43% of games skipped GPU upgrade to pay rent instead | Liquid Web
About 43% of gamers skipped a graphics processing unit (GPU) upgrade just to pay rent, according to a new report by Liquid Web.
Based on a survey of 1,000 PC gamers, Liquid Web came up with a variety of conclusions about what affects the buying decisions of gamers. And clearly they’re pretty price sensitive now. Liquid Web surveyed the PC gamers to uncover what drives today’s graphics card decisions.
The company noted that cloud gaming is a way for players to deal with the high costs of upgrading to a new GPU every few years. The survey found 62% of gamers would go all-in on cloud gaming if latency vanished. This represents a sober recalibration of value, performance, and permanence in the gamingworld, Liquid Web said. Keep in mind that Liquid Web is a provider of premium hosting and cloudinfrastructure solutions for businesses, developers, and digital creators.
The study explores how price, performance, and platform shifts like AI and cloud computing are affecting loyalty, value perception, and the future role of high-end GPUs.
AI upscaling is one such shift. This machine learning technology enhances lower-resolution frames by predicting and generating higher-resolution detail in real time. Alongside cloud gaming, it’s changing how gamers evaluate upgrade needs.
From budgeting limits to brand trust, our findings offer actionable insights into the priorities and pain points of modern PC gamers.
About 36% of players already use services like GeForce Now or Xbox xCloud. One in five believe that high-end GPUs will be obsolete within three years.
Death of the upgrade cycle?
About 57% of players say they have been blocked from GPU purchases due to scalping or price hikes. And 43% have postponed or canceled upgrades due to rent or bills. Only 25% of gamers are willing to spend more than $500 on a GPU.
Influencers are the new benchmarks, Liquid Web said. About 35% say influencers or reviews swayed them away from specific GPU brands. And 36% have switched GPU brands during an upgrade, while 23% say business controversies made them walk away from certain manufacturers.
Liquid Web said financial pivots and tech pivots create a lot of tension. The upgrade cycle is broken, as rent payments, cloud gaming and AI are making GPUs less relevant for Gen Z. There’s also the onset of graphics-light gaming platforms like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite. Those games have hundreds of millions of players, but they’re not the most demanding when it comes to graphics realism.
Roughly one in three gamers said they ditched a GPU brand because of influencers. This is not an easy thing to do, considering there are only three major GPU brands: Nvidia, AMD and Intel. Influence can beat specs when it comes to trust from gamers.
Methodology
Liquid Web surveyed 1,000 U.S.-based PC gamers in May 2025 to understand their GPU habits, upgrade barriers, and openness to cloud-based alternatives. The average age of gamers is 34, with 51% male, 46% female and 3% non-binary or other.
About 4% of those surveyed were boomers, 18% were Gen X, 56% were Millennials and 22% were Gen Z. The coverage included all 50 U.S. states and top 100 metro areas. The survey included attitudinal questions, cloud usage patterns, and brand sentiment ratings. Analysis was supported by Google Trends comparisons of 318 GPU-related search terms across U.S. regions and major cities. Respondents were screened for active gaming engagement and recent GPU consideration or ownership.
Other findings
Nearly 3 in 4 gamers (73%) would choose Nvidia if all GPU brands performed equally. Over one in four gamers (25%) say $500 is their maximum budget for a GPU today. About 42% would skip future GPU upgrades entirely if AI upscaling or cloud services met their performance needs.
Liquid Web said performance, price, and brand loyalty drive decisions. Gamers aren’t just buying GPUs based on brand loyalty. They’re also weighing performance, price, and trust. Among respondents, 36% had switched brands during a GPU upgrade, with 78% citing performance and 69% citing price as the top reasons.
A series of bar charts shows survey results on GPU preferences, factors in choosing the best GPUs, trusted sources, and upgrade frequency among PC gamers. Most preferred brand is Nvidia, most important factor is performance, most trusted resource is Reddit/online forums, and a vast majority of gamers keep a GPU 3-5 years before upgrading.
