PC Gaming in Germany Sees Continued Decline, Dropping to 13.1 Million—A 20% Decrease Since 2019

Alright, let’s dive in. So, picture this: Germany and their gaming numbers are like, having a moment, you know? Anyway, they’ve been charting video game stuff since 2019. And wham, PC gaming is down by 20% since then. Sad trombone… Meanwhile, gaming on phones and tablets? Flat, mostly. But consoles? Those bad boys are on fire—every year, climbing up like they’re training for a triathlon.

This Game.de crew, not the most PC-obsessed, are all about the console love. They’re saying, if consoles keep this up, they might just elbow everybody else out and take the top spot for gaming in Germany. Pretty wild, right?

There’s this chart—you’d probably laugh if I tried to describe it (geometry wasn’t my vibe), but it’s saying consoles are like mighty cyclists on a steep hill. Kudos to them or whatever. And you look at these reasons behind the console boom. Game.de hints about a 29% growth since 2019. I mean, thanks to the big guys like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo bringing in fresh innovations. New versions and whatnot, like PlayStation 5 Pro and the super shiny Nintendo Switch OLED. Now, there’s a Switch 2 out there, and who knows? It might just shake up the 2025 stats like a snow globe.

Get this: console gamers in Germany (about 20.5 million) are creeping up on smartphone gamers (22.9 million). It’s like a thriller. Yet, phones had their moment from 2019 to 2020 but now, it’s kinda… plateaued.

Oh, PCs, what happened? They’re sliding down the popularity slope, 20% dip since 2019. Still, we had about 13.1 million PC gamers hanging in there by the end of 2024. Sounds like a lot, right? But nope, that’s 400,000 less than the year before. Just tumbling away…

In 2019, PCs led the charge over consoles—16.3 million to 15.9 million, imagine that! Now, consoles have blasted ahead by a whopping 7 million. And then there’s this thing, many gamers aren’t tied to one platform. Around 19 million of them, platform-hopping like pros.

Why the PC gaming slump? Good question. Game.de isn’t spilling too much tea, just hints that 2024 was like a “pause” year for growth. Game sales? Down 17%, ouch. Hardware? Down 10%, double ouch. Online gaming services though? Up 12%, little fist bump.

If you’re guessing why PCs are being left in the dust, think about those flashy, pricey components not delivering the thrills anymore. Especially for gamers on a budget. GPUs weren’t exactly throwing confetti.

Now, I couldn’t find similar charts for the U.S. or the world—guess YouGov is tight with Game.de. But if you’re into this stuff, follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News for the latest scoops and reviews, seriously.