Who are PC gamers today? We all know the stereotype that goes along with the term, but would you be surprised to learn that most parents play video games with their kids in the US?
In this article, we’ll take a look at some PC gamer stats and see if we can’t dispel some of the myths about who plays on our platform of choice. Are most PC gamers young males? Do they only play FPS games?
We researched this topic to compile a list of the most important PC gamer demographics. Keep reading to learn more!
Top Stats and Facts About PC Gamers
- The estimated number of PC gamers worldwide is close to 1.8 billion.
- Asia accounts for over a third of global PC gamers.
- A survey shows that 35% of Americans are PC gamers.
- The number of monthly gamers in the US is projected to reach 203.5 million in 2022.
- More than half of PC gamers in 2020 were millennials.
- In 2022, 40% of US gamers were female.
- An average PC gamer spends 7.5 hours a week playing video games.
- 90% of PC gamers own a gaming PC (rather than a regular one).
- Minecraft is PC gamers’ favorite game.
Fascinating Demographic Data on PC Gamers
Although it appears there’s not a lot of info available on PC gamers exclusively (as opposed to overall gamer demographics), we did our best to present you with these 21 intriguing stats and facts.
1. The estimated number of PC gamers worldwide is close to 1.8 billion.
(Statista)
The world has never been the same since the first electronic game was created in 1958. The number of PC gamers has been growing yearly and is expected to keep rising in the years to come, potentially exceeding 1.85 billion in 2024.
2. Asia accounts for over a third of global PC gamers.
(Statista)
With an estimated 687.6 million PC gamers as of 2021, Asia is ranked first among all the continents. The second place belongs to Europe, with some 468.4 million PC gamers.
3. In 2020, Taiwan had the highest PC gaming reach, with 46% of the population playing games on PCs.
(Statista)
These are the results of a global survey conducted in 2020.
China and the Philippines were in second and third place, with a 45% and 44% PC gaming reach, respectively.
4. A survey shows that 35% of Americans are PC gamers.
(PCGamesN)
In an online survey conducted in 2018 by EEDAR, a specialty research firm for video games, PC gaming included any game played on a computer, which included browser and social games.
We should note that the participants were 5,000 people from the US, so the actual numbers could be somewhat different considering the size of the US population.
It was discovered that among those 5,000 people, 67% were gamers, and within that group, 52% played on PCs. If you extrapolate the computer percentage against the total percentage, you get approximately 35%.
5. The number of video gamers in the US is projected to reach 203.5 million by the end of 2022.
(Statista)
In 2020, the number of American video gamers was estimated at 201.9 million. By 2022, this number is projected to reach 203.5 million, which would be an increase of around 2%.
The biggest jump was recorded during the onset of the pandemic (2019-2020), when the gaming population rose by more than 7%, from 188.2 million to 201.9 million. It’s estimated that by the end of 2025, there will be 213.3 million gamers in the US alone.
As we can see, the number of gamers in the US is growing at a steady pace. And as more and more people are introduced to the world of PC gaming, this trend is expected to continue.
6. A survey on PC gamer demographics shows that console gaming is slightly more popular than PC gaming in the US.
(Mobidictum)
According to the survey, 43% of US gamers play on PCs, while 52% game on consoles. This is a significant change from a 2018 survey, which revealed that 52% of gamers preferred PCs and just 41% utilized consoles. It seems like the PC gamer vs. console gamer war is shifting in favor of console gamers.
An intriguing statistic is that mobile gamers’ share has decreased from 90% to 70%, yet this continues to be the most numerous group. It should be noted that 60% of gamers don’t play video games on just one device.
- 36% use mobile and consoles.
- 32% use mobile and PCs.
- 23% use consoles and PCs.
- 20% use mobile, consoles, and PCs.
7. Most gamers prefer PC gaming over console gaming because they can control hardware.
(Designing Games)
Back in 2014, EEDAR found a number of reasons why most gamers preferred PCs over consoles:
- Ability to control hardware
- Better graphics
- PC gaming is cheaper
- Friends network on PC
- Sophisticated/customizable
- Library of games
- Better multiplayer access
- Mod support
- PC exclusive games
- Multiple controller options
One thing we are certain of is that good gaming PCs aren’t cheaper than consoles, and we believe it to be one of the reasons for gamers shifting from PCs to consoles.
