Yes, on the clearest current measure: games revenue growth. Newzoo forecasts global PC games revenue to grow faster than console revenue from 2025 through 2028, and projects PC revenue will pass console revenue by 2028. Those are forecasts, not a completed crossover. The available figures do not prove that PC has outperformed console every year or on every measure for years.
What “outperforming” means here
PC and console can be compared by revenue, player numbers, playtime, hardware costs, or the value a player gets for their money. Those measures do not always move together. The strongest current evidence for PC gaining ground is Newzoo’s forecast of faster PC games revenue growth—not proof that PC already leads in total revenue, playtime, hardware sales, or consumer value.
Newzoo describes 2025 as the first notable PC-and-console revenue growth since the pandemic. Its March 2026 analysis emphasizes changing monetization, pricing, and platform economics, rather than assuming that growth simply means people are playing more hours. Newzoo Director of Market Intelligence Manu Rosier summarized the shift: “Growth is returning to the market, but it’s being driven by different fundamentals than during the pandemic years.”
What Newzoo forecasts for PC and console revenue
Newzoo forecasts a 6.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for global PC games revenue and 4.4% for console games revenue between 2025 and 2028. It projects the combined PC and console games market will reach $103.7 billion by 2028, with PC revenue passing console revenue that year. These are Newzoo estimates and forecasts, not final results.
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| Measure | Newzoo’s 2026 outlook | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| PC games revenue growth, 2025–2028 | 6.6% CAGR forecast | PC is projected to grow faster over this forecast period. |
| Console games revenue growth, 2025–2028 | 4.4% CAGR forecast | Console revenue is also expected to grow, but more slowly. |
| Combined PC and console games market by 2028 | $103.7 billion projected | A forecast for the two categories together, not PC revenue alone. |
| PC–console revenue crossover | PC projected to pass console by 2028 | A forecasted milestone, not an event that has already happened. |
The public figures cited here do not provide a full annual comparative series that would establish an uninterrupted historical streak. So “for years” is best treated as a description of the broader direction, not a verified year-by-year claim.
Why PC growth is getting stronger
A larger projected player base
Newzoo projects more than one billion PC players worldwide by 2028. It also reports that China’s PC player base grew 11.7% year over year in 2025. The global figure is a projection; the China figure describes reported growth in 2025. Neither should be confused with revenue growth, and the China result does not represent every market.
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Premium games and microtransactions both contribute
Newzoo estimates that microtransactions generated 48% of PC games revenue in 2025, or $20.6 billion, while premium game sales accounted for 29%, or $12.5 billion. PC premium games grew 11.8% year over year in 2025. The mix suggests that PC’s revenue momentum is not coming from a single business model: ongoing in-game spending is substantial, while premium releases are also growing.
Playtime is spreading beyond the biggest hits
Newzoo reports that PC’s share of playtime outside the top 20 games rose from 33% in 2022 to 42% in 2025. That points to a broader distribution of engagement across PC games, rather than playtime being confined to the largest franchises. It does not establish that total PC playtime increased by the same amount.
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Console is still growing, with different spending dynamics
Newzoo expects console revenue and its player base to grow too, though more slowly than PC in its forecast. It also notes that mature markets generate higher console spending per player. Faster projected PC growth therefore does not mean console is disappearing or that every console market is shrinking. It means the forecasted pace differs across platforms, while their audiences and spending patterns remain distinct.
What U.S. industry totals do—and don’t—show
U.S. spending figures provide market context, but they cannot settle a global PC-versus-console comparison because they combine platforms and spending categories. The Entertainment Software Association’s March 2026 revision gives final U.S. 2025 totals of $60.8 billion overall: $52.4 billion for content, $5.4 billion for hardware, and $2.9 billion for accessories. These are all-platform figures, not PC revenue.
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Circana separately forecast U.S. video game industry spending of $62.8 billion in 2026, up 3%. That is a forecast across the U.S. industry, not a PC-only projection. Circana video games industry advisor Mat Piscatella described the outlook as: “The 2026 U.S. video game market brings great opportunity — and risk.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Hardware cost complicates the comparison
Revenue momentum does not tell you which platform costs less to own. Circana’s 2026 U.S. outlook flags rising RAM, GPU, CPU, and storage prices as possible constraints on hardware affordability. It also describes PC and mobile as destinations for some younger players, but does not provide a like-for-like calculation of PC and console purchase or ownership costs.
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A gaming PC may be the right choice for someone who wants the flexibility of the platform, but the market figures do not establish that it is cheaper than a console or justify a specific model recommendation. The affordability question depends on the hardware and games a person chooses, and should be assessed separately from revenue growth.
Quick Recap
How to read the headline claim
- Supported: Newzoo forecasts faster global PC games revenue growth than console from 2025 to 2028.
- Projected, not completed: Newzoo expects PC games revenue to pass console revenue by 2028.
- Not established by these figures: A continuous annual PC lead “for years,” higher total playtime, lower PC ownership costs, or better value for every player.
- Still true of console: Newzoo expects console revenue and its player base to grow, even if more slowly in the forecast.
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