According to the latest "2025 Famitsu Game White Paper" released by Kadokawa ASCII Research Institute, Japan's game market is projected to grow 3.4% year-on-year, reaching 2.396 trillion yen (approximately $16 billion).

However, detailed data shows that the core gamer group aged 5-59 will decline slightly from 55.5 million to 54.7 million in 2023. The number of PC gamers is particularly bleak. While it will rebound slightly to 14.52 million in 2024, it will still be nearly 3 million fewer than the 17.49 million in 2015, and nearly 30% less than the historical peak of 20.37 million in 2014. In stark contrast, the number of console gamers increased from 26.12 million to 29.51 million during the same period, while mobile game users surged from 14.11 million to 42.77 million.

Although the Steam platform has increased the visibility of PC gaming in Japan, multiple factors continue to squeeze its market:

• Soaring hardware costs: According to a June 2025 report by the Nikkei Shimbun, the price of a full desktop computer in Japan has increased by 40% over the past six years, with some accessories tripling in price.
• PC shipments have declined for three consecutive years: Data from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) indicates that domestic PC shipments in 2023 will be only 6.667 million units, the lowest since 2007.
• Windows 10 upgrade: Although shipments rebounded to 8.3 million units in 2024, JEITA believes this is primarily due to short-term purchases by companies to cope with system outages, and the high price trend is expected to continue.

Due to the dual pressures of the Nintendo Switch and smartphones, Japan has developed unique gaming consumption characteristics:

• Mobile game users account for 78% (42.77 million out of 54.7 million), with over 70% of gamers using mobile devices exclusively.
• Console player penetration reached 54%, with Sony's PS5 and Nintendo jointly maintaining the tradition of living room entertainment.
• PC player overlap is low: only 26.5% of PC users also use other platforms, far lower than the cross-platform rate of console players.

Industry analysts point out that Japan's unique ecosystem of "mobile game payouts + console exclusives," coupled with the high barrier to entry for PC hardware, is creating a vicious cycle that's difficult to break. With the development of cloud gaming technology, this "de-PCization" trend is likely to intensify. Unless a blockbuster local PC exclusive emerges, Steam in Japan may remain a niche platform.