Study conducted by: Ali Akbar Abdolmajid, Market Research Manager at Antidote
LATAM represents one of the most dynamic regions for PC gaming, yet international studios often struggle to convert high engagement into sustainable revenue.
To better understand how players across countries like Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia buy, discover and play games, we analyzed survey responses from PC gamers across the region.
Here are key stats and findings from the report:
Local Currency Pricing Is a Must
Pricing strategy is the single largest factor determining whether LATAM players buy a game or skip it. 71.96% of survey respondents rate local currency pricing as “very important”, with another 14.95% calling it “important”.
When games are listed solely in USD or lack regional adjustment, affordability becomes an immediate bottleneck. 50.3% of players cite higher prices as their primary challenge when accessing global releases, while 35.5% struggle with regional locks and 28.4% cite a lack of localization.
One-Time Purchases Beat Subscriptions
Player spending in Latin America is heavily value-driven and cost-sensitive. 83.7% of respondents prefer classic one-time purchases (buy-to-play), followed by free-to-play at 72.5% and base games with optional DLC at 47.1%.
1) Fixed Costs Feel Safer
36.14% of players spend between $10 and $29 per month on PC games, while 24.92% spend under $10. A single upfront price provides predictable costs that fit these monthly budgets.
2) Subscriptions Underperform
Recurring subscription models rank low at 12.5%, while ongoing service models score lowest at 6.3%.
3) Content Preferences
When spending on extra content, 56.5% buy expansions and DLCs that add meaningful depth, while 36.4% spend on cosmetics or skins. Pay-to-progress items like boosts interest only 6.9% of players.
PC Gamers Maintain Strong Multi-Device Habits
Although 61.99% of respondents primary game on desktop setups and 26.79% use laptops, LATAM PC players are not locked to a single screen.
75.75% of PC players also game on mobile phones or tablets. On consoles, PlayStation leads at 26.70% and Nintendo Switch holds 25.61%, both ahead of Xbox at 18.53%.
This high cross-platform engagement means players frequently switch between primary PC sessions and secondary mobile or console play.
Steam and YouTube Dominate Storefronts and Discovery
Reaching LATAM PC players requires focusing on a small set of primary platforms.
Storefront Reach
Steam is essentially universal, used by 98.5% of respondents to discover or buy PC games. The Epic Games Store serves as a strong secondary option at 82.3%, while regional platforms like Nuuvem (41.7%) and Mercado Libre (19.6%) serve specific deal-seeking niches.
Discovery Channels
YouTube leads first-touch discovery at 20.1%, closely followed by organic store browsing on Steam at 19.4%. Word-of-mouth from friends and family accounts for 10.9%, outranking news sites (8.9%), Instagram (8.6%), and TikTok (8.2%).
Aligning Strategy with Regional Expectations
Succeeding in the Latin American PC market relies on removing friction at checkout. Offering regional pricing, supporting local payment methods like cards and digital wallets, and choosing straightforward purchase models helps developers unlock an engaged, long-term player base across LATAM.
Get the Full LATAM PC Player Report
- This summary highlights key data points from our regional research. The complete report includes:
- Detailed breakdowns of player demographics across age, gender, and player archetypes.
- Deep dives into genre preferences, download motives and session habits.
Regional payment method breakdowns, including local wallet adoption.
Log in to your free Antidote account to download the full report. Creating an account takes less than a minute and gives you instant access to our entire library of gaming market research reports and player insights.
