PC games already have a reputation for being inexpensive compared to their console counterparts, but recent numbers show that the discrepancy is bigger than most people might expect. Sure, the upfront costs that come with building a PC are high, and many AAA cost the same on PCs and consoles. But if you look at the most successful games on Steam, you'll notice a curious pattern.
As pointed out by the excellent GameDiscoverCo newsletter, which collated data going back to February 2023, the asking price for popular games on the PC platform (excluding free-to-play games) are increasingly going down. The publication took the first month sales for games released over the last two years and plotted their median price points, a more useful metric than what the average prices might tell us. And what they found was this: The median price for games fell somewhere between under $10 to under $20. That's in contrast to the typical price point for big-budget games, which tend to retail around $69.99.
Surprisingly, the results are somewhat similar if you look at the games that made the most revenue on Steam during that same time period. Median game prices for the games that raked in the most money fall around $20 to $23. GameDiscoverCo's conclusion is that for most games without an established pedigree, it might be difficult to stand out and be competitive if the title is priced over $25. Even with an established reputation, higher price points on PC are a gamble. Indie darlings likeHollow Knight: Silksong,still released for only $19.99 even with an extended development period. Really, many of the standout PC hits of the last few years have followed a similar trend.Mega hitPeak is $7.99 and constantly on sale, 2025extraction shooter sensationArc Raiders is $39.99, and thenarrative bestsellerDispatch is $29.99.
It makes sense when you think about it. Some of the most popular games in the world are free. There are constant re-releases of old games that do well, but they tend to charge a lower price tag to entice new and old players alike. And asconsole prices keep increasing, it's common to see people say that they'll wait for a sale before splurging on a new title. Most people seem toonly buy a couple of games a year, if that. People are spending less on video games overall since the start of the pandemic, which coincides with the 2023 downward pricing trend on PCs.
Plus, if you're spending an arm and a leg to get a graphics card or RAM, you're probably not itching to spend $69.99 every time a game catches your eye. Meanwhile, on consoles, there's constant chatter aboutthe apparently inevitable $80-$100 game. There's reason to be optimistic, with games likeClair Obscur: Expedition 33 retailing at only $49.99. But by and large, it seems like PC gamers have been getting the most bang for their buck in recent years. Hopefully consoles follow suit.
