Gaming: a post-Pandemic dip, record numbers in 2023

During the Covid years, consumers stocked up on games consoles, VR headsets and souped-up PCs. This led to record sales, quickly followed up by a lull. For one thing, most people don’t need a new gaming computer or a fresh graphics card every year. For another, an end to lockdowns meant we no longer had to sit around at home all the time.

But now the boom’s back, and how! Both online shops, Galaxus and Digitec, sold a good 20 per cent more gaming products in 2023 than in the previous year. That’s an increase of 17% compared to the previous record year 2021. Sales of PC components also reached a new all-time high. This includes the graphics cards required for hardware-hungry PC games.

«Our customers were very keen on gaming last year,» says Cornelia Schübel, Category Business Manager for the gaming range at Galaxus and Digitec. Demand was boosted by the release of various blockbusters, among other things. Baldur’s Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom were launched, just to mention a few. Sales of physical copies and game downloads at Galaxus and Digitec rose by 24 and 33 per cent respectively last year.

«What’s more, all current major game consoles were finally readily available – especially during the pre-Christmas period,» adds Cornelia. Demand for the PlayStation 5 in particular was greater than supply for a long time after its release at the end of 2020. «We did our best to have as many of them available as possible, but they all sold out within a few hours.»

Last year also saw the launch of the Xbox Series S sporting 1 terabyte of memory, the PlayStation 5 in a «Slim» version and the Portal Remote player from Sony, all of which further fuelled demand. Sales of games consoles grew by 42% at Galaxus and Digitec in 2023.

The graphics card sector also recovered in 2023. Mid-range models in particular contributed to the 51% growth. Following the crypto-mining hype in 2022, manufacturers were able to offer graphics cards again, but high prices and upcoming new generations made customers wait and see.

Games and controllers lead the bestsellers

The top-selling gaming products at Galaxus and Digitec are games themselves (downloads plus physical copies). Controllers and consoles follow in second and third place. Gaming tables and chairs are also represented in the top ten. The former sold significantly better in 2023 than in 2022 (+38%), while the market for the latter seems to be more saturated (-7%).

So far, 2024 is again looking like a strong year for the gaming industry. Galaxus and Digitec customers bought more games, more controllers and more consoles in January 2024 compared to January 2023, for example. If you believe the rumours, Nintendo will also launch the Switch 2. These and other new products should further boost sales.

What games, consoles or the like are you looking forward to this year? How have you set up your gaming room? Or would you rather live in a world without video games? Let us know in the comments!