PC Gaming Drops Again in Germany to 13.1 Million, Marking a 20% Decline Since 2019

Alright, picture this: the numbers coming out of Germany have got people scratching their heads a bit. Like, since 2019, PC gaming there kinda crashed—a whole 20% down. You’d think with all our tech obsession, we’d play more on computers, but nope. Meanwhile, mobile and tablet gaming just kinda chilled, didn’t change much. Consoles? Oh, they’re living it up. Every year, getting a little more love.

So, Game.de, a site that’s all about the gaming industry in Germany, is all hyped about consoles. They’re acting like consoles are the next big thing—at least in Germany. They’re climbing the ranks and might just be THE platform soon enough. It’s almost like watching a weird race where consoles are these sleek cars zooming ahead, and PC gaming’s this old bus chugging behind.

And there’s this graph—super fancy—showing how console gaming looks like it’s on a skateboard ramp, zooming to the sky. But skip 2023, and you’re back to regular climbing. Weird, right? Anyway—oh yeah—the consoles’ climb apparently comes from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo throwing all their cool stuff into the mix, you know, like “PlayStation 5 Pro” or “Nintendo Switch OLED.” Now the Switch 2 is out, and you can bet it’s got people excited. 2025 numbers are sure gonna be a blast.

Now, think about this: Germany’s got around 20.5 million folks jamming on consoles, trying to catch up with the 22.9 million stuck to their smartphones. Smartphones had a moment back in 2019-20, but now they’re just chillin’, flatlining on that chart.

But what about PCs? Oh man, PCs kinda let the ball drop. Down a whole fifth since 2019! At the end of 2024, there were like 13.1 million peeps still gaming on their PCs, but that’s 400,000 fewer than before. Bit of a teeter-totter there. And in 2019? PCs were the boss—had more gamers than consoles. Now? Tables turned. Now, consoles are winning by 7 million gamers! But hey, lots of folks don’t stick to just one device. Almost 19 million in Germany mix and match their platforms, hopping between two or more.

The why behind PCs duking out? Well, Game.de doesn’t spill much tea there. A bit of a lazy wave off, just going like 2024’s a ‘break from growth’ phase. Game sales dropped 17%, hardware’s down 10%, except online gaming is peeking up a bit at 12% growth. If we’re playing detective here, maybe it’s all about those boring, old components. GPU snooze fest, you know? Making it rough for gamers on a budget or just dipping their toes in.

Seems like Game.de’s got VIP access to data, because we couldn’t spot similar charts for the U.S. or globally. Who knows, inside scoop perks?

Anyway, keep tabs on Tom’s Hardware. They’re dishing out the latest, and following them might just hook you up with all the cool tech buzz you didn’t know you needed.