I've been a hardcore PC gamer my whole life. In 2026, I own a Chromebook instead

I’ve been a hardcore PC gamer for about as long as I can remember. Yet in 2026, my only computing device is a Chromebook. Of course, I didn’t get here overnight.

It began in 2020, when I decided to replace my aging custom gaming desktop with a Zephyrus ROG gaming laptop. This was a mistake. After years of overheating and build-quality issues, my ROG eventually gave up the ghost in late 2025.

This has left me stranded with a high-end Chromebook as my only computing device. While my original plan was to replace the machine with a custom rig as soon as possible, finances tightened up as the holidays crept closer. The current RAM crisis didn’t help either, as prices have gone through the roof. Ultimately, I decided to hang out as long as I could.

At first, I was pretty upset about the idea of losing access to PC gaming for months on end. Months later, I have to admit that I don’t miss traditional PC gaming as much as I thought I would.

Gaming without a gaming PC isn’t as bad as I thought it would be

As much as I cling to the title of hardcore gamer, the identity isn’t as true for me as it once was. I simply don’t have as much time for it as a forty-year-old man with three kids, a wife, and tons of responsibilities.

It’s true I still chase after specs like a PC gamer, and I love having the latest gaming platforms. Likewise, I keep up with gaming culture and the best hits. That said, my interest tends to come and go in waves anymore.

Still, I have staples I tend to gravitate back to regularly, most of which are in genres that have historically been dominated by the PC. This includes games like Minecraft, Stellaris, Baldur’s Gate 3, Tropico, and more.

That’s the thing, though. The console and PC landscapes have changed a lot since my childhood. Every single one of the games I’ve mentioned above is available on at least one or two console platforms. Many (but not all) of them even support keyboard and mouse input.

In fact, many of the biggest PC gaming titles and a good portion of indie games now reach modern gaming consoles. You’ll even find titles that support limited modding, though admittedly, the Xbox is better here than the PS5.

If a game isn’t on console, or I already own it on PC? I typically find it on Steam via GeForce Now, though not every game is supported. NVIDIA’s platform also offers very limited modding support, which I’ve used in games like Baldur’s Gate 3.

Of course, no console or streaming platform offers a modding scene that even comes close to PCs. The graphics are also nowhere near the same level. Still, I’ve gone months without having to run out and pay $1,500 or more for a used gaming machine. At the same time, I haven’t had to miss out on most of my favorite games either.

Sure, I’ve had to compromise on the experience a little, but in some cases, the differences are so minor I can barely tell. On more than one ocassion I’ve been playing a game on my Chromebook using GeForce Now and forgot I was actually streaming it.

I’ve appreciated the Windows-less life more than I realized I would

I’m no stranger to Chromebooks, but I usually don’t keep them as my main computers for more than a few weeks at a time. Still, using it long-term opened my eyes a bit. I’d somewhat forgotten how much easier it is not to have to worry about constantly dealing with traditional viruses and other security issues. Malware still exists, of course, but ChromeOS is a much more secure platform overall.

Beyond that, I have run into fewer hiccups. While my Windows setup would sometimes hang, crash, and cause other common Windows problems, the Chromebook’s worst issue in the months of using it is that it hangs in Minecraft on rare occasions, or I have to close a few tabs if I have hundreds open. 

The fact that my Chromebook is higher-end and has limited support for Steam also means I’ve been able to run a few of my casual games directly on it, without using streaming or a console. Games like Stardew Valley already exist on Google Play, but it’s nice to be able to play the Steam version. I’ve even managed to get Fallout 4 running on this thing, though the console is certainly a better choice if I want to crank the settings. 

I don’t know what my gaming future will bring, but I do know I’ll stick to Chromebooks as my main work platform going forward, or at least whatever Google ends up calling it once Aluminum OS rolls out.

Will I ever go back to hardcore gaming, or is this shift permanent?

I originally left PC gaming not really by any choice of my own, but now that I’m here? I don’t see any immediate need to go back.

The PC still provides a superior experience and doesn’t require monthly subscriptions like streaming services do, but I truly believe I could see myself staying away from traditional PCs if future streaming and console gaming eventually offer more robust modding features and other improvements that help level things out a bit more. That said, we haven’t reached that point, and I am not sure we ever will.

As it stands, yes, I will definitely return to the world of PC gaming someday. I miss modding and tinkering too much. Consoles and streaming help scratch the PC gaming itch enough to allow me to slowly save up, but I’ll be ready to return within the next couple of years as more must-mod titles hit the scene. That said, I no longer feel like I’m truly missing out on anything game-changing, and that’s incredible.