Game Industry Shifts: 80% of Developers Prioritize PC, Sideline PS5 and Switch

The 2025 Game Developers Conference (GDC) report highlights a major trend: 80% of game developers are now focusing on PC game development. Dive into the latest insights shaping the gaming industry!

2025 Game Industry Trends Unveiled

PC Dominates as 80% of Developers Target the Platform

At the Game Developers Conference on January 21, 2025, the annual State of the Game Industry report revealed that 80% of developers are building games for PC. This global survey captures key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the gaming sector.

The report shows a 14% jump from last year’s 66% of developers focusing on PC, with 80% now prioritizing the platform. The surge may partly stem from the growing appeal of Valve’s Steam Deck, the report suggests. While not explicitly listed as a platform option, 44% of developers selecting “Other” named Steam Deck as a target platform.

Last year’s report already dubbed PC the “leading platform,” even as user-generated content platforms like Roblox and Minecraft gained traction, alongside anticipation for the Switch 2, Nintendo’s next console. PC’s dominance isn’t new, growing steadily from 56% in 2020 to 66% in 2024.

If this trend persists, PC’s game library will continue to expand. However, the upcoming Switch 2, with enhanced graphics and performance, could slightly alter this trajectory.

One-Third of AAA Developers Focus on Live-Service Games

The GDC report also notes that 33% of AAA developers are working on live-service games. Among all surveyed developers, 16% are currently developing such titles, with 13% expressing interest in doing so. However, 41% have no interest in pursuing live-service projects.

Developers engaged in live-service games highlight their potential for financial success and community engagement. Those uninterested point to challenges like waning player interest, creative limitations, controversial microtransactions, and burnout risks.

Beyond the survey, GDC identifies “market oversaturation” as a key hurdle for live-service games, with developers struggling to retain players. Ubisoft’s XDefiant, for example, was shut down just six months after launch, underscoring these difficulties.

Global Developer Voices Underrepresented in GDC Report

On January 23, 2025, PC Gamer reported that the GDC’s State of the Game Industry survey significantly underrepresents developers from non-Western countries.

Nearly 70% of respondents hail from Western nations, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Notably, China, a powerhouse in mobile gaming, and Japan, a major player in the industry, are largely absent from the respondent pool.

This Western-heavy sample may skew the report’s findings, potentially failing to fully capture the global gaming industry’s dynamics and perspectives.