Gaming has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with major game franchises being pushed into mainstream media. The upward trend — including the surge of PC gaming hardware in 2025 — is unprecedented in the industry. Jon Peddie Research (JPR), a key research firm in the PC industry, reports that PC gaming hardware will grow by 35% in 2025 to $44.5 billion.
Traditionally, the barrier to entry of PC gaming due to price and complicated options has led to potential gamers choosing console gaming. With a multitude of platforms and options for gaming nowadays, what is making the industry stronger than ever? What makes the most expensive platform still attractive for end users?
Windows PC refresh
PC gaming has always had its home with Windows. With the widest compatibility of games, software, peripherals, and hardware, it’s mostly expected that a gaming PC comes with the Windows OS. With the shift to Windows 11 back in 2021, Microsoft has forced hardware requirements to be of a newer generation for compatibility. Although met with a lot of resistance from gamers that still persist until today, Windows 10 support is set to end this year. PC gamers have been forced to get software support and additional features only available on Windows 11. With approximately 50% of Windows devices making the shift, more gamers are upgrading to new systems that are compatible with Windows 11.
According to JPR, the forced migration is unprecedented since upgrading the CPU for Windows 11 also means upgrading other components, such as the motherboard and RAM. In turn, this spurred the growth of prebuilt systems, all the way down to peripherals and graphics cards, for a complete system upgrade. With Windows 11 now the only choice for gaming moving forward, this trend of upgrading will continue for the near term.
Back in January 2025 at CES, Microsoft dubbed 2025 as the “Year of the Windows 11 PC Refresh,” stating that the majority of businesses are planning to refresh their PC hardware this year and beyond. The software giant has worked with hardware makers such as NVIDIA to ensure that gaming tech like RTX Graphics Cards includes enhanced experiences with Windows 11. With this combined push from all fronts, it has also trickled down to gamers who don’t want to be left behind.
New graphics cards surge forward
This year also saw the launch of NVIDIA’s latest generation RTX 5000 series of graphics cards (GPUs). The dominant brand in PC gaming graphics has seen unprecedented demand since the launch. Despite several controversies with pricing and spec offerings, it doesn’t seem to dampen consumer demand for the RTX line of GPUs. Gamers’ demand for new features such as improved ray tracing, upscaling, and frame generation continues to push NVIDIA’s market dominance.
According to JPR, PC Graphics cards increased 22.2% year-on-year, with NVIDIA capturing 94% of the market in the 2nd quarter of 2025. While the middle of the year is usually a down period, the research company is attributing the spike to higher prices expected due to buyers trying to get ahead of tariffs. Higher-end graphics cards increased in price, and NVIDIA has also offered lower prices to its entry-level products to compete with AMD.
Console platforms such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo aim to sell hardware that will be good for a whole generation, lasting 5 to 7 years. In contrast, PC gaming turns over a new generation in terms of graphics cards more often. Despite the cost, there’s always a demand for the best graphics price can buy. The high cost that gamers are willing to pay continues to drive the PC market ahead.
Other factors
Popular multiplayer games such as Fortnite, League of Legends, and Dota 2 are best experienced on PC. With the right hardware, the PC versions can push better graphics. With the continued growth of esports, these evergreen games continue to receive support, updates, and features not possible on the console versions.
Speaking of esports, this has compounded the continued popularity of PC gaming. According to ES Charts, the League of Legends world championships had over 6.8 million viewers globally, rivaling major traditional sports. Avid players are also convinced to upgrade their PCs to have a leg up on the competition and experience these games in the best way possible. As a result, PC hardware such as keyboards and mice, headsets, high-refresh-rate gaming monitors, and gamepads.
Aside from that, AI is also pushing PC gaming hardware forward. As AI tasks are intensive, powerful gaming CPUs and GPUs become necessary. NVIDIA has reaped the most benefit from this, with their company value shooting up to the trillions due to the demand for their AI cores on their GPUs.
Handheld PC gaming devices such as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally are also a factor in sales. The new category is enticing a new niche of consumers who want to access PC games in a console-like form factor. According to IDC, the handheld PC category is estimated to have sold approximately 6 million units total as of 2025. With these new options bringing in new growth, there are more options than ever to get into PC gaming.
What’s next for PC gaming?
PC gaming has slowly inched forward to match console sales over the past few years. According to Newzoo’s report, it has inched closer towards console gaming revenue with +4.4% growth in 2024. This puts it at 21% market share compared to 24% of console market share, with the rest taken up by mobile gaming. Will it eventually take over console gaming?
While console gaming is still dominant in many countries due to the lower barrier to entry, higher-end gamers continue to prefer PC gaming. Better graphics, cheaper games, and more access to live service free-to-play game options are just some of the reasons why. There’s also a surge of aesthetic gaming showcasing beautiful PC desk setups, enticing new gamers to the platform. New hobbies adjacent to PC gaming, such as customizing mechanical keyboards and game emulation, are finding a niche crowd.
All of this is looking up for PC gaming, and the report forecasts that console gaming will continue to be the preferred choice of more people in the coming years. PC hardware is getting more expensive as new graphics cards have become luxury products, only starting to come down several months later. New PC gaming handhelds like the Legion Go 2 have been criticized for their price tags going over the $1000 mark. There’s also a question on how the industry will start to normalize again after the Windows 11 forced refresh cycle.
Final thoughts
In my opinion, it will always co-exist with other options like mobile and console gaming. PC enthusiasts could only dream of the current situation after the slow period during the mid-2000s. Today, it stands as the most open platform, with no subscription needed, coupled with several options for customization and a strong vocal community.
It’s also always been the platform of choice for several countries, including China and Southeast Asia. It has always found its strength in the enthusiast market and the variety of games available. There’s no PC 2 or PC Pro that’s waiting in the wings, unlike a game console. The PC gaming market is just simply what it is — perpetual.
Photo credits: The feature image is symbolic and has been taken by Uzair Ahmed. The images in the body of the article is symbolic and has been taken by Johnyvino and Georgiy Lyamin.
Sources: Ted Pollak (Jon Peddie Research) / Richard Speed (The Register) / Yusuf Medhi (Microsoft) / Jon Peddie (Jon Peddie Research) / ES Charts / Open AI / Sean Hollister (The Verge) / Michael Buijsman (Newzoo) / Kosta Andreadis (Tweaktown) / Wes Fenlon (PC Gamer)
