PC Gamer

PC Gamer

Global Editor-in-Chief	Phil Savage
Umwhile eeditors	Evan Lahti
Categories	PC gemmin
Frequency	Monthly
Circulation	22,054 (2013, nae langer audited bi ABC efter 2019)
Publisher	Future plc
First issue	November 1993
Company	Future plc
Kintra	Unitit Kinrick
Based in	Bath, Somerset
Leid	Inglis
Wabsteid	www.pcgamer.com
ISSN	1080-4471
OCLC number	680447102

PC Gamer is a magazine an wabsteid, foondit in the Unitit Kinrick in 1993, aboot PC gemmin, an published ilka month bi Future plc. The magazine haes several regional editions, wi the UK an US editions becomin the best-sellin PC gemmes magazines in thair ain kintras. The magazine haes industry news, gemme previews, reviews, an content on hardware an mods. Future an PC Gamer stertit the digital PC Gaming Show at E3 in 2015.

Reviewin seestem

In August 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 becam the first gemme tae get a raitin o 97% in the UK edition. Afore that, the heichest score gien in the UK edition wis 96%, awardit tae Kerbal Space Program, Civilization II, Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Minecraft, Spelunky, an Quake II. In the US edition, the heichest score gien wis 98%, tae Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Half-Life 2, an Crysis.

The laichest score gien in the UK edition wis 2%, awardit tae Big Brother: The Game an the re-release o Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. Big Brother 2 wis gien nae score ava, wi the review sayin: "We'll pit the same effort intae giein it a mark as they've made makkin the gemme." The laichest score gien in the US edition wis 4%, tae Mad Dog McCree.

Editions

PC Gamer wis foondit in the UK in November 1993. A sister edition for the Unitit States stertit in Juin 1994. The twa main editions — Breetish an American — are published bi Future plc, thirteen times ilka year.

Ower the years, several regional editions hae been stopped: the Malaysian edition (December 2011), the Roushie edition (December 2008), the Spainyie edition PC Juegos y Jugadores (2007), an the Australian edition (mid-tae-late 2004). The Swedish edition wis mair independent, lairgely acause o hou popular PC gemmes are in Swaden compared tae console gemmes.

In 2018, Future bocht the Australian video gemme magazine an wabsteid PC PowerPlay frae nextmedia, an brocht PC PowerPlay airticles intae the online version o PC Gamer.

PC Gamer UK

The first issue cam oot in December 1993. Samuel Roberts wis promotit tae UK Editor-in-Chief in Julie 2017, wi Phil Savage muivin up frae Deputy Editor tae Editor at the same time. In Julie 2024, Phil Savage wis made Global Editor-in-Chief o PC Gamer awthegither, takkin ower frae Evan Lahti, wha becam Strategic Director. Tyler Wilde wis made Editor-in-Chief for the US edition at the same time. The magazine comes oot ilka fower weeks, thirteen times a year, an is based in Bath, Somerset. It is published bi Richard Keith for Future plc.

The magazine yaised tae come wi a 3.5-inch fluppy disk, syne a CD, an syne a DVD. In August 2011, the UK magazine annoonced it wad stap the disk frae issue 232 on, an pit mair pages o content in its place insteid.

Regular sections include Eyewitness, Previews, Send (letters frae readers), special features, reviews, Extra Life (mods an classic gemmes), an Systems (hardware). The back page, cried "It's All Over", haes gemme-relatit airtwork. A section cried "Gamer Snap" (photaes sent in bi readers) wis latterly replaced bi "Guess the Game" (drawin's made in Microsoft Paint).

A blog wis stertit efter PC Gamer jyned up wi the Computer and Video Games network. In 2010, PC Gamer relaunched its wabsteid an blog, bringin thegither the online communities o baith the US an UK magazines intae ae wabsteid. The UK podcast stertit on 4 Mey 2007 an ran for 93 episodes till 5 Julie 2013. It wis relaunched in Mairch 2016 wi a new episode ilka week.

Tirage

The magazine's tirage wis 22,054 in aw for the year 2013 (19,125 print, 2,929 digital), per certificates frae the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). This wis awready weel doun frae earlier in the decade: bi December 2006, tirage haed faun tae 43,620 issues a month, doun frae 45,295 the audit period afore. The trend continued: bi 2026, the ABC's ain product page for PC Gamer states plainly that the title "is no longer registered with ABC" for independent tirage-auditin, wi its last full certificate datin frae 2019 — pairt o a wider, decades-lang shift o UK computer an gemmin magazines, an o parent companie Future plc's magazine portfolio athegither, awa frae print an audited tirage.

PC Gamer US

The first issue cam oot in Mey/Juin 1994. Tyler Wilde becam Editor-in-Chief o the US edition in Julie 2024, takkin ower news operations frae Evan Lahti. It is published bi Ace St. Germain for Future US.

In 1999, Future US, then cried Imagine Media, bocht the rival magazine PC Games an brocht its staff intae PC Gamer. The magazine yaised tae come wi a demo disk. CDs war replaced bi DVDs ower time.

In the 1990s, the demo disk had FMV sequences wi the editors, includin a "basement" navigation gemme lik Myst. A mascot cried "Coconut Monkey" wis brocht in during the chynge frae FMV tae menus. The cover disk o the Julie 1998 issue o the Slovenian, Swedish, an UK editions o PC Gamer wis infectit wi the Marburg virus, which CNN Money reportit becam a "widespread threat". In the September 2011 issue, PC Gamer annoonced it wad stap the demo disk awthegither.

PC Gaming Show

The PC Gaming Show, first haudit at E3 in 2015, hae become an annual stertin-pynt for PC gemmin annoonces. In 2020, wi E3 cancelled acause o the pandemic, PC Gamer ran it as pairt o a day o live-streamed shows wi ither publishers. Bi 2024, the show haed run for ten years, an PC Gamer merkit the anniversary wi a retrospective o its biggest annoonces.