India’s gaming market surges past $1 billion as player base tops 500 million

New Delhi: Video games have taken their time to become mainstream in India, where gaming was once viewed as a distraction from studies or work and offered little in the way of career prospects. 

Today, however, the landscape looks very different. Gaming has moved from being a niche pastime to a common part of everyday life, cutting across age and social groups. A grandmother playing Candy Crush might now sit beside her granddaughter immersed in Battlegrounds Mobile India, while office workers are often seen spending their lunch breaks on quick gaming sessions.

The shift is also visible in spending patterns. According to data from Niko Partners, India’s video games market is projected to exceed $1 billion in player spending this year, with the total gamer base surpassing 500 million. This makes India the fastest-growing video game market tracked by the firm across Asia and the Middle East and North Africa region.

Niko Partners, which began tracking the Indian gaming market nearly a decade ago and expanded to full coverage in 2020, said the country’s growth trajectory reflects deep structural and behavioural changes. Its research points to a market that is expanding in scale, diversity, and commercial potential, supported by improving infrastructure and digital access.

The firm’s latest reports, the India Market Model Report released in May 2025 and the India Gamer Behaviour & Market Insights Report from October 2025, highlight a number of key developments. 

India is home to more than 500 million gamers, with about 95% playing on mobile devices. Player spending is expected to cross $1 billion in 2025, while women now account for around 40% of the gaming population, compared to 22% in 2020.

Esports continues to gain traction, with 60 per cent of Indian gamers reported to have played, watched, or competed in esports titles. The battle royale genre remains the most popular, with 40 per cent of respondents indicating plans to continue playing such games over the next year.

Gamers in India primarily discover new games through social media platforms, short video apps, and influencers or streamers. Niko Partners’ research also shows that roughly a quarter of gamers, about 126 million people, are active spenders. The market is expected to reach $1.5 billion in player spending by 2028 and 724 million gamers by 2029, a figure comparable to China’s current gamer base.

According to Niko Partners, the Indian market cannot be approached with a single strategy, as it reflects multiple sub-markets with varied preferences and behaviours. The firm suggests that companies entering the market would benefit from smaller-scale initiatives to understand audience response before expanding further.

It notes that several factors are now converging to make India a key market for growth: widespread UPI adoption, the rollout of 5G, moderate localisation challenges, expanding government support, and a growing readiness among players to spend on games.