Gaming has been a favourite pastime of people across the globe for decades, but over recent years, what was once a niche hobby has gone on to become a global obsession, with the industry now worth millions of pounds and continuing to grow rapidly with each passing year.
And whilst its sheer popularity is in part to thank, a new generation of players seeking high-end gaming experiences in every possible sense is also responsible for the boom. Spending on the latest and greatest equipment and the most immersive experiences is at an all-time high, with those with a penchant for luxury now seeking it out in the gaming sphere just as they do in real life.
Sites like PlayHub.com offer players the chance to purchase gaming-related goods directly from one another have reported a dramatic boom in business in 2024, while top console and hardware brands are also putting in a strong performance as we head towards the end of the year. But they’re not the only ways in which players are splurging top dollar on the hobby.
The gaming industry is on track to exceed $250.2 billion dollars by 2025, and those who leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the very finest money can buy are playing a starring role in its growth. Here, we take a look at what they’re splurging on.
No expense spared on high-end hardware
Serious gamers are splurging eye-watering amounts on luxury gaming set-ups as we head towards 2025, with no expense spared in pursuit of a high-end experience. While once, a basic PC or games console was considered sufficient to get a gaming fix, as a growing number of hobbyists begin to take their passion more seriously we’re seeing them splash out on upgrading their hardware. High-performance machines are in increasingly high demand, and from custom-built gaming PCs equipped with lightning-fast processors, mega amounts of storage space and the most up-to-date graphics cards, to newly launched gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, there’s no holding back with investments that go into the thousands now commonplace.
Add to that a few high-tech extras like 4K screens, futuristic controllers and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets, and it seems that the desire to have the very finest equipment money can buy knows no bounds.
Immersive technology
On that note, VR and AR themselves have become a huge area of spending for gaming enthusiasts. They don’t just want a top-level set-up, but a next-level gaming experience too, and the immersion offered by these cutting-edge technologies has transformed the ways in which it’s possible to partake in old favourites as well as the very latest releases.
VR headsets like the HTC Vive and the Oculus Quest 2 allow players to access a world beyond their screens and step into a virtual environment that feels entirely real. Bringing games to life in a whole new way, they’ve changed the way we play forever, and with price-tags of the best headsets exceeding £1,000, it’s another splurge that affluent gaming fans simply can’t resist. And when you consider that the most advanced models can only be used with certain compatible consoles, it often means spending even more to ensure you’ve got the full line-up needed to enjoy immersive gaming to the full.
AR games, meanwhile, are also enjoying a surge in popularity as they become more widely accessible via smartphone apps. One of the first games to do this was Pokémon Go, which became nothing short of a global phenomenon when it was launched back in 2014 and allowed players to get out and about in their real-life environment whilst seeking out characters – and since then, things have continued to come on in leaps and bounds. Even so, it seems we’re in the early days of what’s possible with AR, with the best still yet to come – and as technology continues to evolve we can expect to see this become another key area of spending amongst gaming enthusiasts as they seek out compatible devices and set-ups that can be used with the latest launches.
In-game purchases
But it’s not just gaming hardware that is responsible for the spike in gaming-related spending. These days, many popular games offer players the chance to enhance their experience by making in-game purchases, and whilst it’s still free to play the basic versions, for a fee, players can enjoy an upgrade that makes them feel special. Sometimes that means accessing secret or premium mini-games, and others it’s a case of purchasing digital items such as skins or items that may help them to make it further in the game, such as weapons or currency.
Most of these incur only small fees, but they all add up, and for gamers who spend a significant amount of their free time playing, they can equate to substantial amounts each day, week or month.
The bottom line
The luxury consumer prizes exclusive and personalised experiences, and the high-end gamer is no different. The appetite for having the very best gaming experience money can buy has given the industry a dramatic boost when it comes to annual revenue, and as technology continues to advance, we can expect to see spending reach new heights in 2025 and beyond.
