80% of Game Developers Shift Focus to PC, Leaving PS5 and Switch Behind

Dive into the latest trends shaping the gaming world with insights from the 2025 State of the Game Industry report by GDC!

The 2025 State of the Game Industry Report

80 Percent of Game Devs Are Making Games for PC

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) unveiled in its 2025 State of the Game Industry report, released on January 21, 2025, that a striking 80% of game developers are now focusing their efforts on creating games for PC. This annual survey, which captures insights from developers globally, underscores the evolving trends, challenges, and opportunities within the gaming sector.

The report highlights a significant shift, with PC game development rising to 80% from 66% the previous year, marking a 14% increase. GDC suggests that this surge might be influenced by the growing popularity of Valve's Steam Deck. Notably, while the Steam Deck wasn't explicitly listed as a development platform, 44% of developers who selected the 'Other' category mentioned it as a platform of interest.

Despite the rise of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipation surrounding the Switch 2 (formerly known as the Nintendo Switch successor), PC has consistently maintained its status as the "dominant platform." This trend has been on an upward trajectory, increasing from 56% in 2020 to 66% in 2024.

If this trend persists, we can expect to see an even broader selection of games available on PC. However, the impending launch of the Switch 2, with its enhanced graphics and performance, might slightly alter this trajectory.

One-Third of Triple A Devs Works On Live Service Games

The GDC report also sheds light on the growing focus on live-service games among AAA developers, with a notable 33% currently engaged in such projects. Expanding the scope to all respondents, 16% are actively developing live-service titles, and 13% express interest in doing so. Conversely, a significant 41% show no interest in pursuing this genre.

Developers who are keen on live-service games appreciate the model's potential for financial gain and community engagement. However, detractors point to challenges such as waning player interest, creative stagnation, predatory practices, reliance on microtransactions, and the risk of burnout.

The report also touches on the broader issue of "market oversaturation" in live-service games, making it challenging for developers to sustain a viable player base. A case in point is Ubisoft's decision to shut down XDefiant merely six months post-launch.

Some Devs Underrepresented in GDC’s State of the Game Industry

An article by PC Gamer on January 23, 2025, highlighted a notable underrepresentation of game developers from countries outside the Western sphere in the GDC's latest report. The data shows that nearly 70% of respondents hail from Western nations, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Surprisingly, China, a powerhouse in mobile gaming, is not listed among the countries with significant respondent numbers. Similarly, Japanese developers are notably absent from the survey.

This skewed representation suggests that the findings might predominantly reflect the perspectives and experiences of Western developers, potentially not fully capturing the global state of the game industry.