CharlesAznable Member Oct 25, 2017 6,183 You'd think between their age and how terrible the economy is, that maybe consoles would be more popular but PC gaming seems to have completely taken over that generation. I'm genuinely curious why this is? And it's not like they're building cheap PCs. I know quite a few of them, and they all have like super expensive 2k+ rigs, and when you ask them what they do for work they say something like, "I walk dogs" or "I work part time at a grocery store". Like i'm a software engineer and even I'm afraid to spend that much on a PC lol. So for those of you more in the know, why the huge jump in popularity for them?  Strike Member Oct 25, 2017 30,183 Probably streaming. Also more ways to get in now (mini PC's, handhelds, etc).   lilty Member Oct 25, 2017 905 New Brunswick All the streamers and content creators they watch play on PC.   mopinks Member Oct 27, 2017 32,417 I might have an expensive gaming rig too if I lived at home and didn't have to pay rent   Native_Vel Member Jun 5, 2022 1,942 Aren't a lot of gen Z currently obsessed with modded games? The Sims in particular seems to be huge. I constantly see jokes about all the stuff they have to download causing their laptops/desktops to overheat and take flight.  Tygre Member Oct 25, 2017 12,970 Chesire, UK CharlesAznable said: So for those of you more in the know, why the huge jump in popularity for them? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Streamers, streamer games, and Roblox. Also it's a way more vibrant platform with way more games being released for it than any console, and those games tend to be cheaper on average with an absolute ton that are free or free-to-play. PC has more "platform exclusives" than any console ever could. Beyond that it's the usual advantages the PCs open-platform has for everyone. Emulation, mods, etc.  Sexy Fish The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 4,486 Streamers play on PC. It's that simple.   alr1ght Member Oct 25, 2017 10,789 Every position they have is "does any influencer do it?"   mrtanooki Member May 9, 2024 699 They want to play the same way as there favorite streamer/youtuber.   King_Moc Member Oct 25, 2017 4,687 Influencers play on PC. It really is that mind numbingly simple.   inkblot Member Mar 27, 2024 997 After the initial cost of the hardware, Steam games are fairly cheap yeah?   Rosebud Two Pieces Member Apr 16, 2018 50,413 In Brazil it's just more accessible. Teens/young adults need a laptop/PC for studying and may as well play on it, but a console costs months of salary and doesn't do anything else   Prelude Member Oct 25, 2017 3,018 PCs might not be cheap, but PC games are. Also there's like 30 years of them at your disposal.   Lumination Member Oct 26, 2017 15,548 Streamers and most f2p games are designed to run on toasters so using an existing family PC is cheaper than buying a console.   astro Member Oct 25, 2017 64,535 inkblot said: After the initial cost of the hardware, Steam games are fairly cheap yeah? Click to expand... Click to shrink... And third party key sellers even more so. New games are regularly 30% off or more.   RoboPlato Member Oct 25, 2017 8,083 They want to be able to stream easily. That's pretty much it   SickNasty Member Mar 18, 2020 1,710 You want someone to save $700 for a ps5 that will be replaced in a few years when you can play minecraft and all the current goofball games like REPO or lethal company on your shoddy school laptop?   Cinnamon Member Jan 18, 2023 1,124 Two big things happened in the last 6-7 years. 1. The rise of Mini PCs 2. The rise of Portable PCs (e.g. Steam Deck) Here's a Mini PC that can play Spider-Man 2, Forza Horizon 5, and Cyberpunk 2077. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVqIKh2jrQ Also, PC games tend to be cheaper to buy than something like, Nintendo games.  GooZ One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 2,135 so many trending games from you favorite Content creators are on the sexy PC system   Captain_Vyse Member Jun 24, 2020 7,080 Streamers, plus I think they like personalizing the look of their build.   Conan Member Oct 25, 2017 701 PC is a much better social platform than any of the consoles.   NinjaScooter Member Oct 25, 2017 60,060 mopinks said: I might have an expensive gaming rig too if I lived at home and didn't have to pay rent Click to expand... Click to shrink... I think it's probably not fair to assume these are all top of the line/expensive gaming rigs, especially if we are talking Gen Z and younger. One of the appeals is probably the modularity and being able to upgrade at your own pace. You don't need a $3000 rig to play whatever big game all the streamers are into, most of the time.  Hellsing321 Member Oct 30, 2017 2,034 The #1 dream job for Gen Z is to be a streamer/content creator so you're gonna need a PC if that's your dream job.   1-D_FE Member Oct 27, 2017 8,968 People saying streamers get it. Any trend at all in gaming? Always the streamers. The most effective marketing ever created. It's crazy how things are less diverse than ever. And it's all because anything not popular with the streamers mine as well not exist.   