Should I Buy a PC/Handheld PC in 2025?

In just a couple of weeks, Nvidia is going to announce it’s next wave of graphics cards for desktop PCs. That makes writing this article quite difficult.

On the one hand, there’s never been a better time to get into PC gaming. There are options to suit almost every single budget, and there are very few games you’ll miss out on by leaning heavily into the platform.

On the other hand, it all comes down to price. Clever consumers might be thinking of holding out for the 5000 series on the off-chance of getting a 3000 or 4000 series GPU cheaper. But a quick glimpse at mainstream stores shows that things don’t always work out that way. Argos, for instance, are still selling 2000 series computers at the same price as some 3000 or 4000 pre-builds.

But all that is in the detail, and we won’t have the detail for at least a couple of weeks. For the full view of the PC gaming sphere, you will have to wait until January. Then will be the best time to make your decision. It’ll probably be worth the wait, and especially if you’re going to invest some money in a system. The higher end devices will see a decent improvement.

The beautiful thing about PC gaming, though, is scalability. You don’t need to break the bank, despite how many people online grumble if they’re not reaching 4k and 180fps. Most people aren’t sporting even mid-level graphics cards. Many are just using integrated graphics, with no graphics cards at all.

There are a few things that’ll benefit those wanting to get into PC gaming without spending an obscene amount.

Buying a PC

The first is that most basic entry level PCs can and will play games. Retro games will work fine, as will many indie games. You can get tiny PCs for a couple of hundred pounds that will play enough that you’ll never need anything else. You won’t play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but you’ll have a blast with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. If you have a tolerance for older games or want to get away from the blockbuster churn of AAA gaming, you can easily make the switch for less than the cost of a console.

Most people want to be able to dip into some modern blockbuster titles though. The key there is scalability. And while your entry level office PC is more comfortable with Final Fantasy III than Final Fantasy XVI, you still don’t have to spend an ungodly amount.

A lot was made of Great Circle being impossible to run on many machines – it just looks that good. But the reality is that the conversation was overblown. If you have a graphics card capable of raytracing, you can find the right combination of settings to have it playing at whatever performance level you want. For those happy to play at lower resolutions – 1440p and below – there are plenty of brilliant choices. Most recently, Intel’s Arc B580 is offering tremendous performance at half the price of its closest competition. Definitely give it a look.

It’s a bad habit in the PC gaming community to expect everything to be maxed out and flawless. If you’re happy to lower the resolution, bring settings down to low or medium and make full use of AI upscaling, you’ll have an experience that more than rivals consoles, but with a much wider choice of games. You just can’t be precious about hitting every setting to its fullest.

And in case you need proof of that, look no further than the mighty Steam Deck. This little handheld PC can play almost anything you chuck at it. It’s a worthy entry point to PC gaming, and one of the few ways you can play hits like Cyberpunk and Hogwarts Legacy on the move.

Handhelds

Handhelds will be the natural PC entry point for many gamers in 2025. They’re becoming gradually more popular, there are quite a few to pick from and they offer something different from a console without the need for a traditional tower.

The Steam Deck is the face of these devices, but there are lots more to choose from, including devices that you can buy from Curry’s or Argos in the UK. They each have their pluses and negatives, so shop around and see what works for your use case.

Whatever you pick, the end result is the same. Top tier gaming in the palm of your hand. As above, you’ll need to make some graphical sacrifices to get it to work, but the tens of thousands of games available to you more than make up for that.

There are some new devices on the horizon, including some rumours around Sony and Microsoft branded hardware. If you’re not desperate, hold off and see if competition brings down any prices.

The Games

Most games are coming to PC now, and they’re usually there within the launch window. One notable exception to this in 2025 is Grand Theft Auto 6, probably the biggest game of the generation. If you’re picking one device and you want to play GTA, look at an Xbox or a PlayStation for the time being. It will come to PC eventually, but you’ll likely be waiting at least a year.

Aside from that, the vast majority of titles end up available to you. Everything Xbox releases is on PC day and date, and Sony are likely to be releasing things more quickly as time goes on. In the mean time, they’re dropping their games every three months or so, including Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us Part 2 in 2025. If you’re the kind of person who waits anyway, you’ll lose nothing and probably gain quite a bit through graphics, fixes and patches or additional content.

The one holdout from the console manufacturers is Nintendo. You won’t be able to legally play their games on your PC.

The extra bonus for PC gamers is that they tend to be able to get things cheaper too. On top of that, you don’t have to play a subscription to play online. Game library subscriptions like Xbox’s Game Pass or the Humble Monthly packs are available if you choose to go that way, and in the latter case you get to keep any games you’re given. All of this equals more money for money games.

The Downsides

If all this sounds like a no-brainer, you’ll understand why PC gaming has rapidly taken off in the last few years. Cheaper games, better performance, better graphics – so what is the downside? Well, there are two that are commonly mentioned.

The first is practical. A PC tends to be bigger than a console, and not quite as attractive. The traditional view of having a desktop tower, a mouse, keyboard and monitor persists. For good reason – many people play this way. It takes up space, it isn’t quite as comfortable as lounging on a sofa – I get it. Each of these things can be easily solved by someone with a mind to do it. I have a wireless controller, and a PC hidden behind my OLED TV. I have an app on my phone that lets me control my mouse. In a pinch I can use Steam’s Big Picture Mode. It’s as console-like as it can get while retaining all the advantages of PC gaming.

With that said, it’ll never be as simple as owning a console. Part of having a PC – even a handheld – is operating the PC. And part of that involves the tinkering you’ll inevitably be required to do.

Now, there are two caveats before I move on. Gone are the days (mostly) of editing text files to change resolutions or having to acquire decade-old fixes from dodgy looking websites if you want to boot up a game from 2005. Equally, those dodgy looking websites aren’t the commanders of all PC knowledge, deriding you for not knowing the basics of your system.

Want to know how to play a game at its best on your system? Go to YouTube, pop in the game name and your system, follow the instructions, don’t think about it ever again. It takes twenty seconds at the start of a playthrough and it works every single time. Well, almost every single time. And that’s the thing isn’t it? You don’t have to do that on console. It all just works.

Should I Buy A PC In 2025?

PC gaming is taking off, especially amongst younger people. They’re seeing Twitch streamers get up to all kinds of things, including modding, and they’re realising that it’s the most versatile place to play. It can also be the most expensive, if you let it.

But it can also be extremely reasonable. You can pretty much pick a price point or a collection of games and there will be some clever way of getting there without breaking the bank. There are communities through the web that will help you do that.

Naturally, if you want to play everything at full settings, filling out your 4k or even 8k telly, you’ll be paying for it. But that’s also an option. That’s what PC is all about: options. And while that puts some onus on the user to troubleshoot, the end result is worth it.

In terms of time frames, there are always going to be new graphics cards and processors on the horizon. You don’t need to chase them, and, beyond Nvidia’s unveiling of the 5000 series, there’s not much point in holding out for better. Wait and see what the prices are and get the best deal you can.

Handhelds are also in a great place. While these are less future proof than a desktop, they’re also less expensive and – in theory – less likely to need to be tinkered with. This is an area that’s taking off quickly, and the Switch 2 will offer a Nintendo-themed alternative. Things could change fast (rumours are that the Switch 2 will also be announced early January). But if it’s variety and versatility you’re after, a handheld PC will offer far more in those areas than the Switch 2.