In today's digital era, the ongoing debate of mobile gaming vs PC gaming has reached a turning point. With smartphones pushing technological boundaries and gaming PCs evolving with bleeding-edge hardware, both platforms boast immense popularity and revenue. As we look to the future, one thing is clear: AI-powered mobile apps are revolutionizing the way we play.

PC gamers can still enjoy a strong and healthy gaming environment in 2026. According to Exploding Topics, there are now about 1.86 billion players, rising from 1.5 billion recorded two years earlier. This growth translates to a clear rise in revenue, as the global PC games market could reach over $68 billion by 2026 - a mere 10% higher than what it was in 2024-2026.

While desktop PCs account for over 50% of the market, gaming hardware including GPUs and game peripherals made around $38 billion last year. Even with a current annual CAGR rate of ~12.7%, the PC ecosystem is not slowing down.

However, mobile games are leading in revenue and user base. Mobile games made up an estimated $92 billion in 2024 and held nearly 49% of the entire gaming industry, while PC games brought in $43 billion (23%) and console games reached $51 billion (28%).

It's forecasted that the gaming market will pass $200 billion by 2026, with mobile taking up over half of that market. Both sources predict that by 2026, the mobile sector will cross $100 billion and by 2028, it will exceed $214 billion.

User Base and Revenue Share

  • User base: Over 3.32 billion active gamers exist globally, with a majority on mobile; PC gamers number around 1.86 billion.
  • Revenue share: In 2024, mobile earned $92 billion, PC $43 billion, and consoles $51 billion.

Growth Trends

  • Mobile grew +3% YoY in 2024, downloading nearly 50 billion games (down 6% from 2023).
  • PC is growing steadily at ~5-13% annually, depending on hardware.
  • Console sampling: PC's revenue is becoming larger than console in many metrics; player communities often favor PC for digital distribution, mods, and livestreaming.

In summary, although mobile leads in absolute revenue and user base, PC continues to show positive momentum.

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Key Takeaways

  • When it comes to mobile, the market share is 49-58%, making it a cornerstone of the gaming industry.
  • On consoles, the crowd of dedicated buyers is worth around 25-30% of the whole game market; sales of physical games are still significant, and the segment is expected to rise by 6.4% by 2026.
  • PC accounts for around 23% of the market, with a prospering set of connected hardware/software, progress in subscription and GaaS, while esports and livestreaming are central to the industry.

Even with important games on their systems, console brands like PlayStation are left behind by mobile in terms of how many games there are and how much money they bring in. PC is still important, mainly for people who love gaming, compete, and make videos.

| Metric | Mobile Gaming | PC Gaming |

| Global revenue (2024) | ~$92 billion (49%) | ~$43-67 billion (23-31%) |

| CAGR (since 2024) | +2-4% annually | +5-13% annually |

| User base | Over 3.32 billion gamers | 1.86 billion players |

| Growth drivers | Accessibility, smartphone ubiquity | Hardware upgrades, esports, GaaS, livestream |

| Key monetization | In-app purchases, ads, hybrid models | Premium sales, downloads, microtransactions |

| Tech frontier | AR/VR on mobile, photoreal graphics | Ray tracing, VR, AI-powered experiences |

Mobile's massive scale and accessibility make it the cornerstone of the gaming industry, while PC offers depth, performance, and innovation - attracting a devoted segment with higher per-user spend.

In 2026 and moving forward, people will see growth in the following mobile gaming trends:

  • Chip advancements allow AR/VR games to move past Pokémon GO (Combining casual and engaging elements makes these games more fun and helps improve monetization and memory of the game company's players.
  • World-famous mobile games are now being played on PCs and consoles .
  • New privacy restrictions, targeting users in the app increases and so does engagement with those users.
  • Ululating revenue by using ads, selling items, and subscribers for better and varied earnings.

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In spite of being outshined by mobile, PC gaming is still very popular.

Why PC Gaming Remains a Force to Be Reckoned With

  • Both NVIDIA RTX graphics and powerful CPUs make it easy to enjoy high-performance experiences with VR, ray tracing, and fast?action gameplay.
  • PC gaming has a huge audience for many live-services, using in-game purchases, and subscriptions like Game Pass .
  • Twitch and OBS are known mostly for being on PC, which helps them boost their effects on the community.
  • Most leagues in competitive gaming and esports center on playing on PC with FPS and real-time strategy being the main genres.
  • Steam, Epic, and GOG play a key role in helping indie developers and modders, making PC very desirable to them.

Thus, comparing pc and mobile gaming is still worthwhile, since so many players use them regularly.

The Future of Gaming

By 2026, the value of the gaming PC market was $67 billion and is expected to rise to $287 billion in 2037 with an average annual growth of 12.7%.

Approximately $38 billion is designated each year for GPUs and hardware to strengthen the infrastructure .

The revenue of PC games increased to around $60.8-68 billion in 2024-25, and it is expected to keep rising.

It's impossible to say which platform is the best as each one is good at what it does.

  • Mobile: Perfect for casual play, global reach, and monetization through social and hyper-casual models.
  • PC: A powerhouse of performance, competitive