vixolus Prophet of Truth Member Sep 22, 2020 69,435 Lot of young people get a laptop for school / college and will play low spec f2p games or whatnot on them as well. Can have it in the privacy of their own room instead of in the living room. Games like REPO and Schedule I that are trendy aren't on consoles either.   RockmanBN Visited by Knack - One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 31,651 Cornfields Streaming. Everyone you watch is streaming their PC on their desk in their room. You don't see much people streaming a console from their comfy couch in their living room.   Becks' Member Dec 7, 2017 9,095 Canada A lot of stream games or indies that get really popular are on Steam. I'd say Discord is also a big part of why. It's the easiest way of connecting with people and it is already a big part of school communities now, especially in universities. Also, a lot of social MP games such as League, Fortnite, Overwatch etc. can run on any piece of hardware so many people hop on it.  NSESN ▲ Legend ▲ Member Oct 25, 2017 27,452 Lol, Minecraft, fortnite and Roblox Outside those games I don't think PC is any more popular than consoles with this generation  MazeHaze Member Nov 1, 2017 9,412 Twitch. Also PCs aren't that much more out of reach than a console imo. I work in a shitty factory and I have a pretty nice one. When I first got one I was a damn pizza delivery driver.   nsilvias Member Oct 25, 2017 29,462 cool indies, streamers, cheaper games, they tell mom and dad but i can use the pc for school too unlike the ps5!   wagon Member Jan 6, 2025 272 CS, LOL, Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, all them popular strimmer indie titles etc etc yadda yadda   naff Unshakeable Resolve Member Oct 29, 2017 1,999 streamers, accessibility. most people already have a laptop, the biggest games run on a potato. also I think this factors in less than just having the hardware by proxy, dual benefits of it being a work/gaming machine and streamers, but having access to multiple storefronts competing with eachother means better deals across the board.  Last edited: Today at 7:09 PM AmFreak Member Oct 26, 2017 3,119 Seems to be your group - when you look at Steam not even the avg PC Gamer owns a 2k+ rig.   Universal Acclaim Member Oct 5, 2024 1,847 Cinnamon said: Two big things happened in the last 6-7 years. 1. The rise of Mini PCs 2. The rise of Portable PCs (e.g. Steam Deck) Here's a Mini PC that can play Spider-Man 2, Forza Horizon 5, and Cyberpunk 2077. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVqIKh2jrQ Also, PC games tend to be cheaper to buy than something like, Nintendo games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... They don't really care about this stuff  RockmanBN Visited by Knack - One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 31,651 Cornfields Universal Acclaim said: They don't really care about this stuff Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yeah most people I know play on laptops or cheaper prebuilts using xx50 or xx60 equivalent cards   kxs Member Jul 25, 2022 1,053 Most PC gamers play on budget and mid-tier PCs. RTX 4060 is the most popular GPU at the moment. Gen-Z folks probably have a laptop or desktop PC that they use for both gaming and productivity. A $1000 USD computer that's used for everything may be more practical than a $400 USD console. Budget and mid-range gaming PCs (including laptops) have increased in quality over the past 5+ years.  Lucid Member Oct 26, 2017 248 United Kingdom Cinnamon said: Two big things happened in the last 6-7 years. 1. The rise of Mini PCs 2. The rise of Portable PCs (e.g. Steam Deck) Here's a Mini PC that can play Spider-Man 2, Forza Horizon 5, and Cyberpunk 2077. View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVqIKh2jrQ Also, PC games tend to be cheaper to buy than something like, Nintendo games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... No offence but this stuff is incredibly niche and I say this as someone with a Steam Deck, I can almost guarantee 99% of them are gaming on regular laptop/desktop systems  jetsetrez Member Oct 27, 2017 2,272 I think a lot of people here are oblivious to the streaming world. Basically every major steamer plays on PC and many of them have very in your face sponsorships with their rigs and setups always in full view. PC has always been the most versatile platform and the most robust for multiplayer games which is where most of the first generation of major streaming creators came up and the avenue that first made inroads to mainstream popularity (first with StarCraft, League of Legends, Counterstrike, then exploding with PUBG, Fortnite, Warzone, Apex, etc). Kids/young adults grew up on people like Ninja, Timthetatman, Dr Disrespect, xqc, Nickmercs, Pokimane, etc, and they're all just giving constant promotion to the PC platform. If you've been paying attention to the PC space and the community I feel like this ascent of the PC has been very easy to see taking place for a long time.   logash Member Oct 27, 2017 6,044 Streamers and the most popular games on the planet can run on a potato.   