If you thought heightened interest in gaming-focused monitors, desktops, and laptops would falter as the pandemic eased, you might want to hold onto your RGB gaming chair: the International Data Corporation (IDC) is predicting four more years of increased demand, with each segment growing faster than its parent market.
This week, the global researcher shared the latest numbers from its Worldwide Quarterly Gaming Tracker and predicted that gaming monitor shipments will surge, growing from 14.2 million screens in 2020 to 26.4 million in 2025 for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2 percent.
As the pandemic brought a scarcity across gaming hardware, from graphics cards to CPUs and even the latest consoles, gaming monitors were among the few pieces of serious hardware in stock for gamers. And with lockdowns mandated across the globe, many people were simply seeking something to do.
According to IDC, 41.3 million gaming PCs shipped last year, and 52.3 million will do the same in 2025, representing a 4.8 percent growth rate.
IDC expects a steep decline in growth next year but an increase in number of units shipped.
“Increasingly accessible price points and the ability to handle a variety of tasks outside of gaming are just some of the reasons we expect the gaming PC market to remain healthy in the coming years,” Jay Chou, research manager for IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Monitor Tracker, said in a statement accompanying the IDC’s announcement.
IDC predictions come as 2021 already shows rising numbers, even though there are still GPU and other PC component shortages and supply issues affecting displays. In Q2 2021, gaming monitor and gaming PC shipments, combined, grew 19.3 percent compared to Q2 2020 to 15.6 million in total.
“The gaming market was on fire for years leading into the start of the pandemic in 2020, and things only accelerated as most people were spending more time at home and in front of screens,” Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, said in a statement.
IDC is confident that this trend will continue, even as pandemic restrictions lift and cause other markets, such as Chromebooks, to see a decline in demand.
“At this point the global supply shortage is well known and continues to be a moving target, yet demand for gaming hardware (PCs, consoles, monitors, etc.) and titles continues to surge,” Reith said. “Many have speculated that as reopening slowly begins around the world this growth could be in jeopardy, but we are just not seeing that.”
So what does this all add up to besides a lot of gaming cred? IDC thinks the gaming monitor and PC market will be worth $60 billion in 2025, a big boost from 2020’s $43 billion.
Gaming monitors may even become cheaper. The average sales price (ASP) for a gaming display was $339 in 2020 but will be a slightly scanter $309 come 2025, IDC said.
We probably won’t be so lucky with gaming PCs, though. The ASP for gaming systems is expected to hit four-figure territory in 2025 at $1,007, compared to $925 last year.
