According to the latest figures from the NPD Group, overall consumer spending on PC in 2020 was up significantly year-over-year. Year-over-year growth of PC gaming was up 19% to $7.5 billion in 2020, thanks to people looking to other forms of entertainment during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
NPD’s Evolution of Entertainment report notes that 40% of US consumers played PC Games last year, which is a 4% increase over 2019. The amount of time spent playing PC games also increased by 14%.
“PC gaming is the most innovative, open, and content-diverse segment in the video game industry. It is also one of the most accessible, as many households have a desktop or laptop computer,” said Mat Piscatella, video game industry analyst for The NPD Group.
“Over the course of 2020, there was a significant increase in both the number of PC video game players as well as the time and money those players invested in PC gaming.”
Consumer Spend on PC Gaming hardware and accessories in the US also increased by 62% in 2020, totaling $4.5 billion, which is up significantly over 2019 and more than double total sales from 2017.
All hardware and accessory categories experienced double-digit growth, with PC headsets, monitors, and keyboards seeing the highest growth in both dollars and units.
PC gaming accessory revenue exceeded PC gaming hardware with increases of 81% and 57% in 2020, respectively.
“COVID-19 lockdown measures played a role in the growth we’re seeing in PC gaming, as consumers looked for ways to stay entertained while spending more time at home,” said Stephen Baker, NPD’s technology industry advisor. “Following a historic 2020, with multiple years of growth all happening in one year, we are forecasting 3% growth for PC gaming hardware and accessories in 2021.
“While we remain optimistic about the outlook for PC gaming hardware and accessories for the future and expect the segment’s growth rate will exceed that of the total industry, we do not expect ongoing incremental dollar increases, but rather a plateauing of demand at these new elevated levels.”
