In 2024 to 2025, India cemented its status as both Asia’s and the world’s largest mobile game market, reaching 8.45 billion downloads which are more than double Indonesia’s 3.34 billion, stated a 2025 India Mobile Gaming Insights Report by Sensor Tower. As per the report, this surge is fueled by affordable data, widespread smartphone use, and a cultural embrace of mobile gaming as social entertainment.
Yet, despite this massive volume, India’s mobile gaming revenue remains at just around US$400 million, highlighting the ongoing monetisation challenges. With most players favouring free-to-play, publishers must adapt strategies to unlock revenue potential in this huge, but cost-sensitive, market.
India’s mobile game download trends remained steady, sustaining momentum from the pandemic’s boost to mobile gaming. Google Play captured the majority share due to its affordability, while iOS, though smaller, maintained an influential slice of higher-value spenders who are key to driving monetisation growth.
India’s IAP revenue now exceeds US$400 million, highlighting growing player investment and digital payment adoption. Despite lower spending than mature Asian markets, India’s evolving monetisation landscape shows promise, with iOS players driving per-user revenue even as free-to-play models prevail.
The Indian mobile gaming market skews young, with 77 per cent of players aged 18-34, and predominantly male, comprising 86 per cent of all gamers. Core genres like sports and shooter see the highest male concentration at around 90 per cent, while lifestyle games uniquely boast a 52 per cent female audience. Though the 18-24 cohort leads most genres, particularly competitive titles, puzzle, tabletop, and casino games attract significant engagement from older players aged 25 and above.
In India, genres like simulation, arcade, puzzle, and culturally resonant tabletop board games attract huge download volumes due to their simple, familiar gameplay that resonates with India’s family-oriented gaming culture. In contrast, IAP revenue is driven by more competitive genres like shooter, casino and strategy, where deep engagement, strategic depth, and social features sustain spending. For publishers, this underscores the need to balance the mass-market appeal of casual games with deeper monetisation strategies that cater to India’s growing segment of high-value, competitive gamers.
Downloads in India remain dominated by simulation (Driving/Flight Simulator) and arcade (Platformer/Runner) subgenres, reflecting the local preference for accessible, easy-to-play games. Tabletop board games also hold strong, with Ludo King maintaining its popularity.
Shooter (Battle Royale) leads, commanding a major share of revenue, while other high-spend subgenres like realistic sports and strategy (4X) also thrive. Notably, games like eFootball and Whiteout Survival are driving this revenue surge, reflecting India’s evolving monetisation landscape and player engagement.
India’s download charts in 2024 to 2025 were led by Gametion’s Ludo King, affirming the dominance of localised tabletop games. Garena’s shooter Free Fire held strong at second place, while other top performers included sports Dream 11 and Cricket League, showcasing a diverse market that blends traditional pastimes with popular core genres. The download growth chart revealed a dynamic market where Tictok Skill Games’ Winzo Ludo was the breakout star, catapulting 390 places to the top. Hyper-casual titles also showed massive momentum, with Pizza Ready! and Wood Screw Puzzle surging up the ranks, signaling gamers’ strong appetite for new viral content.
India’s revenue landscape is dominated by core games, with Battle Royales Garena Free Fire and Battlegrounds Mobile India leading the charts. Global hits like Coin Master and Clash of Clans also rank high, proving that long-term player engagement and effective monetisation are the primary drivers of revenue. The revenue growth chart confirms the strength of core games, as Free Fire also tops this list. Established titles like Pokémon Go and Roblox showed remarkable resurgence, while newer strategy games like Last War: Survival made significant gains, signaling strong spending potential in immersive genres.
Ludo King, India’s number one mobile game since 2017, was launched in December 2016 by Gametion Technologies, has quickly become a gaming phenomenon. Its consistent top ranking stems from digitising a cherished traditional board game and incorporating intuitive multiplayer modes, family-friendly design, and nostalgic elements.
Demographically, over 70 per cent of its players are aged 18-34, primarily attracting young adults. The audience skews male (61.7 per cent) but maintains significant female engagement (38.3 per cent), highlighting its broad, inclusive appeal.
Ludo King‘s promotional strategy in India emphasises communal bonding and joyful interactions, capturing the essence of family and community. By showcasing multiplayer experiences, celebrations, and live voice chat, the publisher successfully blends traditional board gaming with modern digital communication.
These engaging features bridge generations and distance, transforming the game into a beloved social connector and significantly contributing to its dominance across diverse demographics in India.
India-based game publishers have maintained steady domestic strength, due to culturally resonant titles that drive consistent downloads. Games tapping into local traditions, simple mechanics, and social experiences keep India’s massive, cost-sensitive audience engaged. Beyond India, markets like Indonesia, the US, and Brazil show strong growth, highlighting the global appeal of these publishers’ strategies.
Meanwhile, India-based publishers are growing their overseas revenue, with the US, Saudi Arabia, and the UK, now key markets. This shift reflects a push to diversify revenue beyond India’s challenging monetisation environment. By developing globally competitive games and investing in localisation, these publishers are evolving into international contenders, strengthening both domestic and overseas performance.
Gametion and Dream11 Fantasy maintain their dominance in downloads, led by Ludo King and Dream11. Rising stars like Playsimple Games and Rohit Gaming Studio highlight growing interest in diverse titles, such as driving and word search games, indicating a dynamic market with room for fresh contenders.
On the revenue front, Gameberry Labs leads with Ludo Star, while Internet Design Zone and Playsimple Games perform steadily. Moonfrog and Reliance Games see slight dips, suggesting that monetisation strategies are crucial for sustaining leadership even when downloads remain strong.
