By 2025, the market for gaming PCs and monitors will grow by 20%

Global shipments of gaming PCs and displays continue to rise at a higher rate than their respective overall markets, according to the most recent study from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

It is anticipated that unit shipments of gaming computers, which include both desktops and notebooks, will climb from 41.3 million in 2020 to 52.3 million by 2025, representing a 23% increase. In a similar vein, the gaming monitor market is predicted to rise from 14.2 million units supplied in 2012 to 26.4 million units shipped in 2013. This translates into 5-year compound annual growth rates for the two product categories of 4.8 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively.

Global component shortages did not have a negative impact on growth. On the basis of recent trends, this robust growth forecast has been made. Exports continued to expand in 2021 despite high logistics costs and a shortage of components for both computers and displays. In reality, shipments of PCs and gaming monitors increased by 19.3 percent in the second quarter of 2021 when compared to the same period in 2020, hitting 15.6 million units.

Ryan Reith, Vice President of the IDC Consumer and Mobile Device Tracking Group, made the following statement:

The gaming market was on fire for years before the pandemic started in 2020 and things only accelerated as most people were spending more time at home and in front of screens.

At this point, the global supply shortage is well known and continues to be a moving target, yet the demand for hardware for games (PCs, consoles, monitors, etc.) and titles continues to rise .

Many have speculated that as the reopening begins slowly around the world, this growth could be in jeopardy, but we are not seeing it.

Regarding price projections, opposite average selling price trends are expected to emerge in these two categories. The price of gaming PCs is expected to grow from $ 925 last year to $ 1007 in 2025 , even despite the recent introduction of lower-cost gaming desktops and laptops. By comparison, monitor prices that cost $ 339 in 2020 will drop to $ 309 in 2025. 

Jay Chou, IDC Global PC Quarterly Monitoring Research Manager added:

Increasingly affordable prices and the ability to handle a variety of tasks outside of gaming are some of the reasons we expect the gaming PC market to remain healthy for years to come.

Yet even within this performance-focused market segment, portability is still important, and that means gaming desktops must innovate to compete with gaming laptops.