Why Was 2025 a Huge Year for PC? China.
2025 was a big year for PC. With 12% year-on-year growth, it has even outpaced Mobile at 10.7%. While this does signify a global increase, there’s one market that did more than any other.
42% of PC’s growth in 2025 was specifically from Chinese gamers. (Newzoo Global Games Market Report, 2025).
As many readers will know, Steam does have a unique version in China, however this growth is generally being seen on the international Steam store, with access via VPNs. Publishers have grown their understanding on the Chinese market, helping games appeal to local players and leveraging the highly engaged Chinese playerbase.
Newzoo puts it best in their report:
“Even accounting for potential cultural response bias, the signal is clear: spending behavior in urban China is structurally different from the rest of the world. Revenue scales across the audience and big spenders are not just a payer minority.“ – Newzoo, 2026
So, let’s dive into some of the reasons that Chinese players are driven so much growth, as identified by Newzoo.
Time Spent Playing Weekly
When Chinese players like your game, they spend a lot of time in it. So much time in fact that they eclipse global averages of time spent per week. While there’s still a considerable number of players spending under 6 hours per week playing games, there’s a much larger segment of the market that is engaged, invested, and plays numerous hours every week.
Strong User Investment
As with playtime, Chinese players show strong engagement via money spent. Nearly half the of those surveyed had spent money on PC games in the past 6 months, compared to 21% of global players. This correlates well with other studies on the Chinese market that similarly show higher than average spending by Chinese players.
One reason that Chinese players may have more money to spend on games is their levels of employment.
A Full-Time Playerbase
Of those surveyed, 80% of respondents were in full time employment, with only 0.2% identifying as unemployed. Compared to 59% and 6% respectively for global averages, that’s a notable difference. With only 0.2% of players unemployed, the average Chinese player typically has more disposable income to spend on games than comparable global player-bases.
How can YOU reach Chinese players?
As we’ve discussed above, China’s a phenomenal market for games with engaged, invested, and passionate players.
But, here’s one of the Chinese market’s most notable and affecting difference: Reaching those players requires a completely unique approach compared to all other global markets.
Unlike most of the rest of the world where YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other common social platforms dominate, China has its own unique digital landscape.
Chinese social media integrations are essential for reaching players and increasing your chance of success. Major platforms like Weibo, Rednote, WeChat, Douyin, and BiliBili allow you to connect with gamers, build loyal communities, and interact with streamers and influencers. These KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) will increase your visibility and ultimately revenues.
Top Platforms in China by Number of Users
- Douyin (TikTok China)
- Bilibili
- Rednote
WeChat is a multi-faceted platform developed by Tencent that combines instant messaging, social media, and additional services including mobile payments and games.
Monthly Active Users: 810 Million (1.41 Billion Worldwide)
Age Range: All Ages (22.3% under 24, 13.7% 25 – 30, 22% 31 – 40, 19.2% 41 – 50, 22.7% over 51)
Douyin
Douyin, to put it simply, is China’s original TikTok, released one year before the global platform. Douyin has become the dominant short-video platform and operates as a separate entity to TikTok, made exclusively for the Chinese market.
Monthly Active Users: 1.23 Billion (171 Million Games MAU)
Age Range: Generally, 18 – 35, but includes all age groups.
Bilibili
BiliBili is China's premier youth-oriented video platform, originally focused on anime content but now encompassing tech, education, and especially gaming.
Monthly Active Users: 376 Million (123 Million Games MAU)
Age Range: 18 – 24 (60% of Users), 25 – 35 (30% of Users)
Rednote
Xiaohongshu (RedNote) is a hybrid social-commerce platform focused on lifestyle, fashion and shopping, with a rapidly growing gaming space since 2023. Sometimes referred to as “China’s Instagram meets Amazon”.
Monthly Active Users: ~330 Million (110 Million Games MAU)
Age Range: Generally, 18 – 35
QQ, developed by Tencent, is an instant messaging and social media platform. It includes text and voice messaging, video calls, file sharing, and games. QQ’s popularity peaked in 2016 but is still a popular platform.
Monthly Active Users: ~532 Million
Age Range: 18 - 40
Weibo is a microblogging platform similar to Threads, with vast volumes of content across a variety of topics. Weibo is one of the most popular platforms in China for ages 25 – 35.
Monthly Active Users: ~558 Million
Age Range: Generally, 18 – 35. 40% of users within 25 – 35.