Highlights
- PC game prices are declining while console titles remain fixed at the $70 standard.
- Median launch prices for top Steam games have dropped nearly 20 per cent since 2023.
- Analysts link lower PC software costs to the high expense of hardware upgrades.
In a gaming landscape that increasingly feels like a luxury hobby, a sharp economic divide has emerged between PC and console platforms. While PlayStation and Xbox users are grappling with the solidified $70 standard for blockbuster titles, PC gamers are actually paying less than they were two years ago. New market data highlights that while console publishers discuss raising prices even further, the average cost of popular games on Steam is in a freefall, offering a financial reprieve to those who play on desktop.
According to a comprehensive analysis by GameDiscoverCo covering data from February 2023 through late 2025, the cost of entry for hit games on PC is shrinking. The median launch price for the top 50 new releases on Steam—excluding free-to-play titles—dropped from approximately $19.50 in early 2023 to just $15.64 in late 2025. This represents a decline of nearly 20 per cent, signalling that the "middle market" for games is shifting toward affordability.
The data suggests that for developers without an established pedigree, pricing a game over $25 has become a significant gamble in today’s competitive environment. Even regarding the titles that generated the most revenue on Steam, the median price point hovered between just $20 and $23, proving that lower price tags are currently driving the highest volume of sales.
This trend is visible in the pricing strategies of recent standout hits. Despite long development cycles, highly anticipated indie darlings like Hollow Knight: Silksong launched at a modest $19.99. Other chart-toppers have followed suit, with the mega-hit Peak pricing itself at $7.99, the narrative bestseller Dispatch sitting at $29.99, and the 2025 extraction shooter sensation Arc Raiders capping out at $39.99.
PlayStation
Console Ecosystem and Hardware Economics
These figures stand in stark contrast to the console ecosystem, where the $69.99 entry price for flagships is the norm, and industry chatter is already floating the possibility of $80 or even $100 price tags for future blockbusters.
The divergence in pricing strategies seems to be rooted in consumer psychology and hardware economics. Industry analysts point out that because PC gamers often spend an "arm and a leg" on hardware upgrades like graphics cards and RAM, they are less inclined to drop $70 on a single piece of software.
Conversely, while console hardware is cheaper upfront, the software ecosystem remains a controlled, premium environment. However, there is pushback; overall video game spending has declined since the pandemic, and many console players are now refusing to buy at launch, preferring to wait for discounts.
While there are rare exceptions on consoles, such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 retailing at $49.99, it appears that, for now, PC gamers are getting the best value for their money.
