Indian gaming market to reach $6-7 billion by 2025, says report

Mobile app downloads grew by 50 per cent and user engagement went up by 20 per cent, as per a study by IAMAI, OnePlus and RedSeer.

A report prepared by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), in partnership with OnePlus and RedSeer, estimates that the Indian gaming market is poised to reach $6-7 billion in value by 2025 from $1.8 billion presently. It also highlights that 40 per cent of the hardcore gamers pay for their games, with an average spend of Rs 230 per month.

The COVID pandemic has accelerated the organic growth of digital games, as mobile app downloads grew by 50 per cent and user engagement went up by 20 per cent, the study says. The increased gaming time has spurred the growth of hardcore gamers in India, even as casual games remain the most popular genre in India.

The report was released by Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary of industries & commerce (I&C) and information technology (IT), Telangana government; and Saurabh Gaur, joint secretary, ministry of electronics and IT. Also present was Navnit Nakra, vice president, chief strategy officer and head of India sales, OnePlus India; and Rajen Vagadia, vice president and president, Qualcomm, at a roundtable discussion around e-gaming hosted by the IAMAI and moderated by Kanishka Mohan, associate partner, RedSeer.

“We are at the cusp of a gaming revolution, and the gaming ecosystem is working towards user-friendly smartphones and leveraging 5G technologies,” said Ranjan.

While releasing the report by OnePlus, titled ‘Building up the e-gaming ecosystem of India and the influence of smartphones’, in partnership with IAMAI and RedSeer, Ranjan also talked about the growth potential of the gaming sector and the significance of user-friendly devices for the same.

Indian gaming has leap-frogged into the mobile gaming era due to the rapid increase in smartphone penetration in the country, with large console and PC games now being curated for mobile platforms. The sector is also attracting huge investment interest, with nearly $1 billion being invested in the sector in the last six months.

India is currently home to over 400 million online gamers, and the number is estimated to grow to 650 million by 2025. Currently, mobile gaming dominates the Indian gaming sector, contributing more than 90 per cent to the $1.8 billion gaming market, the report added.

Speaking at the session, OnePlus India’s Nakra said, “Over the past few years, the e-gaming industry in India has grown tremendously, driven by the rising avenues for digitisation promoted by the flagship initiative of the government, the Digital India program and improved accessibility centred on innovation and affordability by OEMs. We are happy to have partnered with IAMAI and RedSeer as the report has served as a unique avenue for the industry to gain actionable insights, and come together to drive meaningful discourse and innovative ideas".

OnePlus has also introduced innovative features that have amplified the gaming experience for its users, such as 120Hz refresh rate, warp charge, screen recording, and Pro Gaming Mode. The introduction of OnePlus Games and Pro Gaming Mode is aimed to enhance the users’ gaming experience.