Best place to game
What's your favourite platform for gaming?
Why PC is the best place to game
The PC is enjoying growing popularity – not least because of what happened with consoles. Not so long ago, we predicted its downfall.
«The rapid decline of PCs», as «Tages-Anzeiger» put it in 2011 (article in German). One year after the release of the iPad, plenty of observers were already pulling out their shovels. The PC was increasingly taking on a subordinate role, both at work and for gaming. In the subsequent tablet and smartphone boom, PC steadily lost importance. Big game studios prioritised consoles, and loveless PC ports were the order of the day. Want to play the new GTA? Then please do it on an Xbox or PlayStation. While Rockstar is sticking to this confusing tradition for the sixth instalment in its gangster series, the tide has almost completely turned in other places. Today, PC is performing better than ever as a gaming platform.
In a survey for GDC, the annual Game Developers Conference, 80 per cent of participants said they were developing for PC – a significant increase on last year’s 66 per cent. The PS5 comes in second with just 38 per cent, followed by the Xbox Series X/S with 34 per cent. Despite dominating the market, the Switch is only at 20 per cent.
Source: GDC
The growing appeal of the PC for studios is in line with market developments as a whole. While the PC segment grew by four per cent compared to the previous year, consoles lost one per cent in sales. That market has been stagnating since 2021. PC gamers are also spending more money on games and content. Helldivers 2, released simultaneously on PC and PS5, is a prime example of this upward trend. 60 per cent of sales came from the PC version.
Ironically, PC owes its growing popularity in part to consoles.
Profiting from the console war
The bitter dispute for supremacy in the living room has already claimed many victims. Sega hasn’t produced any consoles since the Dreamcast flop, and Nintendo’s also dropped some stinkers with the Gamecube and especially the Wii U. While Nintendo learned its lesson and withdrew from the race, Sony and Microsoft are still battling it out. Mind you, the next bit of collateral damage is already looming for Xbox.
Source: Shutterstock
In order to differentiate themselves from one another, both companies are busy buying studios to develop exclusive games for their platforms. However, as games become more and more expensive and the risk associated rises, more gamers are finding their way to PC. Since modern consoles are basically PCs on the inside, porting is easier than ever. Apart from Nintendo, who don’t feel the need to offer their games elsewhere, exclusive console games are growing increasingly rare. This also benefits PC, a platform no longer seen as competition but as an extra market.
Microsoft has been releasing all Xbox titles simultaneously for Windows – and in some cases even on PlayStation. PlayStation games are now also finding their way to the PC with a time delay, but not to the Xbox or Switch.
More accessible than ever
Conversely, PC has also moved closer to consoles. One of the driving forces behind this is Steam. Although the PC is dominated by Windows, the digital distribution service is the real reason why most gamers use the platform. A massive majority of all PC games are published on Steam. And thanks to the Steam Deck, they’ve become even more accessible. The handheld launched in 2022 marked the debut of SteamOS. The Linux-based operating system is Valve’s alternative to Windows if you just want to game. It uses the console model to do this – switch on and start playing, no more tedious tinkering and configuration. The interface is easy to understand and intuitive, yet there are numerous settings for experienced users, something PC owners love.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
Even a classic Windows PC today is miles removed from the rigours of the 90s. The platform has become easier to both assemble and use. True, you can’t install updates at the touch of a button like you can with consoles, but they’re now limited to Windows and graphics card driver updates. And finally, you can also use PC for countless other things.
The best graphics and more customisation options
What PC gamers really love is great graphics. Nowhere else do games look better or run more smoothly than on PC – provided you have the right hardware. You also have maximum freedom as to whether you want to play with a Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox controller. You can easily connect all of them to a PC, along with countless other peripherals from VR headsets to the HOTAS flight stick and an MMO mouse with 20 buttons. PC equals flexibility.
It’s the same in the other direction. While Nvidia is currently proving that there’s no upper limit for graphics card prices, the Steam Hardware Survey shows that most gamers are using significantly cheaper hardware. The most common resolution is still Full HD, used by 56 per cent of participants.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
While the PC platform has so far been a rather stationary experience, the flood of handhelds triggered by the Steam Deck add mobility. Another huge selection of different devices on which you can play all your favourite games. Which brings me nicely to my next point.
Game selection – and brilliant backwards compatibility
When Nintendo announced that the Switch 2 will also be able to play Switch 1 games, we were delighted. Backwards compatibility isn’t guaranteed for consoles, even if the situation has improved in recent years. If you buy a new PC, this isn’t even a question. Whether on Steam, Uplay or Battle.net, games will run on every PC. This also applies to games that are 10, 20 or 30 years old. Paying extra for games or even having to buy new ones just because you upgraded your Windows or PC won’t ever happen.
