PC Gaming vs Console Gaming Statistics 2026: Key Numbers Worth Knowing
The PC vs console debate has been running since, well, before most of today’s players could even hold a controller with both hands! If we do away with the passionate arguments on either side of the debate, and look at the real data, it tells a much more nuanced story – and the gap between consoles and PCs may actually be a lot closer than you may think.
PC Users Outnumber Console Gamers by Almost 2-to-1 Around The World
According to Newzoo, the number of PC gamers was over 1.1 billion by the end of 2022 – and this was compared to around 611 million console players. That’s a pretty significant gap, though it comes with an obvious caveat: almost everyone already owns a PC or laptop for non-gaming purposes, so the figure is inflated more than it would be otherwise.
Console ownership is, on the other hand, a lot more deliberate – but there are also different “camps” when it comes to consoles, which can skew the figures even more.
The PS2 Is Still the Best-Selling Home Console of All Time
Released in 2000, the PlayStation 2 has sold around 160 million units around the world, with more than 50 million of these being in the USA alone! Another 50-or-so million were sold in Europe, and nothing else in the console market has, to be honest, come anywhere close to that figure.
| Console | Total Sales |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 2 | 158 million |
| PlayStation | 102.5 million |
| Wii | 99.4 million |
| Xbox 360 | 75 million |
| PlayStation 3 | 72 million |
| NES | 61 million |
| SNES | 49 million |
The PS5, which launched in 2020, has sold roughly 40 million units to date, which is impressive for its age – but still, quite a lot below its competitors. The Nintendo DS is closest to the PS2, with around 155 million unit sales, but this isn’t really a home console – it fits more into the handheld category.
Adults Lean Console; Teens Lean PC
Statista research shows that around 60% of adult gamers between the ages of 29 and 40 actually prefer consoles – which, when you think about it, makes sense, given that their generation grew up during the PS2 and Wii era.
If, however, you start looking at players under 20, then the preferences basically reverse themselves! More than half of young gamers prefer playing games on their PC or laptop, and one of the main factors behind this is customisation. Modding culture has also impacted it quite a lot, and, of course, the sheer number of titles available on platforms like Steam makes it pretty appealing, too.
New Zealand Is Almost Exactly Split
Nielsen data analysed by Bond University looked at NZ console gaming as a percentage of the overall gaming population, and the findings are actually really interesting. I’ll put them below, so you can see how it all is:
| Year | Console Gamers (% of NZ households surveyed) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 53% |
| 2015 | 52% |
| 2017 | 46% |
| 2019 | 47% |
| 2021 | 50% |
What’s quite noticeable, is that the popularity of consoles had quite a noticeable dip around 2017 – and some experts put this down to the fact that this is around the same time that affordable PC hardware really became accessible.
It was also around this time that the growth of mobile gaming started to kick off: of course, mobile games have been around for a lot longer than that, but it wasn’t until the late 2010s that the technology and graphics actually became… well, up to today’s standards.
By 2021, however, it was back to an even split, and this just goes to show you how data swings in roundabouts like this.
Men Make Up Over 80% of Console Gamers in New Zealand
Start.io data shows that around 83% of gamers in New Zealand are male – with women accounting for less than 17%! Now, this isn’t really that unexpected, but it’s still sometimes surprising to see the actual data on paper.
The demographic also tends to lean much younger within that male majority. Although it’s worth noting this is console specific, as women now make up around 40% of the total player base around the world, a figure that’s continued to grow quite rapidly year on year.
Top Console Games Outsell Top PC Games at the High End
PUBG, one of PC gaming’s biggest commercial hits, has, as of now, sold around 41 million copies, and Wii Sports has sold more than 80 million, becoming one of the most successful selling games of all time. Tetris, probably the best-selling console game in history, sits at around a staggering 520 million copies across its various releases.
Of course, the PC has its own giants, too. Minecraft’s 238 million+ sales are pretty much all PC driven, and GTA also performs really well on computers and laptops, thanks to the optimisation advantages. Still, however, for the sheer volume at the top of the chart, it’s console titles that have historically had the lead, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see this changing any time soon.
Price Drives Console Purchasing Decisions More Than Anything Else
A Morning Consult National Tracking Poll found that over 60% of console buyers say that price is the main factor in their decision of whether to purchase a console or not, with manufacturer reputation coming in at 34%, reviews at 40%, and influencer opinions at just 32%.
This holds up pretty well across different age groups and experience levels, too, and price sensitivity is very steady, regardless of how long someone has been gaming for.
So, as you can see, the PC vs console debate gets a lot more heat than it probably deserves, and both platforms are actually quite healthy! They also both have their own unique audiences and, increasingly, most serious gamers use both, anyway!
