The global shipments of gaming PCs in 2022 experienced a year-on-year decline of 6.4%
In 2022, there was a slump in demand for personal computers, and the shipments of CPUs, GPUs, and PC monitors all decreased. The gaming PC and gaming monitor segments, which are subdivisions of the overall PC market, also experienced declines. Recently, the market research firm IDC released a report indicating that the global shipments of gaming PCs in 2022 were 44.9 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 6.4%; the shipments of gaming monitors were 17.3 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 7.1%. Both of these subdivisions interrupted their three-year growth trend; however, their shipment volumes remained far higher than the levels prior to 2019.
Regarding the reason for the decline in gaming PC shipments, Jitesh Ubrani, the research manager for mobile consumer devices at IDC, stated that an excess inventory carried over from 2022 led to discounts on old products and also affected the sales of new products. This situation is helpful for extending the lifespan of existing gaming PCs and reducing players’ demand for new platforms.
In 2023, the gaming PC market may continue to be affected by unfavorable macroeconomic conditions and product inventory, and its shipment volume may further decline. IDC predicts that the market will recover in 2024.
Since IDC began tracking the gaming monitor market in 2016, its shipments experienced a decline for the first time in 2022. Jay Chou, the research manager for PC monitors at IDC, stated that the inventory of gaming monitors significantly increased in 2022 and will take at least a few quarters to return to normal. However, in the short term, we remain optimistic about this market because gaming monitors provide a relatively inexpensive way to improve the gaming experience, and the market will also see more new products, which are expected to recover in the second half of 2023.
Finally, IDC stated that despite the many negative effects currently facing the gaming PC and gaming monitor markets, they are expected to outperform the overall PC and monitor markets in the coming years.
