Let’s talk numbers. 77.3 per cent of PC gamers in India spent more on games in Q1 2024 compared to the previous year, surpassing mobile and console gaming growth, revealed a report titled Insights from the Indian Gamer Behaviour and Market Insights by Niko Partners. Steam also reported a 150 per cent increase in new users in India from 2019 to 2024, underscoring the surge in PC gaming interest. This trend is expected to continue into 2025, with PC gaming expected to grow further in the Indian market.
A growth in gaming also meant a rise in streaming and engagement on game community platforms. And equal contribution to the growth has come from indie game studios and game technology.
From Masala Games’ pixel art game Detective Dotson to homegrown cloud gaming services like AntCloud and OnePlay, this yearender segment will be all about the innovations in the industry and the things that changed it forever. As we glance towards the future, we will be envisioning where the industry could pivot during 2025.
Game development at its best
PlayStation announced its India Hero Project titles that it will release on PS5 and PC – Big Boot Games’ Meteora: The Race Against Space Time, imissmyfriends’ Fishbowl, Underdogs Studio’s Mukti, Holy Cow Productions’ Requital: Gates of Blood, Tathvamasi’s Suri: Seventh Note.
Mad Mantra Games released their debut PC game Kamla on Steam during May 2024. In this horror game, users play as a priest to perform the exorcism of a newly wed bride who has turned into a monster.
Another notable highlight of the year was Masala Games’ upcoming game Detective Dotson which got attention from international gaming powerhouses like Xbox and gaming curators like Wholesome Games. The game is set to release on Xbox Series X|S and PC sometime in the first quarter of 2025.
In September 2024, Mumbai-based game developer GameEon Studios received US$1 million in its latest funding round to further expand and develop the Mumbai Gullies franchise. The game is set to release on PC through Steam.
Krafton India and Spain-based ZeptoLab launched Bullet-Echo India, a tactical top-down shooter for mobile platforms. The game featured Indian skins for its heroes Maharani Sparkle, Dancer Mirage and Raja Slayer incorporating Indian culture and history within the game.
Gamitronics revealed its upcoming VR game DartsVR2: Bullseye targeted at casual and professional darts players alike.
Investments and expansions
Animation studio 88 Pictures’ game development division 88Games is preparing to launch three major titles developed entirely in India. At IGDC 2024, 88Games showcased its debut title – Kapih, a run and gun shooter platformer with fun levels and boss battles. The game is set to release on PlayStation, Xbox consoles and PC.
Shedding light on why he started a game development studio in 2024, 88Games founder and CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “We are driven by a belief that games are powerful bridges between cultures, and we aim to craft immersive, narrative-driven and interactive experiences that not only entertain but also showcase India’s timeless heritage to the world. The rising demand for meaningful storytelling in games aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this evolution, contributing to the growth of India’s gaming industry on a global stage.”
Jetapult, a strategic investment company that aims to help scale gaming studios across emerging markets, invested US$4.5 million investment in Saudi Arabia’s gaming ecosystem. The company works on an “Invest and Operate” model. “At Jetapult, we’re actively partnering with studios, not just deploying capital but helping them scale globally through hands-on collaboration,” said the company’s co-founder and CEO Sharan Tulsiani. “As the gaming industry nears US$200 billion, success requires more than funding—it demands expertise, infrastructure, and global access.”
Cloud gaming gains momentum
OnePlay launched its One Space service that can be accessed through OnePlay app on mobile and PC devices. OnePlay co-founder and CEO Harshit Jain shared, “We expanded our edge server network to Noida and increased server capacity in Mumbai, ensuring seamless gaming experiences for our growing community. We went live with many major telecommunications providers, including STC Bahrain, Ooredoo Oman, Vero Brazil, CTM Macau, Batelco Bahrain and more, strengthening our global presence.”
OnePlay also identified a rising interest among users in immersive and story driven games featuring AAA quality graphics. To address this demand, the company introduced new plans. Jain shared, “We have implemented many new technologies like AV1 that provide high-quality pictures at lower frames along with 240 FPS support and Webrtc enabling browser-based gameplay and full support for all devices – iOS, Windows, Mac, Android TV/Setup-Box, Samsung TVs.”
