Report · April 1, 2026

PC & Console Gaming Report 2026

Published by Newzoo

Summary

1. Market trajectory What direction is the PC and console market heading in 2026? 8 What direction is the PC and console market heading in 2026? 2. Attention & value allocation Where do players spend time and money on PC and console? 17 3. Market concentration What happens if you are not a top-20 game? 45 4.

From the report

Introduction Table of contents 1. Market trajectory What direction is the PC and console market heading in 2026? 8 What direction is the PC and console market heading in 2026? 2. Attention & value allocation Where do players spend time and money on PC and console? 17 3. Market concentration What happens if you are not a top-20 game? 45 4. Business model viability Which monetization models perform best under current dynamics? Business model viability Which monetization models perform best under current dynamics? 59

Introduction Executive summary The PC & Console The PC and console market is not in decline, but it is no longer Drawing on Newzoo's data platform, this report provides a The PC and console market is not in decline, but it is no longer Drawing on Newzoo’s data platform, this report provides a market at an the growth engine it once was. structured analysis of the forces reshaping the market. Hardware cycles are stretching, development costs are Market trajectory examines overall market direction Hardware cycles are stretching, development costs are ü Market trajectory examines overall market direction, inflection point rising, and even proven franchises are no longer guaranteed including revenue forecasts, player growth across to succeed. The rules that shaped the industry over the past platforms, regional leadership patterns, and the evolving two decades are being rewritten. mix of premium, microtransaction, subscription, and What is emerging in their place is a more complex, downloadable content models. more demanding market. Players are not spending more ü Attention & value allocation analyzes how player time is Emmanuel Rosier time playing, but they are becoming far more selective about Director of Market Intelligence where that time goes. Subscription models and user Newzoo generated content platforms are reshaping the relationship between studios and audiences, shifting the value proposition from ownership to ongoing engagement. distributed across platforms, franchises, and genres, assessing market concentration, shifts in engagement, and the competitive share available to new releases. ü Market concentration explores the depth of each

ios and audiences, shifting the value proposition from ownership to ongoing engagement. distributed across platforms, franchises, and genres, assessing market concentration, shifts in engagement, and the competitive share available to new releases. ü Market concentration explores the depth of each In this environment, success looks different: a small, platform beyond its biggest hits, evaluating long-tail passionate team behind Clair Obscur demonstrates that expansion, lifecycle dynamics, and what determines the craftsmanship creates resonance; Schedule 1 shows that survival of titles outside the top tier. cultural timing can be as powerful as production scale. survival of titles outside the top tier. cultural timing can be as powerful as production scale. ü Business model viability assesses how monetization The implication for publishers and studios is clear: scale alone strategies perform under current structural dynamics, no longer guarantees outcomes. Understanding where comparing premium-led and microtransaction-led players are going, and why, has become a strategic ecosystems, and evaluating the performance of imperative, not a research exercise. annual and non-annual releases in a slower-growth imperative, not a research exercise. environment. environment.

Introduction Key takeaways 1 Market 2 Attention & 3 Market 4 Business model trajectory value allocation concentration viability ü PC growth remains structurally ü Global playtime has remained flat, ü Titles ranked 21+ are capturing a ü Playtime is down, but premium supported, with steady player with the top 20 titles still taking up growing share of playtime, with PC revenue is growing across major expansion underpinning sustained >50% of playtime. This share is showing the strongest shift since western markets. Premium revenue revenue growth. shrinking, most notably on PC. 2022. is growing on PC and PlayStation, ü Console growth has returned but ü AAA-driven genres (Shooter, Battle remains premium- and cycle-driven, Royale, Sports) are seeing structural as hardware momentum and major decline, with growth segments like releases lift spend despite limited Sandbox not fully absorbing lost player expansion. hours. Sandbox audiences are less likely to play AAA games, ü Regional dynamics reinforce the especially annual sports and split. Growth markets are driving story-led single-player. player scale, especially on PC, often story-led single-player. at lower ARPU, while mature markets ü Playtime share to new releases continue to generate higher console remained stable. Breakout hit spend but face slower demographic audiences are less likely to overlap expansion. with annualized sports franchises. expansion.

n PC, often story-led single-player. at lower ARPU, while mature markets ü Playtime share to new releases continue to generate higher console remained stable. Breakout hit spend but face slower demographic audiences are less likely to overlap expansion. with annualized sports franchises. expansion. with annualized sports franchises. ü PC’s long tail keeps widening, while Xbox’s more modest growth PlayStation remains more can’t offset free-to-play and Call of franchise-concentrated, and Duty declines. Xbox’s long tail benefits from Game ü PC is the only platform monetizing Pass discovery, shifting playtime F2P effectively. Revenue held share more than total hours. stable despite falling playtime in the west. On console, F2P revenue is ü Enduring winners tend to be dropping faster than engagement. premium, progression-heavytitles dropping faster than engagement. with strong back-catalog ü Premium growth is driven by sub performance (not just breakout 50 games. The 30–50 segment launches), with RPG/Adventure leads across platforms, sub-30 over-indexing. thrives on PC via breakout indies. over-indexing. thrives on PC via breakout indies.

Introduction Meet the authors of the report Emmanuel Rosier Tianyi Gu Michiel Buijsman Director of Market Intelligence Manager Market Analysis Principal Market Analyst Zoey Hunt Mehmet Mert Şahin Market Analyst Junior Market Analyst Special thanks to Ben Porter BenPorter Director of Consulting Horatiu Mitu Horatiu Mitu Director of Marketing Jelle Kooistra Jelle Kooistra Director of Data and Analytics Sam Peevey Francesco Magni Francesco Magni Lead Data Modeler Brand & Visual Designer Aleksandra Dubrovskaia Danjing Zhou Aleksandra Dubrovskaia DanjingZhou Senior Research Manager Senior Digital Marketing Manager Layla Amir-Soleymani Lynn van den Hoven Layla Amir-Soleymani Lynn van den Hoven Head of PR & Communications Product Marketing Manager

Pages: 80
Words: 10,920
Type: Report

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Market (PC & Console)

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