Nvidia remained the brand of choice for the majority, with 73% of gamers selecting it as their preferred GPU if all brands performed equally. This preference was especially strong among power users: 76% of ultrawide monitor users and 66% of 4K gamers relied on Nvidia.
However, sentiment isn’t set in stone. Around a quarter (23%) said recent controversies or business decisions made them less likely to support a brand. Influencers also played a role, with 35% of gamers saying reviews or tech personalities have swayed them away from certain manufacturers.
Nearly one in 10 gamers (8%) reported regretting a GPU purchase. These feelings were most often due to issues like: Driver problems (especially for AMD users); overheating or loud cooling solutions; underwhelming performance for the price paid; incompatibility with VR or specific games; short-lived performance gains.
“Gamers are pragmatic: value, reliability, and innovation matter more than brand loyalty. Brands that embrace these shifts will stand out in an increasingly discerning market,” said Brooke Oates, product manager at Liquid Web, in a statement.
As GPU prices continue to rise, budget constraints are pushing gamers toward secondhand markets and upgrade delays. Still, a GPU remains the most desirable upgrade for some.
Nearly one in four (23%) said it would be their top pick if they could invest in just one component right now.
Survey data statistics show the long-term trust in GPU brands (Nvidia comes in first), budget ranges (varies, with 27% of respondents choosing $500-699), and best value-for-money GPU models (varies between Nvidia models, with Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti coming in first).
Buying behavior reflects gamers’ tight budgets. Nearly half (45%) have opted for used or older models, and 22% said they use drop trackers or alert services to monitor price changes.
Even for gamers ready to upgrade, 39% plan to wait one to two years, while another 37% said they’d only replace it if their current GPU fails.
One in 7 gamers reported that GPU shortages have impacted their gaming or productivity in the past year. Gamers are divided on whether new features are worth it. About half believe GPUs have hit diminishing returns, while half do not. Topping the list of overrated features were 8K gaming (47%), ray tracing (17%), and frame generation (11%).
Cloud gaming is reshaping future demand
GPU demand among gamers in the future may look very different as cloud services and AI technologies improve. Many PC gamers are already reconsidering the need for hardware upgrades.
Survey results on gamers’ attitudes toward cloud gaming, 42% would skip a GPU upgrade for cloud if it matched performance, and 62% would switch to cloud if latency was zero. Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming are the most trusted cloud gaming services, with 20% believing cloud gaming will replace hardware GPUs in the future.
More than two in five PC gamers (42%) said they would skip a future GPU upgrade entirely if AI upscaling or cloud services met their needs. Nearly two-thirds (62%), including 62% of millennial and 61% of Gen Z gamers, would switch to cloud gaming full-time if latency were eliminated.
Younger gamers showed the strongest inclination. Among Gen Z and millennials, 21% believed high-end GPUs would become less essential in the next three years. Over a third of respondents (36%) reported already using cloud gaming like GeForce Now or xCloud occasionally.
If these trends continue, cloud performance may become a decisive factor in the GPU market, altering not just how games are played but also whether expensive hardware remains relevant, Liquid Web said.
Even for gamers ready to upgrade, 39% plan to wait 1–2 years, while another 37% said they’d only replace it if their current GPU fails.
“With gamers increasingly open to cloud and AI-powered solutions, partnerships or innovation in these areas could position brands for the future,” Oats said
Economic constraints are pushing gamers to make more calculated choices. Tight budgets, secondhand markets, and skepticism toward features like 8K gaming signal a shift from prestige performance toward practical solutions.
At the same time, emerging technologies like AI upscaling and cloud gaming services are reshaping expectations. As hardware and software continue to evolve, the companies that win will be those that deliver value-first innovation, solving real pain points around access, longevity, and performance without breaking the bank.
“GPU and gaming providers must rethink and address their value propositions. Accessible pricing, trade-in programs, or cloud gaming integrations could build long-term loyalty,” said Oates.
