India’s gaming sector has crossed a symbolic revenue threshold, reaching $1.04 billion in 2025, propelled by mobile adoption, changing demographics, and a broader genre mix, signalling a rapidly evolving and expanding industry.
India’s video game market has passed a symbolic threshold, with Niko Partners estimating revenue of $1.04 billion in 2025, the first time the sector has moved beyond $1 billion. The research firm said the market expanded 14.8% year on year and remains the fastest-growing games market in its coverage, with revenue projected to approach $1.2 billion in 2026 and climb to $1.77 billion by 2030. That long runway reflects a market that is still young in monetisation terms but enormous in scale.
The growth story is being driven above all by mobile. Niko Partners estimated India had 511 million players in 2025, with that figure expected to rise above 550 million in 2026 and top 700 million by 2030. Yet average revenue per user remains low at $2.04, underlining how much of the opportunity still lies in converting reach into spending. IMARC Group, in a separate market estimate, said rapid smartphone adoption, cheaper data and widespread UPI use are helping keep India attractive for global publishers and domestic developers alike.
The market is also broadening beyond its most familiar genres. Niko Partners said battle royale and casual titles are still important, but audiences are growing for a wider mix of mobile, PC and console games, with some older PC titles also regaining traction. Fortune India reported a similar shift, saying Indian gamers are spending more on shooters and strategy titles as the market matures. Lumikai, meanwhile, said its 2025 report found the country’s games market had grown to $1.5 billion excluding real-money gaming, even as the overall gamer base fell, a sign that the remaining audience is more engaged and more willing to pay.
Niko Partners also pointed to changes in who is playing and how they are spending. Female participation rose from 43% of players in 2023 to 49% in 2026, while non-battle royale mobile games increased their share of mobile revenue. The report said 31.5% of players prefer buying content outside traditional app stores, including web stores, third-party stores and top-up cards, while 84.6% have used UPI-based payments. It also noted a more cautious mood around generative AI, suggesting Indian gamers are becoming more alert to issues of authenticity, transparency and the technology’s wider economic impact.
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