The 2025 State of the Game Industry Report

80 Percent of Game Devs Are Making Games for PC

The Game Developers Conference (GDC) unveiled in its 2025 State of the Game Industry report on January 21, 2025, that a staggering 80% of game developers are now focusing on PC game development. This annual survey, which compiles insights from developers worldwide, provides a comprehensive look at the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the gaming landscape.

The report indicates a significant rise from last year's figure of 66%, marking a 14% increase in PC-focused game development. GDC suggests that this shift could be influenced by the growing popularity of Valve's Steam Deck. Although the Steam Deck wasn't specifically listed as a development platform in the survey, 44% of developers who selected the 'Other' option mentioned it as a platform they're interested in developing for.

PC has been labeled the "dominant platform" in previous reports, even amidst the rise of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, and the anticipation surrounding the Nintendo Switch successor, now known as Switch 2. This trend of PC dominance has been steadily growing, from 56% in 2020 to the current 80%.

If this trend persists, we can expect an even broader selection of games on PC. However, the upcoming Switch 2, with its promised graphical and performance enhancements, might slightly alter this trajectory.

One-Third of Triple A Devs Works On Live Service Games

Another key finding from the GDC report is that one-third (33%) of AAA developers are currently engaged in developing live-service games. When the question was expanded to all respondents, 16% confirmed they are working on such titles, while 13% expressed interest in doing so. Conversely, a significant 41% showed no interest in developing live-service games.

Developers who are keen on live-service games appreciate the financial and community-building advantages they offer. On the flip side, those uninterested cited concerns including declining player interest, creative stagnation, predatory practices, microtransactions, and the risk of burnout.

GDC also pointed out the issue of "market oversaturation" with live-service games, making it challenging for developers to sustain a viable player base. This challenge is exemplified by Ubisoft's recent decision to shut down XDefiant just six months after its launch.

Some Devs Underrepresented in GDC’s State of the Game Industry

PC Gamer highlighted on January 23, 2025, that the GDC report may not fully represent the global game development community due to the underrepresentation of developers from non-Western countries. Nearly 70% of the survey respondents hail from Western nations such as the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Notably absent from the survey are developers from China, a major player in the mobile gaming sector, and Japan. This Western-centric respondent base might skew the report's findings, potentially not capturing the full spectrum of global trends in the game industry.