8. Most players make PC-game purchases digitally from online portals.
(Designing Games)
According to the same EEDAR study, these are the most frequent channels for PC-game purchases:
- Digitally from online portals (55%)
- Physical retailers (17%)
- Digital copies from a retailer (12%)
- Physical copy from a retailer (11%)
- Not purchasing PC games (5%)
9. More than half of PC gamers in 2020 were millennials.
(Statista)
It was estimated that in 2020, 56% of active PC gamers globally were millennials (aged 23 to 38). While another survey run by Newzoo for the same year, which targeted only the Western countries (the US, UK, Sweden, France, Germany, and Poland), observed that millennials make up 42%, Generation Alpha 19%, Generation Z 20%, and Generation X 19%.
10. According to a 2022 survey, the average age of PC gamers in the United States is between 30-39.
(Statista)
When it comes to the average PC gamer age in America, it doesn’t change a lot from the rest of the West.
- Age 18-19: 6%
- Age 20-29: 22%
- Age 30-39: 31%
- Age 40-49: 19%
- Age 50-59: 14%
- Age 60-64: 8%
As you can see, the biggest group are gamers aged between 30 and 39, closely followed by the 20-29 and 40-49 age groups. The most interesting fact to us is the number of gamers in the last age category, showing that older generations hold a noticeable gaming share.
11. The study indicates that 40% of US gamers in 2022 were female.
(Statista)
If you’ve ever wondered what percentage of PC gamers are female, the heading above has probably surprised you. Gaming is often presumed to be a boys-only activity, which is as far from the truth as can be. In a survey conducted between April 2021 and March 2022, 40% of PC gamers identified as females and 60% as males. And the number of female gamers is on the rise.
So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular female gamers in the world and see what they’re all about.
1) Loserfruit is a popular Twitch streamer with over 2.5 million followers. She’s known for her high-energy and entertaining broadcasts, which often feature a mix of gaming and vlogging.
2) Pokimane: With over 9 million subscribers, Pokimane is one of the most popular female gamers in the world. She’s a Twitch streamer and YouTuber focusing on League of Legends and Fortnite.
3) KittyPlays: KittyPlays is a popular Twitch streamer with over 1 million followers. She’s known for her lively and entertaining broadcasts, which often feature a mix of gaming and vlogging.
4) LilyPichu: LilyPichu is a musician, an artist, and a Twitch streamer with over 2 million followers. She’s known for her creative content, including gaming, music, and art.
5) BrookeAB: BrookeAB is a Twitch streamer with over 1 million followers. She’s known for her high-energy broadcasts and her love of first-person shooters.
These are just a few of the many popular female gamers in the world. So, if you ever feel like gaming is a boys-only activity, remember that plenty of amazing female gamers are out there proving that anyone can enjoy a good game.
12. 90% of PC gamers own a gaming PC (rather than a regular one).
(Lenovo)
This 2017 survey included 7,800 consumers from around the world, both gamers and non-gamers.
The tendency to own a gaming PC is especially pronounced among people who’ve been gaming for 24 years on average.
13. On average, each PC gamer has made 2 changes to their current PC to improve their gaming experience.
(Lenovo)
An average PC gamer tends to enhance their PC gaming experience with the following features:
- Changed volume
- Changed CPU
- Sound mode or profile
- Touchpad sensitivity
- Keyboard behavior
- Priority access to their network
- Lighting effects
- CPU overclocking
- Fan speed
When it comes to serious upgrades, the average PC gamer’s wishlist contains the following:
- RAM Memory
- CPU
- GPU
- Monitor
- Cooling
- Overclocking/CPU function control
- Gaming Mouse
- Keyboard
- Touchpad
Unsurprisingly, the big three (memory, CPU, and GPU) are at the top of every gamer’s wishlist. It’s the best way to prolong the life of our machines, and with CPU and GPU costs falling, such desires aren’t out of reach.
14. An average PC gamer spends 7.5 hours a week playing video games.
(Lenovo)
Another Lenovo survey shows that 28% of the participants play for more than 10 hours per week.
Moreover, 14% said they play as often as they like. Other participants’ main reasons for not playing more frequently are the following:
- Work (67%)
- Data/Computer access (56%)
- Family obligations (56%)
- Household responsibilities (45%)
Let us point out that playing video games is great if you’re careful about avoiding addictive behaviors, especially if you’re a teenager, as gaming addiction is very common among the youngest generations.
15. On average, the US PC gamer spends 1 to 5 hours per week gaming.
(Statista)
With the rise of PC gaming popularity in the US, we see more and more people playing video games, but how much do people spend on average? It’s only one to five hours per week.
