PC gaming hardware and accessories spending grew 62% in the US in 2020

Consumer spending in the US for PC gaming hardware and accessories reached $4.5 billion in 2020.

That's a 62% increase compared to 2019, and more than double the total sales of 2017, NPD said in its latest report.

Digital PC games content also grew 19% in 2020, reaching $7.5 billion in revenue. PC gaming accessories overall grew 81% year-on-year, while hardware grew 57%.

All categories of gaming hardware and accessories encountered double-digital growth, NPD continued, with a particular boom for headsets, monitors and keyboards, likely driven by the working-from-home shift due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NPD also pointed to its Evolution of Entertainment report, which highlighted that 40% of US consumers played PC games in 2020 -- a 4% rise compared to 2019. People who were already playing PC games before also played 14% more in 2020.

Stephen Baker, NPD's technology industry advisor, said 2020 was "historic" and anticipates a 3% growth in the PC gaming hardware and accessories for 2021.

"COVID-19 lockdown measures played a role in the growth we're seeing in PC gaming, as consumers looked for ways to stay entertained while spending more time at home," he said. "While we remain optimistic about the outlook for PC gaming hardware and accessories for the future, and expect the segments growth rate will exceed that of the total industry, we do not expect ongoing incremental dollar increases, but rather a plateauing of demand at these new elevated levels."