of influencers and live streamers had an effect on their decision to buy a new console.
The factors and percentages change as you categorize console buyers by age and experience. But all of them admit that pricing is the top issue before they purchase a new home console.
Consoles remain more affordable than PCs when it comes to high-end gaming requirements. So, console manufacturers may aim to keep this trend going if they wish to expand their player base and retain existing customers.
The change in lifestyles during 2020 saw video gaming revenue rise by more than 20%. This surge led to total revenues of about $174 billion during the pandemic. More than half of this revenue came from the mobile gaming sector, which is sad news for PC and console games.
However, the more striking detail in this report is that console content earned way more revenue than its PC counterparts. Console accounted for more than $40 billion in sales, while PC gaming content was capped at about $34 billion.
At first glance, the difference does not seem monumental.
However, consider that most people already own PCs for work or leisure. And casual gamers or non-gamers getting started on PC seem natural and expected. But this finding shows that the growth in users and purchases was more with consoles.
So, there’s good evidence against the naysayers claiming consoles are past their prime. The PlayStation 2 craze may be past, but there’s still potential for new generation consoles to break barriers and compete with PC games in the future.
PC purists or millennial console gamers arguing which platform is number one can take a backseat today. Next to mobile gaming, neither platform even comes close to capturing the bulk of the gaming demography.
The 2022 Global Games Market report reveals that mobile games make up more than 51% of the gaming market worldwide. So, personal portable devices constitute over $103 billion of the total $203 billion accounted for worldwide.
Smartphone games alone make up more than $91 billion of this segment. That’s about 45% of the global gaming market across all countries and demographics.
In comparison, console games make up a respectable $58 billion of the shares. That’s almost 30% of the gaming market but nowhere close to what smartphones are garnering. PC games will make up the remaining $40 billion, but it’s only competing with consoles for the bronze medal.
If you thought browser PC games were all the rage, it might shock you to learn that they’re about 1% of the total market share. That’s barely $2 billion from the $200+ billion market that global gaming covers.
I hope you like our PC gaming vs console gaming statistics research in the gaming industry. These stats and findings reveal that console gaming is slowly gaining the upper hand in the race against PC gaming. But as long as Gen X and millennial players are around, custom PC rigs will occupy a substantial portion of the gaming rig. However, both these platforms play second fiddle to mobile gaming, whose reach over the global market is almost untouchable today.
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