True Cost Calculator

What does gaming actually cost you?

Hardware depreciation, electricity, subscriptions, microtransactions — the full picture. Adjust the inputs and watch your real annual spend update live.

Your Country

Sets currency, electricity rate, and subscription pricing automatically.

Your Setup

Platform(s)

Hardware

£

PC + monitor, or console + TV portion

How old (years)2yr
0yr8yr
Expected lifespan5yr
2yr10yr
£

Keyboard, mouse, headset, controller, chair

Peripherals lifespan3yr
1yr6yr

Games

Games bought per year8
030
£
Bought on sale40%
0%100%
Average sale discount40%
10%80%

Subscriptions

£/mo

In-Game Spending

£/mo

Battle passes, skins, loot boxes, V-Bucks

£/mo

Time & Power

Hours played per week15h
1h60h
£/kWh

United Kingdom average 0.245£/kWh — override if your rate differs

Your gaming costs

£789per year
£66/month£2.16/day£1.01/hour

That's £23,663 over a 30-year gaming lifetime

Cost Breakdown

🖥️ Hardware£24030%
🎮 Peripherals£678%
🎲 Games£23530%
💰 Microtransactions£12015%
📦 DLC£608%
Electricity£678%

💡 Hardware is your biggest expense at 30% of total spend.

Cost Over Time

Cumulative spend over 10 years

5-year total
£3,944
10-year total
£7,888
Lifetime (30y)
£23,663

Cost Per Hour vs Everything Else

Going out
£15.00/hr
Cinema
£8.00/hr
Gym
£5.00/hr
Reading
£1.50/hr
Avg UK gamer
£1.41/hr
Your gaming
£1.01/hr
Netflix
£0.37/hr
Spotify
£0.18/hr

💚 Gaming is cheaper than cinema (£8.00/hr) — your hobby earns its keep.

What Else Could You Buy?

✈️
5 flights
Return flights to Europe
🍺
131 pints
Pints at the pub
📺
71.7 months
Months of Netflix
🍕
52 meals
Takeaway meals
🎮
15 games
AAA games at full price
📈
£868 (10% avg return)
S&P 500 after 1 year

Smart Insights

At £1.01/hour, gaming is cheaper than most entertainment. Your setup is earning its keep.

You spend 780 hours gaming per year — 33 full days, or 8.9% of your waking life.

Game Pass costs £156/year vs your current game purchases. Worth checking if the games you play are on there.

Based on the United Kingdom average rate of £0.245/kWh (Ofgem price cap Q1 2025). Your actual rate may differ — check your energy bill for accuracy.

Gamer Benchmark

Where your spending sits vs the average UK PC/console gamer

£350
Minimum
£650
Median
£1,100
Average
£3,500
Top 10%
You spend more than 34% of UK PC/console gamers — your annual spend of £789 puts you in the below average bracket.

Benchmarks based on UK IPO Survey 2022, Statista 2024. PC/console gamers typically spend more than the overall average which includes mobile.