PC will overtake console in game revenue by 2028, according to market analyst firm Newzoo. The projection signals a structural shift in the platform balance that publishers, platform holders and developers will have to plan around over the next several years.

The forecast comes from Newzoo, the Amsterdam-based games market research firm whose annual reports are widely used by publishers and investors for sizing decisions. It positions the PC segment — spanning digital storefronts such as Steam, the Epic Games Store and publisher-direct channels — on a growth trajectory steep enough to surpass console revenues before the end of the decade.

For studios, the practical consequence is portfolio and platform-prioritization strategy. If PC revenue is set to lead, budgets allocated to PC-specific features — input flexibility, hardware scalability, storefront integration and cross-platform play — carry a stronger expected return. Multiplatform publishers that have historically anchored roadmaps around PlayStation and Xbox launch windows may reassess how they sequence PC releases, including the timing of ports and the prevalence of day-and-date PC launches.

The forecast also carries monetization implications. PC audiences skew toward free-to-play, live-service and strategy sims genres, with microtransaction-driven economies and longer engagement tails than typical premium console cycles. Developers building recurring-revenue mechanics — battle passes, season content, in-game economies — may find the PC segment increasingly central to those models' unit economics.

It is worth noting the figure is an analyst estimate, not a reported result. Newzoo's platform-split forecasts depend on assumptions about console hardware cycles, storefront competition and regional growth, particularly in markets where PC gaming already dominates, such as parts of Asia and Eastern Europe.

The projection lands amid broader pressure on platform holders. Console manufacturers have been expanding their first-party output onto PC in recent years, a trend that has already softened the traditional exclusivity wall between console and PC ecosystems. If Newzoo's timeline holds, that gradual opening will have coincided with — and arguably accelerated — the revenue convergence the firm now expects to tip decisively toward PC by 2028.

For smaller studios and indie developers, the forecast reinforces what Steam's scale has long implied: PC remains the most accessible storefront-driven market, with lower certification barriers than console platforms and direct access to a global audience. Expect platform-diversification arguments in publishing negotiations to lean more heavily on PC-first strategies in the coming funding and signing cycles.

The next data point worth watching is Newzoo's follow-up market reporting, which will show whether the PC segment's growth rate holds through the current console cycle — and whether Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo adjust their PC publishing strategies in response.