PC Gaming Declines in Germany: Down to 13.1 Million, a 20% Drop Since 2019

Man, so here’s a doozy from the numbers peeps over in Germany—PC gaming, right? Well, it’s been kinda nosediving since 2019. Like, if you’ve ever taken a look at those charts (why would you?), you’ll see a 20% dip. And the funny bit? Consoles just keep on trucking, stealing the spotlight like a teenager at their first open mic. But mobile and tablet? Just hanging out, being all steady Eddy.

Game.de, which isn’t a shrine for PC folks or anything, is all about pushing the console agenda. They’re like, “Hey, look at these shiny boxes made by Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo! Aren’t they fancy?” And, seriously, if these consoles keep trucking along, they might even dethrone PCs in Germany soon. Insanity.

Okay, picture time: you’d see this chart showing consoles doing the moonwalk up a hill—a nice 13-degree climb if we pretend 2023 didn’t exist. Math-y stuff. And honestly, kudos to them. How do they even make such numbers feel like a party? Well, they’ve pulled off a 29% hike in popularity and keep doling out fresh versions like the PlayStation 5 Pro or Switch OLED. Y’know, to keep that interest piqued. Now, the Switch 2? Man, it’s gonna be a bonafide cash cow. Or maybe not. Who can tell?

Meanwhile, console dudes in Germany are at a beefy 20.5 million. For mobile gamers, they’re sitting slightly nervously with 22.9 million—phew! Also, smartphone gaming had its moment from 2019 to 2020, but now it’s as thrilling as watching paint dry. Just flat. Boring.

Let’s go down memory lane to PC gaming. It’s slipping—like socks on a polished floor. You’ve got a 20% drop since ’19. Sure, 13.1 million sounds peachy, but 400,000 folks peaced out last year. Back in 2019, PC enthusiasts were having house parties at 16.3 million, outnumbering console gamers. But now? Forget about it! Consoles have a 7 million lead. And who knows why? Maybe people like multitasking—19 million in Germany play across different platforms.

We don’t really get much from Game.de about why PCs are getting the short end of the stick, but they casually mention that the industry took a break in 2024. Imagine taking a break from growth, huh? Game sales tanked by 17%, hardware by 10%. Such low spirits. The one silver lining? Online gaming services—they grew by 12%. Woohoo?

Why’s PC gaming going south? Blame could be on those pesky component shortages or GPUs just being meh for new buyers. Also, no similar data for the U.S. or globally. Game.de has some special backdoor access to YouGov’s secrets, I guess.

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