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PC games sales in 2017 are almost as big as all console sales combined

115 Comments

PC gaming appears to be in a really healthy stage. Today, GamesIndustry published some interesting statistics about the video-game sales of 2017. GamesIndustry reached out numerous analysts in order to create the following graph, and browsed through lots of financials and sales figures.

As we can see, PC gaming accounts for 28% of the total game market in 2017, whereas consoles (this includes all consoles) accounts for 29%. As such, and if we compare the PC individually with each console, we can easily see how more profitable PC gaming actually is.

Going into slightly more details, PC gaming generated $32.3 billion in 2017 and saw a YoY growth of 1.4%. Boxed and downloaded PC games generated $27.1 billion whereas browser PC games generated for $5.2 billion.

Naturally, the biggest video-game market right now is the mobile which accounts for 43%.

Still, and what’s really important here, is that PC gaming is a really healthy market, something that more and more console-only developers appear to acknowledge. With the exception of first-party titles, the PC is currently getting all sorts of console games; from fighting to arcade and JRPGs.

Below you can find GamesIndustry’s graph. Here’s to a better and bigger new year!

115 thoughts on “PC games sales in 2017 are almost as big as all console sales combined”

          1. Nah, I’m with Matthew on this one. The fact alone that how good PC gaming is falls heavily on your ability to invest and troubleshoot issues…that in itself makes this very subjective. The experience will vary wildly from person to person, machine to machine, and what a person wants out of gaming also varies. It’s the best for some, it’s just freaking irritating for others.
            I love my PC, but most of my friends would not appreciate the experience as a whole.

          2. Well said, there are many variables to consider for each individual and most of it is down to personal preference hence subjective and not objective.

          3. I have to go with Jonny on this one. Although PC can be more comprehensive, it no longer needs to be. You prefer a console “experience”? Make it into a SteamOS and just limit yourself. It will still be faster, have better visuals and audio. All of that with the same “ease” as a POS4.

          4. I think you missed the point on what we were saying John.

            No one is saying that the PC doesn’t offer the best options and performance given the money. It is simply not a fact that PC is superior as it is completely subjective on the individuals needs and wants.

            For example I tend to favour kicking back at night and playing on my Xbox One X and 4k OLED TV. Whereas when I have a bit more spare time I tend to game on my Ultra Wide PC more.

            However, I also have a good friend who thinks the Switch is the best device as he travels a lot whereas I have no interest in it at all.

          5. Well in retrospect the PC is Superior to consoles, but for different reasons then what most people try to pawn off as fact. Flexibility and adaption are what makes a PC superior. Anything new can easily be incorporated through Hardware and Software rather easily, on a console that isn’t the case at all. Formfactor can change easily.

          6. Superior to a console for YOU don’t try and state it as a fact it is subjective to the individual.

            That is my whole point a console gamer could successfully argue their point also, it is ultimately up to the individuals requirements.

  2. Too bad 90% of that money came from just a handful of games like PUBG and other bandwagon multiplayer titles, while games like Prey, that were made with the old school PC gamer in mind, barely sold at all. PC has always been the biggest gaming platform but PC gamers tend to all hop on a certain bandwagon and only play that for years.

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      1. Agree with Prey but also The Evil Within 2, Dishonored 2, three of the best single player games in a long time. All published by Bethesda funnily enough.

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        1. Agreed Bethesda has had a very good year as a publisher. I’m hoping that with all the BS and backlash that has been going on this year from a lot of other publishers that things will improve next year fingers crossed.

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      2. The problem with Prey was the marketing and art direction IMO. The game looks completely generic and unremarkable to the outside observer, the good parts of it are not immediately obvious or easy to communicate in marketing.

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        1. I honestly though it looked pretty good to me. Hench why I grabbed it. Also reminded me alot of SS2 which is something I liked a lot.

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          1. Don’t be mean John. He can’t help it that his mom dropped him on his head a lot when he was a baby.

    4. PC gaming hasn’t always been the biggest platform. It was only a few years ago that PC gaming revenue surpassed either the MS consoles games revenue or the Sony consoles games revenue. But the outlook is very promising for PC gaming in the future. Revenue has been increasing year after year and I think it will continue to do so.

      I realize that a good chunk of that 32.3 billion dollars is going to microtransactions in games like League of Legends which had 1.7 billion dollars in revenue for last year in microtransactions but saying that 90% of 32.3 billion dollars in revenue coming from games like that is just way too high.

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    7. ” while games like Prey, that were made with the old school PC gamer in mind, barely sold at all. ”

      The pc version did, it did quite well on pc, far better than consoles. System shock was never big, the sales for the first game were pathetic, the second game had average sales.

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      1. You mean the same microtransaction that we find in the likes of assasin creed origins, battlefornt 2, shadow of war, destiny 2.

        Wow console gaming is so stronk!! No need for microtransactions!!

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      4. You mean the same microtransaction that we find in the likes of assasin creed origins, battlefornt 2, shadow of war, destiny 2.

        Wow console gaming is so stronk!! No need for microtransactions!

