60 core gamers in India:Indians shifting from free casual games to shooter strategy- based ones

The mobile gaming market is taking a turn. According to a report by ‘Niko Global Investments’, gamers are now moving away from casual, free games to competitive games like shooters and strategy games. This is rapidly increasing in-app purchases. After the crackdown on real money gaming, i.e., betting-based games, gamers have shifted towards non-betting gaming. The non-RMG gaming market stood at ₹10,527 crore in 2025, which could reach ₹14,350 crore this year and ₹23,000 crore by 2029. The country has 600 million or 60 crore active gamers. Free games preferred, but in-app purchase revenue more than doubled to ₹7,656 crore in the last 5 years Fastest growth – In 2025, 795 crore mobile games were downloaded in the country, which is the highest in all of Asia. Gamers also increased by 9% year-on-year to 600 million. Focus on pricing – India lags behind in terms of profitability. Last year, ₹7,656 crore was earned from in-app purchases. In this regard, we ranked sixth in Asia. Sensitivity towards pricing has been cited as the reason for this. Free Games Preference – Indian gamers mostly prefer free games. Advertising is a major source of revenue. In 2025, companies earned ₹2,871 crore from in-game advertising. Gamers Increasing Spending- In the last five years, mobile gaming revenue has grown at an annual rate of more than 17%, while during the same period, earnings from in-app purchases have more than doubled. This means gamers are now gradually starting to spend. Rapid Growth – Gaming Revenue Growing Up to Two and a Half Times Every Year
Game Category Revenue Growth
MOBA 234%
Card Battler 92%
4X Strategy 77%
(Source: Mixi Global Investments) Country’s Total Gaming Market to Reach ₹48,000 Crore This Year 2026 – ₹48,000 crore market (including RMG) 2031 – Expected to exceed ₹94,000 crore Annual Growth- 14.52%
Gaming Startups -2,364 Major Companies: Garena/Free Fire, Krafton Games/BGMI-Krafton, Nazara Technologies, Dream11, Gamescraft (Source: Mordor Intelligence, Tracxn) 2 Companies Hold 94% Share in Shooter Category Revenue – Simulation and arcade games lead in downloads, shooter games top in revenue. – Free Fire Max and Battlegrounds Mobile India together hold a 94% share of the total revenue in the shooter category of the Indian gaming market. – Demand for high-end shooter experience is increasing. This means gamers now prefer not just casual games, but shooter games with more graphics and depth. – Sniper games have emerged as the fastest-growing category in India. Local Language and Themed Games Are Now Gaining Dominance According to the report, Indian gaming still remains a low-revenue market. However, with better localization, India-centric tournaments, and changing consumer behavior, spending is expected to increase in the coming years. Local games like Ludo King and Cricket League are surpassing many global games in downloads based on cultural connect. This indicates that games with local languages and themes will play a major role in the Indian market going forward. Not every online game is gambling, understand the difference In regular games (like shooters, strategy, arcade), winning or losing depends on the player’s skill and strategy. Money is only spent on purchasing in-game items like weapons, characters, or levels. There is no claim of winning ‘real money’. On the other hand, in Real Money Gaming (RMG) games, players stake real money and win or lose money based on the outcome. This has been strictly regulated in India in 2025.