The cloud gaming company revealed that the widespread adoption of 5G and the increasing shift to high speed broadband at affordable prices have fueled significant growth in demand.
Ant Cloud launched in the country, allowing subscribers to play any AAA game on any device on demand.
Gaming hardware gets prominence
US-based hardware brand CyberPowerPC entered the Indian market with its gaming products which include custom and prebuilt PCs.
CyberPowerPC India COO Vishal Parekh shared his outlook on the upcoming year for the nation’s gaming industry, “The focus will increasingly shift toward sustainability and personalisation in gaming technology. Cloud gaming and AI-driven performance optimisations will also drive innovation, making gaming accessible to an even broader audience. CyberPowerPC is excited about further expanding its footprint in India, especially in emerging markets. Our goal is to empower gamers and creators with tools that elevate their experiences, from immersive gaming setups to workhorse systems for content creation.”
AI and user generated content (UGC)
Gamitronics CEO Rajat Ojha talked about the integration of user-generated content as well as other graphical enhancements for his studio’s metaverse PartyNite. “We have an entire UGC layer built on PartyNite with a lot of AI where right from joining to creating to engaging to gamifying all of it has become pretty simple even for the first timer. We are working on restyling PartyNite from the current graphics style and adding a layer of Meta Game which will give purpose to players to come everyday. We are also preparing for the launch of our token as we are completely ready with all that is required for a successful launch.” He added that Gamitronics will be powering their legacy games with Web3 technology to empower user ownership and enhance immersion.
Choudhary shared that Felicity Games adopted generative AI tools like Ideogram, Firefly and Video Gen for efficient content creation and marketing while AI-powered insights were used to optimise development processes and user acquisition strategies.
Lakshya Digital founder and CEO Manvendra Shukul talked about the technologies that the studio implemented this year into their project pipeline. “We have been focused on staying at the forefront of innovation by adopting new technologies to streamline our workflow and deliver high-quality content. We made significant investments in tools for real-time rendering and virtual production, which have allowed us to adapt to the latest industry trends. It’s been a year of fine-tuning what we do best while exploring new possibilities with emerging technologies.”
Game community platforms
Stan, a gaming community platform app, organised Stanfest which brought together well-known personalities from gaming and lifestyle sectors. The gaming community event featured creators and gamers like Mortal, Ashish Chanchalani, Round2Hell, Total Gaming, Gyan Gaming, Asim Riaz and others.
Speaking about the innovative technology behind this community platform, Stan CEO and founder Parth Chahda said, “We have been able to democratise the tech for the entire gaming community (gamers, gaming creators, and game developers) to interact with each other. These stakeholders can seamlessly build their communities on our platform and engage with other users and stakeholders to make their journeys rewarding. Stan has effectively embraced AI to enhance content creation and provide robust tech support.”
He revealed that the platform has been actively exploring the Web3 space, enabling gamers to seamlessly adopt blockchain technology and engage more interactively with one another.
Challenges faced by the industry
“This year has been one of resilience and milestones for Lakshya. It’s been a tough time for the industry with challenges like job losses, studio closures, and game cancellations. Just reaching the end of the year feels like a win in itself,” exclaimed Shukul.
He added, “2024 has been a year filled with significant challenges, not just for Lakshya, but for the gaming industry as a whole. We’ve seen over 15,000 job losses, studios closing down, and numerous game projects being either cancelled or delayed. Many studios worldwide are likely breathing a sigh of relief just to have made it through the year.”
Mad Mantra Games founder Shubham Rajanwar feels that the Indian market has a long way to go when it comes to buying premium (paid) games on platforms like Steam. “While building Kamla, which was designed with an Indian audience in mind, we realised that the market in India has a long way to go when it comes to paying for premium games. Moving forward, while we will continue to integrate Indian themes in our projects, our primary target will be the global audience, using similar design strategies to ensure broader appeal.”
Gamitronics’ Ojha shared, “This surely was a year of some negative impacts as well. Due to elections and the change of the government, brand expansion took a hit but it was all momentary and you can call it a blessing in disguise as it gave us time to reimagine things and we built several tools to simplify the onboarding of clients on PartyNite. Now that everything is normal, we are providing a wholesome solution to our clients.”