- 1 to 5 hours – 35%
- Less than 1 hour – 33%
- 6 to 9 hours – 18%
- More than 10 hours – 14%
Of course, there are always outliers who spend way more time than that, but the average is still quite low. This can be attributed to the fact that most PC gamers also have other hobbies and responsibilities that take up their time.
16. Minecraft is PC gamers’ favorite game.
(Newzoo)
Data obtained in August 2021 indicates that these are the 20 most popular games played by PC users, based on the number of monthly active users.
- ROBLOX
- Minecraft
- The Sims 4
- Fortnite
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- League of Legends
- Valorant
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Fall Guys
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Warzone
- Apex Legends
- Rocket League
- Destiny 2
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Genshin Impact
- MultiVersus
- Overwatch
- Dota 2
- Tower of Fantasy
17. Most popular game on Steam is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
(SteamDB)
Steam is the most popular online digital retailer for PC gaming, with over 120 million monthly active users, and a major contributor to PC gaming’s popularity.
The most popular game on the platform is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with over 1 million daily players. Other popular games on Steam include:
- Dota 2 – 800,000+ daily players
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – 400,000+ daily players
- Apex Legends – 400,000+ daily players
- Grand Theft Auto V – 100,000+ daily players
18. Top-selling PC games in the US in May 2022.
(Statista)
It won’t be much of a surprise that the best-selling game in May of 2022 was the critically acclaimed Elden Ring, which came out in February of the same year. The second and third places were taken by LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and Minecraft. In fourth and fifth places are Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, respectively.
19. Hardcore PC gamers aren’t particularly interested in single-player or offline games.
(Lenovo)
Lenovo’s research on PC gaming behaviors suggests that people who have pursued PC gaming for 10 years on average prefer to play online.
Moderate players (gaming for 15 years on average) enjoy playing team-based online games. They appear to prefer collaborative games instead of those considered competitive.
Gamers who’ve been playing for 16+ years on average are rarely into competitive online games, and they strongly prefer single-player games.
20. 45% of PC gamers watch videos of other users playing games.
(Lenovo)
Judging by this in-depth survey from 2018, the most popular destinations for watching game videos are:
- YouTube (63%)
- Twitch (44%)
In fact, lots of PC gamers aspire to become professional game video creators themselves since many of the respondents share videos on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
21. In 2021, the global PC game market made $36.7 billion in revenue.
(Statista)
If we compare the figure to less than $27 billion in revenue in 2016, it’s easy to see that the market is growing rapidly. And it’s not only because of the games themselves – in-game purchases and microtransactions are also becoming increasingly popular, especially among mobile gamers.
Compared to console and mobile games, it may look like PC gaming popularity is declining because the other two segments raked in more revenue in 2021. Mobile gaming brought in a whopping $93.2 billion and consoles $50.4 billion. Therefore, discussing the PC gamer vs. console gamer war is moot since mobile gamers have already won based on revenue.
FAQ
What is the average age of a PC gamer?
As we noted earlier, the average age of a PC gamer in the USA is between 30 and 39. Regarding the rest of the globe, it seems that there isn’t much of a difference – the bulk of gamers are aged between 23 and 38.
What ethnicity are most PC gamers?
We weren’t able to find info on PC gamers’ ethnic distribution, only the ethnicity of US gamers (which also includes segments other than PC gaming).
According to these figures (from April 2015), 67% of video gamers in the US were white, 13% Hispanic, 12% African American, 5% Asian, and 3% other.
What percentage of PC gamers are female?
A study conducted in 2022 showed that 40% of all PC gamers in the US are female. This number is only increasing with time as more and more women are becoming interested in video gaming as a pastime and profession.
Why do gamers prefer playing on a PC?
There are many reasons why gamers might prefer playing on a PC rather than another type of gaming device. Some of these reasons could include:
- PCs offer more powerful hardware, leading to a better gaming experience overall.
- PCs usually have a wider selection of games available than other gaming platforms.
- PCs offer more flexibility when it comes to graphics settings and customizations.
- PCs are usually less expensive than other gaming platforms in the long run.
- Many gamers feel they have more control over their gaming experience when playing on a PC.
What demographic buys the most video games?
There isn’t a definitive answer to this question since it can vary from country to country and even from game to game. However, in general, the most consistent demographic among video game customers is males aged between 18 and 38.
This age group makes up the majority of the PC gamer demographics, so it stands to reason that they would also be the biggest spenders when it comes to video games.