        Reply

    1. this is not about damage control he must list how much is from f2p microtransaction bulls#it i bet it’s over 90% lol LoL Dota 2 etc just like the mobiles lol you all are bunch of ignorant pc gamers

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        1. cause you are lol what happened that’s the best you can do to counter my argument like all the delusional losers on this site

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      2. F2P Revenue (2016) Europe:
        PC=$2.8 billion
        Console=$2.6 billion

        Premium game revenues(2016):
        PC =$5.4 billion
        Consoles(all platforms) $6.6 billion

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      1. And you point is what exactly? It’s money made, classed as a sale made, maybe you’re just too stupid to realise that.

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    3. Indeed! The site’s chief member of the peasantry has posted six bitter comments already. So predictable of him but nevertheless hilarious in a pitiful way!

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    4. It’s not really about damage control. Consoles still beat PC in the AAA sphere. Although, the PC platform is starting to catch up.

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      1. How Exactly? AAA RTS and MMOs are still almost entirely PC releases, the only AAA Console games we didn’t get in the past year was Horizon Zero Dawn that was worth getting.

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        2. 2017 the PS4 saw the likes of Yakuza Zero, Yakuza Kiwami, Persona 5, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and FFXII (which isn’t coming to PC until next month). Even that Cars 3 game got a release on the Wii U of all things but not PC. So PC is still missing out on plenty of games that consoles are getting, primarily Japanese games, which should be the most important as Japan is the singe largest game producing country by a wide margin.

          Ah, I see that preemptive “worth getting” stipulation there. I predict that all of these games will be ignored because they will be, and I quote “not worth getting”.

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          1. Its more the metric of is there a need for certain games to be put on PC, also I will say Every FF past 10 was complete garbage personally FF has become highly overrated, Enix’s other offerings are better The last Remanant being an example that did get a PC release, I do appreciate Enix’s thoughts on making games better but there are certain limitations on the Engines and what they can do for PC. “Not Worth Getting” may be a valid response in some cases but not all, I’d kill for Shin Megami Tensei “Digital Devil Saga” to get a 2 part release on PC in a similar way to how .Hack GU was ported, but its just not ethical.
            ….
            Please also remember Stein’s Gate/Clannad/Chaos Head/ The Fate series/ All started as Adult PC games then became Anime, there are much much more to add to the list like these that were so extremely popular its just not released in the West on PC…a lot has to do with cultural differences what they allow in US/Europe versus in Asia as a game, the games are there, you just don’t see them unfortunately, its only taken us 10 years to get another Culdacept……

    5. “Kim Kardashian West” argeument is basically that PC’s revenue is mainly F2P, Microtransation, meanwhile in Europe, console revenue:

      F2P Revenue (2016) Europe:
      PC=$2.8 billion
      Console=$2.6 billion

      Premium game revenues(2016):
      PC =$5.4 billion
      Consoles(all platforms) $6.6 billion

      LOL

      F2P on PC is mostly in Asia, where most the worlds population is, shocking. LOL

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  6. Whenever someone tries to state that consoles make more than PC, I’ll always point them towards their supreme overlords, mobile gaming =P.

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        2. you mean like call of duty or assasin creed on consoles? No wait, they dont anymore which is why they need microtransactions on pc.

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  7. Could it be because PC games are cheaper? From my experence, people tend to buy lots of games when they are cheap. Even if this means hoarding them and not actually playing.

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    1. it’s not even listed anywhere moron lol
      you ? CD project red. so they release the drm free version so you don’t have to wait for the crack and repacks lol

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      1. That dmr free game got game of the year . And one of the best games ever made with no lootboxes .. And you care about its DRM ? What is wrong with you ? Its sold rly well and ppl love it . And guess what ? Ppl how pirate not gona buy the game just because its not crecked . They pirate cuz they have no money on games . And DRM is s*it . Didnt like a weak ago dunevuo servers shut down and ppl could notplay some DRM games ? How pathetic is that. ? and DMR is slowing the game down . Every time a game remove DRM the preformance jump up 20% . . . . .
        Now tell me how wrong i am and how right you are .

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  9. mobile and pc markets are flowing with cash due to microtransaction f2p ads and other bulls#it lol …sad

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    1. Yeah, I am so glad that there aren’t any micro-transactions on consoles and that consoles didn’t give way to micro-transactions in the first place.
      /s

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        1. Yeah like consoles do not have micro transactions of all a sudden.. This is why console ppl are imbeciles.. if console peasants buy more game copies then the change of micro transactions are much higher on the console side

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      2. Maybe you don’t know but consoles games AAA and exclusive have microtransations, Little Big Planet 2 is still even now putting out skins on the PS3, my daughter has a PS3 and buys skins, so you see you’re damage controlling for you plastic boxes.

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    2. Most of the F2P revenue is coming from Asia.

      F2P Revenue (2016) Europe:
      PC=$2.8 billion
      Console=$2.6 billion

      Premium game revenues(2016):
      PC =$5.4 billion
      Consoles(all platforms) $6.6 billion

      Reply

  18. Consoles made 2.6 billion in F2P european market as well. PS3 games are still selling microtransations in games like Little Big Planet 2. I know this because my own daughter used to play the game and spend £40 on LBP2 microtransations.

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      1. I see it’s pointless talking to you in a decent way so enjoy the block you little immature c*nt, piece of sh*t.

        Reply

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