Gaming Industry

Market Size and Growth:

User Base : India is home to one of the world’s largest gaming communities, with more than 568 million gamers recorded in 2024.
Market Value: Industry revenue is expected to surpass USD 10 billion in 2025 and approach USD 16 billion by 2030.
Growth Rate: The sector is forecasted to grow at a five-year CAGR of 17.2%, reflecting rising engagement and increased monetization opportunities.
Regional Leadership: According to the IDGS Gaming Society, India is currently the fastest-growing video game market in Asia.

World's largest youth population
World's second largest Internet population
Availability of creative talent
Huge skills base across IT, Testing and Arts
World-class infrastructure and advanced technology
Presence of big development centres like Microsoft, Nvidia, UbiSoft, Zynga, Electronic Arts, Disney, Playdom, Sony, Digital Chocolate, etc.

The Indian online gaming industry was valued at US$ 3.7 billion in 2024.
It is projected to more than double, reaching US$ 9.1 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of ~19.6% (FY2024–2029).
Regulatory changes are influencing the market.

India has around 591 million gamers, which is ~20% of the global gaming population.
This is expected to grow to 630 million by FY26 (CAGR ~9.7%).

Mid-core games (games that are neither casual nor hardcore) are especially popular. According to iDGS, mid-core games grew the fastest and are a major category for paying users.
There’s growing interest in competitive genres: shooters, role-playing, battle royale, and strategy are among the more monetizable and engaging types.
Esports is expanding: participation in tournaments has crossed 2 million, and the number of professional teams is also rising.

Age-wise, 18–30 remains a core segment; this group is particularly active in mid-core and competitive games.
A significant portion of Indian gamers come from non-metro cities, reflecting the spread of affordable internet and smartphones.
There’s increasing diversity in the gamer base: for example, IBEF notes that 44% of gamers are women.

There are ~1,900 gaming companies operating in India, employing ~130,000 people in the gaming sector.
The sector has attracted US$ 3 billion in FDI,
There’s a projected unlocking of US$ 26 billion in investor value via IPOs, once the market scales to its 2029 projection.
In the long run, the report even talks about a potential USD 60 billion valuation by 2034, along with the creation of ~2 million jobs.

Smartphone penetration + data affordability continues to fuel growth
Regional content & vernacular games are helping reach non-metro and tier-2/3 users.
Export potential & IP creation: With many Indian gaming studios, there’s potential for global IP and content exports.
Make in India push: As the ecosystem matures, more game development (especially for mid-core / hardcore) is happening domestically.