According to Newzoo, revenue from PC and console gaming is projected to drop by 2% to $80.2 billion in 2024

Consumer expenditure on PC and console gaming decreased by 2% to reach $80.2 billion last year. However, a rise to $85.2 billion is forecast for 2025.

The source of this information is Newzoo's latest report concerning the PC and console gaming market up to 2025.

Newzoo predicts that, by 2027, the market will expand to $92.7 billion, with this growth largely propelled by console sales.

Consoles commanded a significant share, generating $42.8 billion. Premium games captured 46% of console earnings, amounting to $19.9 billion, yet experienced a 14% decline from the previous year.

Free-to-play titles contributed 32% of the revenue at $13.9 billion, marking a 4.5% increase. Subscriptions represented 16% of the market, reaching $6.9 billion, up 14.1% from the prior year.

In the realm of PCs, the total contribution was $37.3 billion. Free-to-play games made up 58% of the PC revenue at $24 billion, showing a 1.4% growth. Meanwhile, premium games took 28%, equating to $10.7 billion, a 2.6% decrease.

According to Newzoo, "Console growth will revive due to major pay-to-play releases," citing the anticipation of Grand Theft Auto 6 and the planned launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025 as key factors.

Playtime saw an increase of 6% year-over-year, with the last quarter of 2024 achieving a historic peak in quarterly playtime.

This rise, as Newzoo reports, was fueled by prominent pay-to-play games and the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

New games constituted 12% of the total playtime in 2024, and Fortnite remained the leader in playtime, capturing 9.3% of all hours played, slightly up from 9.1% in 2023.

Newzoo commented, "Playtime is increasing but mainly concentrated on top-tier games, creating intense competition for player engagement."

On PCs, there’s a tendency towards older, free-to-play games, while console interest is largely reliant on new releases.