Gaming PC statistics are easiest to understand in two layers: (1) how many gaming PCs (and gaming monitors) ship, and (2) what “typical” gaming PC hardware looks like among active PC gamers.
This report pulls together the latest public datapoints from IDC, Gartner, Omdia, Jon Peddie Research (JPR), and Valve’s Steam Hardware & Software Survey to show where the market is and what most gaming PCs actually run in early 2026.
Gaming PC shipments were about 10.6 million units in Q2 2024, a +2.4% YoY recovery. Source: IDC press release / IDC Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker (republished). https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS52621024
Gaming monitor shipments reached nearly 6.5 million units in Q2 2024, up +35% YoY. Source: IDC (republished). https://iconnect007.com/article/142456/idc-finds-global-gaming-pc-market-recovered-in-q2-2024-fueled-by-notebooks-and-monitors/142453/flex
Steam’s January 2026 survey shows Windows at 94.62% of Steam users; Windows 11 64-bit is 66.71% and Windows 10 64-bit is 27.79% (combined). Source: Steam Hardware & Software Survey (Combined). https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam
On Steam (Windows-only, January 2026), the most common RAM configurations are 16 GB (40.02%) and 32 GB (39.06%). Source: Steam Hardware & Software Survey (Windows-only). https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam?platform=pc
On Steam (combined, January 2026), 1080p is still the most common primary display resolution (52.59%), while 1440p is 21.32%. Source: Steam Hardware & Software Survey (Combined). https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam
Steam GPU usage (January 2026): the top single GPU model is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (4.36%). Source: Steam Video Card Usage Details. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/videocard/
Global traditional PC shipments were 76.4M in Q4 2025 (+9.6% YoY), according to IDC’s preliminary results. Source: IDC press release archive. https://www.idc.com/resource-center/blog/press-release-type/tracker-press-release/
Gaming PC and Gaming Monitor Shipments
IDC reported that gaming PCs returned to modest growth in Q2 2024, with shipments around 10.6M units. At the same time, gaming monitors expanded faster, reaching nearly 6.5M units in the quarter. Source: IDC (republished). https://iconnect007.com/article/142456/idc-finds-global-gaming-pc-market-recovered-in-q2-2024-fueled-by-notebooks-and-monitors/142453/flex
PC Market Context (Why It Matters for Gaming PC Demand)
Gaming PCs sit inside the broader PC market, and the current refresh cycle matters because it affects component availability, pricing, and how often people upgrade. In Q4 2025, IDC estimated global PC shipments at 76.4M (+9.6% YoY), with 2025 total shipments at 284.7M (+8.1% vs. 2024). Source: IDC press release archive / tracker press release listing. https://www.idc.com/resource-center/blog/press-release-type/tracker-press-release/
Gartner’s preliminary estimates for the same quarter were 71.5M units (+9.3% YoY) and 270.2M units for full-year 2025 (+9.1%). Source: Gartner newsroom press release (Jan 20, 2026). https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-1-20-gartner-says-worldwide-pc-shipments-increased-9-point-3-percent-in-fourth-quarter-of-2025-and-9-point-1-percent-for-the-full-year
Worldwide PC shipments (preliminary). Source: Gartner newsroom press release. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-1-20-gartner-says-worldwide-pc-shipments-increased-9-point-3-percent-in-fourth-quarter-of-2025-and-9-point-1-percent-for-the-full-year
Omdia also reported that Q3 2025 desktop/notebook/workstation shipments rose 6.8% YoY to 72M units. Source: Omdia press release (Oct 9, 2025). https://omdia.tech.informa.com/pr/2025/oct/omdia-global-pc-market-grew-7percent-in-q3-2025-as-windows-10-end-of-service-deadline-nears
What a “Typical” Gaming PC Looks Like in 2026 (Steam Survey)
Steam’s Hardware & Software Survey is a useful “real-world” snapshot because it’s measured from active PC gamers. The January 2026 results show a market that’s largely Windows-based, dominated by DirectX 12-capable GPUs, and increasingly centered on 16–32 GB RAM and 1080p/1440p displays. Source: Steam Hardware & Software Survey. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam
Processor vendor (Windows-only, January 2026): Intel 56.64% vs AMD 43.34%. Source: Steam Survey (Windows-only). https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam?platform=pc
CPU core counts (Windows-only, January 2026): 6 cores 29.36% and 8 cores 26.44% are the two most common configurations. Source: Steam Physical CPU Details. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/cpus/
DirectX 12-capable GPUs represent 90.61% of systems (January 2026). Source: Steam Video Card Usage Details. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/videocard/
Source: Steam Hardware & Software Survey — PC Video Card Usage Details (January 2026). https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/videocard/
Discrete GPU Market Pressure (DIY and Prebuilt Gaming PCs)
Gaming PC pricing and availability often hinge on discrete GPU supply. JPR reported that the global add-in board (AIB) market reached $8.8B in Q3 2025, with total AIB shipments rising to 12.02M units (+2.8% QoQ). JPR also noted an AIB “attach rate” of 162% for desktop PCs. Source: Jon Peddie Research (Dec 1, 2025). https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/global-add-in-board-market-8-8-billion-in-q325-with-a-cagr-of-0-7-to-2029/
Separately, recent analyst commentary around the PC refresh cycle highlights that memory and storage costs can push average selling prices up and influence midrange vs. premium configurations. Source: IDC tracker press release archive (context) and related coverage. https://www.idc.com/resource-center/blog/press-release-type/tracker-press-release/
Sources
IDC press release: “IDC Finds Global Gaming PC Market Recovered in Q2 2024, Fueled by Notebooks and Monitors.” https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS52621024
IDC (republished): I-Connect007 version of the Q2 2024 gaming PC/monitor tracker summary. https://iconnect007.com/article/142456/idc-finds-global-gaming-pc-market-recovered-in-q2-2024-fueled-by-notebooks-and-monitors/142453/flex
Gartner: “Worldwide PC Shipments Increased 9.3% in Fourth Quarter of 2025 and 9.1% for the Full Year” (Jan 20, 2026). https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-1-20-gartner-says-worldwide-pc-shipments-increased-9-point-3-percent-in-fourth-quarter-of-2025-and-9-point-1-percent-for-the-full-year
Omdia: “Global PC market grew 7% in Q3 2025 as Windows 10 end-of-service deadline nears” (Oct 9, 2025). https://omdia.tech.informa.com/pr/2025/oct/omdia-global-pc-market-grew-7percent-in-q3-2025-as-windows-10-end-of-service-deadline-nears
Jon Peddie Research: “Global add-in board market: $8.8 billion in Q3’25…” (Dec 1, 2025). https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/global-add-in-board-market-8-8-billion-in-q325-with-a-cagr-of-0-7-to-2029/
