India’s gaming industry surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 2025, driven by mobile gaming growth, increasing digital engagement, and evolving consumer preferences despite a ban on real-money gaming. Projections indicate continued expansion and diversification through 2030.
India’s games market crossed a new threshold in 2025, generating $1.04 billion in revenue for the first time, according to Niko Partners. The figure marked 14.8% growth from a year earlier and came despite India’s ban on real-money gaming, which has forced the industry to lean more heavily on in-app purchases, premium passes, cosmetic spending, subscriptions and advertising-led monetisation, the Financial Express reported.
Niko Partners expects the market to keep expanding, with revenue forecast to near $1.2 billion in 2026 and reach $1.77 billion by 2030. That would imply a compound annual growth rate of 11.2% over five years. The firm’s data also points to a much larger audience ahead: India’s gaming community rose to 511 million people in 2025 and is projected to climb above 550 million in 2026 before passing 700 million by 2030.
The growth is being driven mainly by mobile gaming, helped by stronger digital engagement and rising disposable income in some consumer groups. Niko Partners said average revenue per user remains low at $2.04, which underscores how early India’s monetisation cycle still is, even as that figure is expected to rise to $2.52 by 2030. The market is also becoming more diverse. Players are spreading across more genres and increasingly using PCs and consoles, while younger users are gravitating towards user-generated content platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft.
The changing mix is also visible in mobile revenue outside battle royale titles, which rose from 53.2% of market revenue in June 2023 to 62.8% by June 2026, according to Niko Partners. The firm said that government support, greater esports participation and more room for publishers to broaden their portfolios could shape the market further over the next five years. It also flagged a growing caution among Indian gamers about generative AI, particularly over its use by developers and players and its possible impact on jobs.
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