Platform

Cross-platform multiplayer — the ability for players on different gaming platforms (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch) to play together in the same matches or sessions. Crossplay has become increasingly common in major multiplayer games including Fortnite, Rocket League, and Call of Duty. It significantly increases the matchmaking player pool and reduces wait times. Some players disable crossplay due to concerns that PC players have mechanical advantages over controller players in shooters.

Upscaling technologies that allow games to render at a lower resolution and use AI or algorithms to reconstruct a higher-resolution image, recovering performance lost to demanding settings like ray tracing. DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is NVIDIA's AI-powered upscaler, exclusive to RTX GPUs. FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) is AMD's open-source alternative, compatible with virtually any GPU including NVIDIA cards. Both allow players to significantly improve frame rates with minimal perceived visual quality loss. Intel's XeSS is a third competing upscaler.

The practice of modifying a game's files to change gameplay, add new content, fix bugs, or improve visuals. PC gaming has the richest modding ecosystem, with games like Skyrim, Minecraft, and Cities: Skylines receiving thousands of community-created modifications. Mods are distributed through platforms like Nexus Mods and the Steam Workshop. Some of the most influential games started as mods — Counter-Strike and DotA both began as Valve or Blizzard engine mods.

Gaming on personal computers (Windows, Mac, Linux). PC gaming offers higher performance potential, a wider game library, mod support, and customizable hardware compared to consoles. Key PC gaming platforms include Steam (Valve), Epic Games Store, and GOG. PC gaming is the dominant platform for strategy games, MOBAs, and competitive FPS titles. Building or buying a capable gaming PC typically costs more upfront than a console but offers greater flexibility.

A real-time rendering technique that simulates the physical behaviour of light to produce realistic reflections, shadows, ambient occlusion, and global illumination. Ray tracing has been available in PC games since 2018 (NVIDIA RTX series) and became a console feature with PS5 and Xbox Series X. While ray tracing dramatically improves visual fidelity — particularly in reflective surfaces and lighting — it has significant performance costs. Most games offer a Quality mode (ray tracing enabled, 30fps) vs Performance mode (ray tracing off, 60fps) on consoles.

A handheld gaming PC made by Valve, released in 2022. The Steam Deck runs SteamOS (a Linux-based operating system) and can play the vast majority of the Steam game library. It bridges the gap between PC and handheld gaming, allowing players to take their Steam library on the go. Valve rates games as Verified, Playable, or Unsupported on the Steam Deck based on compatibility testing. The Steam Deck OLED (2023) updated the display and battery.