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German gamers delay purchases as gaming hardware prices surge
A Bitkom survey of 663 gamers in Germany found that 37 % have postponed buying RAM, consoles or graphics cards because of higher prices, while 48 % had planned a purchase for 2026. Only 11 % said price rises did not affect their plans. The survey links the price pressure to a global AI‑driven demand for chips and semiconductors, which has pushed up costs across the gaming‑hardware market.
At the same time, the industry is shifting to larger graphics‑memory configurations. The Steam hardware survey for July 2026 shows 25.9 % of gamers now use graphics cards with 16 GB VRAM, up from 6.8 % a year earlier, and manufacturers such as NVIDIA, ASUS and Lenovo are announcing new high‑end models with corresponding price increases. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 remains the most common single GPU at about 4 % market share, while premium systems like the STORMCRAFT Valkyrie series and compact PCs such as the GMKtec NucBox EVO‑T2S are priced between €1,900 and €2,800.
Entities
Bitkom · German gamers · Graphics cards · Nvidia · Ram
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Manufacturers are announcing significant price hikes for new 16 GB VRAM graphics cards.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 holds about 4 % market share as the most used single GPU.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] New high‑end systems such as STORMCRAFT Valkyrie, GMKtec NucBox EVO‑T2S and Lenovo Bellator Zhan 7000P were announced with prices between €1,900 and €2,800.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 25.9 % of gamers now use graphics cards with 16 GB VRAM, up from 6.8 % a year earlier.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Price increases are linked to AI‑driven global demand for chips and semiconductors. www.fehmarn24.de · www.hna.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] Only 11 % of surveyed gamers were not deterred by higher prices. www.fehmarn24.de · www.hna.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] 37 % of German gamers postponed purchases of gaming hardware due to price increases. www.fehmarn24.de · www.hna.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] 48 % of surveyed German gamers had planned a hardware purchase in 2026. www.fehmarn24.de · www.hna.de