The Indian gaming market is poised to reach USD 3.9 bn in value by 2025, according to a report prepared by IAMAI in collaboration with OnePlus and RedSeer.
The report also highlighted that 40% of the hardcore gamers pay for their games with an average spend of Rs 230 per month. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the organic growth of digital games as mobile app downloads grew by 50% and user engagement went up by 20%, 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 is titled ‘Building up the e-gaming ecosystem of India and the influence of smartphones’.
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 USD 1 Bn being invested in the sector in the last 6 months, the report states.
India is currently home to over 430 Mn mobile gamers and the number of gamers is estimated to grow to 650 Mn by 2025. Currently, mobile gaming dominates the Indian gaming sector, contributing more than 90% to the USD 1.6 Bn gaming market and is expected to further grow to generate USD 3.9 Bn value by 2025, the report added.
Smartphones have become more affordable and pack strong hardware that is equipped to run games which may require medium to high Specifications. This has opened accessibility to more immersive gaming for the masses, with smartphone OEMs also increasingly focusing on incorporating dedicated gaming features on their newest devices and launching gaming-specific phones.