Consumer spending on PC gaming hardware and accessories in US grew 25% annually in 2021

Recently, the NPD Group released 2021 PC gaming hardware and accessories, as well as statistics for the digital version of the PC gaming market. Compared with 2020, these two markets are still growing, but the growth rate is not as obvious compared with 2019 and 2020.

Consumer spending on PC gaming hardware and accessories grew 25% annually to $5.74 billion in 2021, largely due to business opportunities brought about by the COVID-19 epidemic. Desktop, laptop, and PC microphones led the growth, with these segments growing by 38%, 29%, and 25%, respectively. In terms of sales volume, PC microphones, monitors and laptops grew the fastest at 27%, 17%, and 16%, respectively. However, after two years of rapid growth, there may be a decline next, and NPD Group expects consumer spending on PC gaming hardware and accessories to fall by 4% in 2022.

The spread of COVID-19, which has led to different lockdowns and quarantines everywhere, has played a major role in the growth of PC gaming as consumers seek out entertainment to kill time that can be done at home. Digital game sales rose 5% year over year to $7.9 billion in 2021, and PC gaming remains one of the most lucrative markets in the world.

In addition, people are spending more time playing PC games, with PC gamers playing games for an average of 7.7 hours per week in 2021, up from 6.7 hours in 2020, which is more than an hour more. This can explain why Steam has hit a record high in the number of online connection users a while ago. Epic Games also said that the number of active users peaked at 62 million in December.