How much does it cost to run a gaming PC? (2026 price cap)
At the GB-average Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a gaming PC rated at 400W costs 11p an hour to run and around £115 a year assuming 3 hours of gaming a day.
Per hour
11p
Per typical use
32p
Per day
32p
Per week
£2.22
Per year
£115
Typical rating and how we worked this out
This page uses a typical rating of 400W for a gaming PC; published figures for this appliance range from 250W to 600W. A gaming PC's power draw depends heavily on the graphics card under load; independent measurements put a typical mid-to-high-end gaming desktop at 250–600W while actively gaming, several times a basic office desktop. The running cost follows the same formula used across this site: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × unit rate. Typical use is modelled as 3 hours of gaming a day, which is how the per-day, per-week and per-year figures above were calculated — see the cost-to-run calculator to change the wattage, hours or region yourself.
Rate used: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, GB average electricity — 26.32p/kWh (excl. VAT, removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027).
Cost by region
Same appliance, same use — ranked most to least expensive by region under the price cap:
| Region | Elec p/kWh | Cost per hour | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86 | 11p | £122 |
| South Eastern England | 26.88 | 11p | £118 |
| Eastern England | 26.61 | 11p | £117 |
| London | 26.60 | 11p | £117 |
| South Western England | 26.58 | 11p | £116 |
| Southern Wales | 26.55 | 11p | £116 |
| North Western England | 26.49 | 11p | £116 |
| Southern England | 26.47 | 11p | £116 |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35 | 11p | £115 |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11 | 10p | £114 |
| West Midlands | 25.60 | 10p | £112 |
| Yorkshire | 25.60 | 10p | £112 |
| North Eastern England | 25.46 | 10p | £112 |
| East Midlands | 25.36 | 10p | £111 |
| Great Britain average | 26.32 | 11p | £115 |
East Midlands is cheapest at £111 a year; Merseyside and Northern Wales is most expensive at £122 a year — a gap of £10.95 for identical use.
How a gaming PC compares with similar appliances
Ranked by typical annual cost in entertainment & office, GB average:
- gaming PC — £115 a year (this page)
- 65-inch OLED TV — £67.25 a year
- desktop PC — £67.25 a year
- 55-inch OLED TV — £52.84 a year
- games console (PlayStation 5-class) — £38.43 a year
- 55-inch LED TV — £36.03 a year
Three practical ways to cut the cost
- Cap the frame rate in games you don't need running flat-out — many GPUs draw disproportionately more power for the last 20% of frame-rate headroom
- Use the eco/power-saving profile for everyday browsing, switching to full performance only for gaming
- Turn off or sleep the PC when not in use rather than leaving it idle for hours
FAQs
- How much does it cost to run a gaming PC for an hour?
- 11p at the GB-average rate (26.32p/kWh, 400W). One typical use — 3 hours of gaming a day — costs closer to 32p.
- How much does a gaming PC cost to run per year?
- Around £115 a year at the GB-average rate, assuming 3 hours of gaming a day — about £2.22 a week.
- Which UK region is cheapest to run a gaming PC in?
- East Midlands, at £111 a year, against £122 in Merseyside and Northern Wales — £10.95 apart for identical use, purely from the regional rate.
- Does the exact wattage of my gaming PC change the cost much?
- Yes — ratings range 250W–600W, so the top of that range costs about 2.4x the bottom. This page uses 400W; check your own rating plate.
- Does the October 2026 price cap affect this figure?
- Yes — figures use the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Electricity excludes VAT (removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027); gas includes 5%. See the price cap page for the full breakdown.
Sources
- EnergySage — how many watts does a computer use — wattage and usage figures for this appliance.
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (regional tables, read 12 September 2026).
Related
- Cost-to-run calculator and full A–Z — check any appliance or enter a custom wattage.
- Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 — every region, every payment method.
- Back-billing calculator — if a bill for this or any appliance looks like it covers too many months.
- Free bill audit — if your overall energy costs look high regardless of any one appliance.
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