You can find most games on Steam – if they’re a bit older or more niche, GOG has you covered. And if you can’t find the game there either, then some industrious modder will usually offer a version that runs on the latest Windows. [Earthsiege 2] (https://www.myabandonware.com/game/earthsiege-2-a7b), my beloved, sends its regards.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
Even if you don’t dig up old games, PC as a platform offers the most extensive selection of games by far. There are over 100,000 games alone on Steam. And if you do get a hankering for console games, there’s a solution for that too. Thanks to emulators, you can play pretty much everything from Atari 2600 to Gamecube and PS4 titles on your PC. Nintendo, the last bastion holding out against PC, is falling in this respect too.
On the other hand, there are also many exclusive PC games. Some of the world’s most popular titles have always only been playable on PC, including League of Legends, World of Warcraft and Counter-Strike 2.
Mod a game to your heart’s content
On top of the freedom to assemble and configure a rig to their heart’s content, PC owners love to customise their games as well. Mods have always been an integral part of the PC world. Do you want to fly through the air as Iron Man in GTA Online and make the world a more dangerous place? There’s a mod for that. Is the weight limit in Stalker 2 too restrictive for you? Make all weapons one third lighter. Want to play Skyrim again, but the graphics are too ancient for you? Get new textures and effects with mods. There are hardly any wishes that the modding community can’t fulfil.
Source: YouTube/Julionib
That old chestnut – price
«Consoles are much cheaper», is the most common argument against PCs besides complexity. True, you might get nauseous looking at current graphics card prices. Still, you can find a PC with the performance of a PS5 or Xbox Series X for around 1,000 francs already. Significantly more than the cost of a console, yes, but a PC can still be cheaper in the long term.
Most games are more expensive on consoles. God of War Ragnarök currently costs CHF 79.90 in the PlayStation Store and CHF 59.90 on Steam. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is available for CHF 67.90 on Steam, while it’ll cost you CHF 89.90 on PS5. Depending on how many games you buy, this’ll add up. However, you can still always buy many physical console games and sell them again at a later date. Such options have long been passé for PC.
Source: Valve
On the other hand, Steam offers a feature called Family Share, which I personally find even better than being able to resell games. With Family Share, up to six people can form a family and share their games with each other. The only restriction: the same savegame can’t be played by several people at the same time. Otherwise, all accounts can play in parallel from their own or family members’ libraries.
You can also save money on subscriptions for online games on your PC. The Call of Duty multiplayer is only available on consoles if you have a PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass subscription. They cost CHF 9 or CHF 9.90 per month, with a slightly cheaper annual subscription. You also pay extra for online multiplayer with Nintendo. No need to pay extra to play online on PC. The same applies to Cloud Saves, which are also offered for free, not hidden behind a paywall.
You get even more opportunities to save with regular legendary Steam sales. Console manufacturers are now offering discounts too, but they aren’t nearly as frequent or as glorious as on Steam.
Steam, Steam and more Steam
I’m not surprised the name Steam has already been mentioned over 20 times in this text. Valve has constantly improved its online store since it launched in 2003 and has left a lasting impact on the PC gaming experience. Numerous companies have tried to break this quasi-monopoly. But EA, Ubisoft and Activision are all now offering their games on Steam again, instead of exclusively in their own stores. Even the multi-billion dollar juggernaut Amazon has failed in its efforts. Yes, PC gamers are creatures of habit, but the user experience on Steam also differs significantly from that of consoles.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
On top of just selling games, Steam is also a game library, a social media platform, a support forum, a livestreaming service and an achievement provider. So far, Steam has never been offline for more than several hours. You could always game or at least use the service to a limited extent, as opposed to recent PS5 events. And that’s still a short time compared to the hacker attack in 2011, which paralysed the PlayStation system for 23 days (page in German).
Although you don’t own your games on Steam and only acquire a licence, Valve has never abused the trust of users. And unlike the PlayStation Store, for example, there are no ads. Valve independently highlights games it thinks are worth mentioning, but doesn’t get paid to plaster its homepage with the latest AAA title.
For all these reasons and more, PC is the best place for me to play videogames. Fellow editor and console fan Domagoj Belancic certainly won’t be the only reader with a suitable counter, mind you. Where do you prefer to play and why?
Header image: The Woo
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
