PC & Console Gaming Report 2023 (Free market and industry report)

Newzoo’s first PC & Console Gaming Report is finally here! Download the report for a comprehensive breakdown of essential games, gamers, and games market trends shaping the gaming industry and how to leverage them.

The report contains detailed title-level engagement and revenue data, market forecasts, and insights into how people play and spend on PC and console platforms.

Our unique ability to chart the PC and console landscape helps developers, publishers, and brands navigate an industry that never stops evolving. The PC & Console Gaming Report 2023 is the best place to start or accelerate your journey into games.

2022 was a tumultuous year for the PC and console games market. Here are some of the major trends and events that defined last year and will shape 2023 and beyond.

• PC and console market share and performance: PC and console revenues reached $92.3 billion in 2022, a decline of -2.2% year on year. The market may be cooling down after the pandemic, but overall performance still outshines our previous forecasts. There are still plentiful opportunities to reach over one billion PC players and 611 million console players.
• Playtime data: Average playtime dropped by 23% across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation from 2021 to 2022. We see this as a corrective step as the market levels out to pre-pandemic activity.
• Games development and release trends: With the pandemic as a contributing factor, many companies delayed their major title releases from 2022 to at least 2023. These delays significantly impacted playtime and spending, though 2023 now has a packed release schedule, including huge games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of a Kingdom.
• Essential business model trends: More AAA and AA publishers are pivoting their main franchises to service-based and subscription models. In the coming years, we expect that companies will opt for fewer new releases and focus on extending the lifespan of existing franchises, especially with the success of titles like Fortnite, Minecraft, and ROBLOX.
• Gaming and the surrounding media ecosystem: While remakes and remasters drove up engagement for older game IPs, 2022 was an inflection point for transmedia strategies. The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us was, of course, a major hit and an accelerant for the games, but it was by no means the only example. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the anime based on the controversial title, drastically boosted the franchise’s popularity.
• Detailed PC & console gamer demographic and persona analysis: In the last six months, two out of three gamers played on a PC or console and 72% of PC and/or console players used at least two platforms. The market also became more equitable in 2022, with women gamers accounting for 40% of the total PC and console player base.
• How different types of gamers are playing and spending: In the past six months, 66% of PC and/or console players spent money on video games, but what motivated them to spend? There are many ways to define a gamer and different segmentation models reveal unique behaviors and motivations. The report covers why people play games, what features are most appealing, how much they spend on PC and console purchases, and more.

The PC and console market is enormous and swiftly evolving, so having in-depth and timely insights can be critical. Read the latest free report for the most comprehensive view of the market to date.

Reach out to us at questions@newzoo.com or start exploring the Game Performance Monitor, custom research, and consulting services to unlock limitless data and insights on the PC and console gaming markets and beyond.