What accessories will American gamers buy in the next six months?

Video game accessories aim to enrich a player’s experience by helping them further immerse themselves in the world in which they’re racing, doing battle or solving puzzles. New YouGov consumer data shows what types of accessories gamers currently own, and which types are expected to see the biggest growth over the next six months.

According to YouGov data, 44% of gamers of any type have a gaming controller in their household, with another 10% indicating intent to purchase one in the next sixth months.

Close to two in five American gamers currently own headphones (38%), with another 13% poised to buy one in the next half-year, making them the most popular accessory purchase on our list.

We have seen massive growth in the popularity of esports in the last few years, which has likely boosted demand for PC-related accessories. About a quarter of America’s gamers currently own a gaming mouse, with another 7% keen to buy one. One in five own a gaming mousepad (20%), another 5% are ready to buy one. Looking at keyboards, while a quarter of gamers currently have a gaming keyboard, another 9% will get a new one in the next six months.

Gaming chairs have also gained popularity, both among gamers and non-gamers looking to level-up their working-from-home setup. In an example of fortuitous timing, Logitech and high-end furniture maker Herman Miller announced a partnership in February 2020 just before the start of the pandemic to make high-performance chairs for gamers.

YouGov data shows 17% of gamers in the US currently own a gaming chair, with another 9% ready to buy one in the next six months.

Gaming monitors appear lower down on our list, but a notable proportion of gamers own (16%) or are prepared to buy one in the next six months (8%).

According to our data, 15% of gamers currently have a high-end graphics card, while another 9% want to buy one in the next six months, despite a global chip shortage that has hobbled nearly every consumer goods sector, including – especially – computer chip makers.

Meanwhile YouGov consumer data also shows what gamers consider most when looking to purchase accessories. While price is a main factor for a majority (61%), quality is also important to a slightly larger proportion of this group (63%).

Quality and price are well ahead of other considerations, such as features (32%), brand (28%), and consumer reviews (26%).

Speaking of the chip shortage, 22% of gamers say availability is a main consideration when buying accessories.

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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.