naff Unshakeable Resolve Member Oct 29, 2017 1,999 Lucid said: No offence but this stuff is incredibly niche and I say this as someone with a Steam Deck, I can almost guarantee 99% of them are gaming on regular laptop/desktop systems Click to expand... Click to shrink... yeah, this stuff is for nerdy boomers (millenials, xennials etc)  Crayolan Member Oct 25, 2017 9,467 PC is an easier to justify purchase than a gaming console because it can do more than just play games. Also pretty much all the most popular online multiplayer games nowadays are on PC, and a lot of them are f2p, so once you have the PC itself, game costs are low.   Nano-Nandy Member Mar 26, 2019 2,756 Streamers mostly. Is a generation that spend a good amount of time watching streams unbox stuff, and playing full games. Also Minecraft.  Uncle at Nintendo 2nd Generation Uncle at Nintendo Member Jan 3, 2018 9,709 PS5 price to rise in Europe, Australia and New Zealand News - Sony https://blog.playstation.com/2025/04/13/ps5-price-to-rise-in-europe-australia-and-new-zealand-2/ Europe PS5 Digital Edition – €499.99 (No pricing changes for the standard PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive) UK PS5 Digital Edition – £429.99 (No pricing changes for the standard PS5 with... www.resetera.com   dom ▲ Legend ▲ Avenger Oct 25, 2017 12,253 I really don't see that it's more popular with Gen Z. PC is just more popular across all generational gaps.   pswii60 Member Oct 27, 2017 28,621 The Milky Way Lots of reasons. Yes streamers etc. But also freedom - not just mods etc, but the full beauty of an open platform - they use their PC for much more than just gaming. Why have two devices when you can have one that does it all? Many play games on their laptops. It's interesting because back in the 80s, in the UK, this was the way. No interest in NES/consoles, home computers (C64/Spectrum/Amiga etc)were the way, with my generation wanting to not just play games, but program the computers, and also do mods of the time via reset cartridges and POKE commands! And Gen Z has grown up in a world of PC having the awesome Steam ecosystem, rather than the world of DOS conventional memory limits, Soundblaster IRQ clashes and Windows blue screens. The types of games that are popular with this generation aren't the typical console exclusives either, indeed they're often the games that hit PC first via early access.  MarshallLaw Member Oct 19, 2023 1,209 1-D_FE said: People saying streamers get it. Any trend at all in gaming? Always the streamers. The most effective marketing ever created. It's crazy how things are less diverse than ever. And it's all because anything not popular with the streamers mine as well not exist. Click to expand... Click to shrink... If you told me decades ago that one of the most popular things in gaming in the future would be to watch other people play games and feign over the top reactions, I'd have laughed in your face  Kyrios Member Oct 27, 2017 18,501 Sexy Fish said: Streamers play on PC. It's that simple. Click to expand... Click to shrink... .  FourLeafClover Member Sep 6, 2024 147 Gqeberha, South Africa Personally, what enticed me towards PC gaming was the general affordability, as I personally find a gaming laptop and/or PC much easier to invest in and afford than a gaming Console with a set life cycle. The customization and personalisation also is also a huge factor as if I want to I could invest and get more storage space, more RAM, a better graphics card etc. I also like that it gives you more options on how you like to play your games, I could play with a keyboard and mouse if I want to, and I also switch and play with a wired/wireless controller if I desire. And finally, I have an expansive library of games I can now have access to that I otherwise wouldn't with a console that specifically was made to play games that could only run on said console. There's probably more reasons that I either forgot about or I never even considered and/or don't even know of but these are the reasons that I thought off at the top of my head. I hope this helps!  Rinku_ Member May 4, 2023 1,976 Yeah streamers but money is definitely a big component, I have a lot of mates who are willing to drop the upfront price to save in the long run. That being said, most are playing on gaming laptops they use for uni/school or rigs with older hardware. It's not like gen Z are dropping thousands on 7800X3Ds with 5090s. Most of the games younger gen Z and alpha are playing also just aren't graphically demanding enough for that level of hardware spend. Gen Z aren't interested in triple A and its this lack of engagement that is making legacy pubs worried about the future of this segment of the industry. Speaking as someone who largely plays on console between PS5 and Switch, I've definitely considered PC but I'm not much of an online gamer and I pretty much only play games with people whom I know in real life so it's never appealed to me outside of wanting even higher fidelity/cheaper games. I do think I'll go PC instead of PS6 in the future though.  Sei Member Oct 28, 2017 6,641 LA All the viral new games streamers play all are on PC first usually. Console gaming is expensive. Entry point for PC can be cheap with used parts.