India’s Gaming Market: 2026

India’s gaming market reached a significant milestone in 2025, surpassing $1 billion in revenue for the first time. The sector generated $1.04 billion, representing a 14.8% year-over-year increase. Projections indicate continued expansion, with the market expected to reach $1.2 billion in 2026 and $1.77 billion by 2030. This trajectory reflects a five-year compound annual growth rate of 11.2%, positioning India as the fastest-growing gaming market currently tracked. Notably, these figures exclude the substantial real-money gaming segment, focusing exclusively on traditional video game revenue.

The player base is expanding rapidly, growing from 511 million in 2025 to an anticipated 700 million by 2030. Despite this massive scale, monetization remains a challenge, as the average revenue per user (ARPU) was $2.04 in 2025 and is projected to reach only $2.52 by 2030. Demographic shifts are also evident, with the gender split among players reaching near parity, as the share of female gamers rose to 49% in 2026.

Market preferences are diversifying beyond the dominant Battle Royale genre, which saw its share of mobile revenue decline as other categories gained traction. User engagement is increasingly directed toward user-generated content platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, as well as older PC titles. Payment infrastructure is heavily reliant on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), utilized by 84.6% of players, while 31.5% of the audience prefers purchasing content through third-party stores or web shops. Furthermore, there is a growing, cautious sentiment among Indian players regarding the integration of generative AI, driven by concerns over economic impact and job security. These findings are derived from comprehensive market analysis and player behavior surveys.