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Since Japan is the home country of Sony and Nintendo, it should come as no surprise that consoles from those corporations tend to dominate the Japanese market. Xbox consoles have long struggled to compete, as did the PC market along with it. But data from the local Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association shows there’s been a considerable shift over the last few years.
According to Kotaku, which is citing a preliminary report shared during Tokyo Game Show – with a full report expected in December – PC revenue for Japan was around 132.1 billion yen in 2021. By 2025, that figure shot up to 300 million yen, an increase of about 134%. The selection of games that make up the biggest money-spinners are mostly global releases.
Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legend and PUBG: Battlegrounds are Japan’s three biggest sellers on Steam, showing a clear preference towards free-to-play games with massive global communities. If I were just jumping into PC games right now, I’d reach for the same. These games, and many more like them, provide well-made experiences for no immediate investment.
However Japan prefers to sink long hours into Left 4 Dead and Terraria, which make the country’s top two PC games in terms of hours spent playing. Stardew Valley also makes the list, because who doesn’t love killing zombies or building a nice homestead?
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Interestingly enough, Monster Hunter Wilds is the only Japan-made game to rank prominently on PC in terms of revenue.
Still, the PC industry is growing in Japan, Consoles outside Switch 2 have been up and down, and mobile’s only moved up around 4.5%.