For Choudhary, managing multiple prototypes (of games) while maintaining quality was a key challenge. “By adopting AI tools like Claude AI and Cursor, we streamlined workflows to enhance efficiency. On the collaboration front, clear communication frameworks ensured alignment with our indie studio partners,” he said.
Chahda revealed that his team learnt how gamers wanted to interact with creators and the need of socialising for gamers. “That was the ultimate vision behind building Stan and we have seen that evolution and growth has been a constant thing for us. We continue to introduce new tools on platforms to foster community engagement for our users. Also, we have learned how Discord, Youtube lacks early monetisation features for creators and it’s a big gap where Stan comes in. We allow creators to start monetising their passion for gaming from day 1 contributing to India’s creator economy.”
For Lakshya, the biggest setback came when one of their major game projects was cancelled around the end of 2024. “This project was expected to bring in over US$1 million in revenue next year, so its loss was a tough blow. This left a noticeable gap in our pipeline, forcing us to reassess and adapt our strategies. Navigating this setback will be a challenge we’ll continue to work through in the coming months,” Shukul revealed. “While the losses have been significant, the team’s spirit and commitment have been just as strong, helping us navigate the ups and downs. At the same time, we’ve also had our fair share of wins—projects that have succeeded, milestones achieved, and moments that remind us why we’re in this industry. These successes keep us motivated and focused on the future, even in the face of challenges.”
Looking ahead at 2025
The Indian video gaming and esports industry experienced unprecedented growth in 2024, and this momentum is expected to continue into 2025. According to the India Market Model Report by Niko Partners, the Indian video games market is set to surpass US$1 billion in 2025, with a forecasted value of US$1.4 billion by 2028, growing at a five-year CAGR of 11.1 per cent.
88Games’ Shinde expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming year and how he sees the year for the gaming industry. “In 2025, we expect deeper integration of cutting-edge technologies like generative AI and extended reality (XR) into game development. These technologies will reshape how games are developed and consumed, enhancing storytelling and interactivity. For 88Games, 2025 will be pivotal as we gear up for the launch of our first PC and console game. As gaming continues to gain cultural and economic significance, we’re thrilled to contribute to this journey and help shape its future.”
Rajanwar mentioned, “In January 2025, we’ll release Kamla for iOS and Android—our first major milestone for the year. We’re working on a larger, globally-targeted horror game, and we plan to release its trailer in Q1 2025. It’s shaping up to be an even bigger and more ambitious project than Kamla.”
Jetsynthesys founder and CEO Rajan Navani shared his vision for the gaming industry for 2025, “India’s gaming and esports sector will be a major driver of employment, technological advancement, and digital innovation. By 2025, we will not only be a key market but also a significant creator of gaming experiences, shaping the industry globally and cementing our role in the digital entertainment economy.”
Nazara Technologies founder & CEO Nitish Mittersain echoed the statement, “As we look ahead, our focus as an industry should be on nurturing talent, fostering innovation, and ensuring inclusivity in gaming to truly unlock India’s potential on the global stage. The journey has only just begun, and the best is yet to come.”
Felicity Games founder and CEO Anurag Choudhary explained, “Our key takeaway has been the importance of agility and innovation. With a team of seasoned executives and cutting-edge technology, we are poised to drive further success in 2025. The Indian gaming industry is set to evolve further with advancements in AI and immersive technologies, offering immense potential for growth.”
OnePlay’s Jain shared, “2025 looks very promising for both our platform and the ever-evolving cloud gaming landscape. For our platform, we’re focused on scaling our infrastructure, leveraging partnerships with top gaming publishers, B2B partnerships and introducing innovative features to enhance the gamer experience. For the cloud gaming industry as a whole, we foresee continued growth driven by advancements in GPU technology, faster internet connectivity, and increasing global accessibility.”
Chahda believes that ad spend on gaming will double in 2025. “This growth will be fueled by the increasing recognition of gaming as a premier advertising platform, driven by its vast and highly engaged audience. The trend of community engagement in gaming is going to be a big development.” For 2025, Stan is looking forward to launching new tools and platforms that make monetisation easier, empower creators and strengthen community connections. “We want to become a one stop platform to cater all needs of creators, gamers and brands.”
Conclusion
2025 is certainly poised to be a promising year for the Indian gaming industry and there’s definitely a lot to look forward to.