PC Gaming Flourishes as the Dominant Development Platform
The 2025 State of the Game Industry report from GDC reveals a resurgence in PC game development, with a staggering 80% of over 3,000 developers indicating they are currently creating games for the platform. This marks a significant surge from the 2024 report, which saw 66% of respondents developing for PC.
The popularity of PC gaming has steadily increased over the years, rising from 56% of developers in 2020 to 66% in 2024 and 74% in 2025. The report attributes this surge to the rising popularity of Valve's Steam Deck, which has captured the attention of almost half (44%) of developers as a unique platform.
Other factors contributing to PC's dominance as a development platform include its accessibility and ease of entry. The ability to learn a programming language, purchase a Steam account, and begin selling games on the platform has lowered the barrier to entry for aspiring developers. The sheer number of new games released on Steam (nearly 19,000 in 2024 alone) further underscores the appeal of PC as a development platform.
While the GDC survey primarily focuses on Western developers, the upward trend in PC game development suggests a global shift. Despite the challenging industry backdrop of layoffs and studio closures, the resilience and growth of PC gaming as a dominant development platform is a positive sign for the future of the industry.