Cheaper Games Are Dominating Reviews And Sales On Steam

"Steam-led PC growth will lead to PC games sales overtaking consoles' total game sales revenue by 2028. To clarify, that's not some kind of medium statistic- Newzoo projects that PC game sales will overtake the game sales of the Nintendo Switch 2, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series S/X by 2028."

"The biggest revelation is that sub-$30 purchases on PC have risen by a whopping 156 percent from 2022 to 2025. By cheaper, Newzoo isn't referring to games that are on sale; the report specifically notes that games that retail at a full price below sub-$30 are to blame for this upward trend."

"Sub-$30 games accounted for 32 percent of PC's revenue distribution by launch MSRP. For comparison, sub-$30 games only accounted for 7 percent of PlayStation's revenue distribution by launch MSRP and only 9 percent for Xbox."

Newzoo's 2026 PC and Console Gaming Report reveals significant market shifts in the gaming industry. PC game sales are projected to surpass combined console sales revenue by 2028, driven primarily by Steam-led growth. The most striking trend is the explosive rise of sub-$30 games on PC, which increased 156 percent between 2022 and 2025. These affordable games now represent 32 percent of PC's revenue distribution by launch MSRP, compared to only 7 percent on PlayStation and 9 percent on Xbox. In 2025 alone, new sub-$30 releases accounted for approximately 9 percent of PC's total revenue. While subscription services like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass continue generating revenue for console manufacturers, the data demonstrates PC's growing market dominance through accessible, lower-priced gaming options.

Read at Kotaku