PC shows a growing long tail

PC gaming is now the only major platform in the West where most revenue comes from games outside the yearly top 20. (newzoo.com) Newzoo said titles ranked 21 and lower made up 56% of Western PC revenue in 2025, up from 48% in 2022. On consoles, spending stayed more concentrated: games outside the top 20 accounted for 38% of PlayStation revenue and 35% of Xbox revenue in 2025. (newzoo.com) The same shift showed up in time spent playing. Newzoo said games outside PC’s top 20 rose from 33% of playtime in 2022 to 45% in 2025 across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. (newzoo.com) That pattern means PC money is spreading across a deeper catalog instead of clustering as tightly around a few annual blockbusters. Newzoo said the growth below the top 20 was “notable” among premium and back-catalog titles in those six Western markets. (gamesindustry.biz) The report points to a PC market where older paid games can keep selling years after launch alongside live-service staples. Coverage of the data highlighted games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as examples of titles still earning well beyond their launch windows. (gamesradar.com (pcgamer.com)) Newzoo’s broader market work has described PC as steadier but slower-growing than console, with revenue tied heavily to evergreen hits. In its 2025 outlook, the firm forecast 2.6% compound annual growth for PC through 2027, versus 7% for console. (newzoo.com) That makes the long tail more important for publishers on PC: not every winner has to be a top-10 launch if games can keep generating sales and spending years later. It also helps explain why back-catalog discounts, updates, expansions, and storefront visibility remain central to the business on Steam and other PC stores. (newzoo.com)