PC Gamers Spent Big on Microtransactions in 2024, Making Up 58% of Revenue

PC gamers opened their wallets wide in 2024 — and most of that money went toward microtransactions. According to a new report from Newzoo, 58% of all PC gaming revenue last year came from in-game purchases. That adds up to a massive $24.4 billion spent just on microtransactions alone.

Microtransactions are small purchases that players make inside a game. These can include skins, weapons, character outfits, XP boosts, loot boxes, and other extras. Many games today are free-to-play but earn money by selling these types of items. Even in paid games, microtransactions have become a big part of the business.

Three major games were responsible for a large chunk of the microtransaction revenue:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Roblox
• Fortnite

These games are hugely popular and offer tons of content that players can buy — from battle passes and outfits to in-game currencies and bonus items.

While microtransactions saw the biggest share, DLC (Downloadable Content) also saw a small increase in revenue. In 2024, players spent $5.3 billion on DLC for PC games — up 0.8% from the year before. That made up 14% of all PC gaming revenue.

Popular DLCs came from games like:

• Diablo 4
• Elden Ring
• World of Warcraft

These extra content packs usually add new storylines, missions, characters, or other major features to existing games.

While microtransactions and DLC saw growth, premium game sales (full games you pay for upfront) went down. Revenue from premium games was $10.7 billion, which is 28% of the total — but that’s a drop of 2.6% compared to 2023.

This shows a growing shift in how people pay for games. More players are choosing free-to-play or cheaper games and spending money inside them, rather than buying expensive games at full price.

In total, PC gaming brought in $37.3 billion in 2024. That’s only a 0.1% increase compared to 2023, but it’s still growth. Looking further back to 2022, revenue is up by 5.4%, showing a steady recovery after a small dip from 2021 to 2022.

Looking ahead, Newzoo predicts PC gaming revenue will grow to $37.9 billion in 2025 and reach $40 billion by 2027. Microtransactions will likely continue to lead the way as more developers focus on live service games and ongoing content updates.

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