The Rapid Growth Of The Online Gaming Market In India

The online gaming industry continues to boom worldwide. According to Statista, the market is set to be worth an estimated 268.81 billion dollars by 2026, up from $155.89 billion in 2020.

In India, the market is set to follow a similar trend. Mordor Intelligence predicts that the Indian gaming market will be worth an estimated USD 4.88 billion by 2026, up from USD 1.02 billion in 2020.

But what is causing this huge growth in the online gaming market?

In India, the growth is driven by the growing youth population. India has one of the world’s largest youth populations and with higher disposable incomes, and an introduction of new gaming genres is attracting more and more Indians to online gaming, helping to grow the Indian gaming culture.

Globally, the growth in the market is driven by increased accessibility, new platforms, improvements in technology and a move towards mobile gaming. Cloud gaming is an emerging technology that is changing the nature of the industry. Users are able to stream high-performance content on handheld and mobile devices including phones, tablets and laptops with fast network connectivity, eliminating the need for hardware upgrades or reliance on consoles or a PC.

Technology is changing the industry

Over the past five years, technology has been the biggest driver of the exponential growth in the online gaming industry. From cloud gaming to virtual reality to augmented reality, gaming developers are utilising every possible technology to build more accessible and more engaging games.

Like TV, gaming has gone on-demand. Gamers are able to play when they want and wherever they want. They can easily switch between devices, logging into their favourite games that are hosted in the cloud or in data centres with the power to offer you the best possible gaming experience.

Google Stadia and Shadow of Blade are two examples of cloud gaming that allow you to play on your phone, laptop and other platforms depending on your subscription level.

When it comes to technology in the gaming industry, virtual reality (VR and augmented reality (AR) are considered to be two of the biggest innovations in the sector.

VR allows users to be completely immersed in a game with the experience feeling so life-like, that it feels like reality. Virtual reality headsets have helped to take this trend to the next level and Oculus, Vive and PlayStation Virtual Reality (PSVR) have all been around for five years or more.

VR and AR enable gamers to play games from a first-person perspective, creating a fully immersive experience.

It is a trend we can expect to continue into 2022 and beyond. The opportunity to create virtual experiences through applications has been a big shift in the gaming industry. Betway Casino, for example, will transport you to the tables of Las Vegas or Monte Carlo and their new casino app allows for real-time games with live dealers streamed in HD straight to your device.

Gaming on the go

Mobile technology has also had a significant impact on the online gaming industry. In India, like most places around the world, more and more people have access to smartphones and this has led to a huge growth in the online gaming market.

According to Venture Beat, the mobile gaming market accounts for 52% of the global gaming market, growing 7.3% in 2020 where PC and console gaming both dropped in numbers.

Updated research by data.ai and IDC report this figure as closer to 60% in 2022. Games like Candy Crush and Pokemon Go were some of the groundbreaking mobile games, however, they now face competition from games such as Subway Surfers, PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

Candy Crush Saga continues to dominate when it comes to mobile downloads in 2022 along with Roblox and Coin Master with other popular games in the top ten including Call of Duty: Mobile and Royal Match.

Gaming communities

Gaming events are helping to create online gaming communities that are also helping to grow the gaming industry. Whilst online gaming has often been seen as an antisocial activity, it is quite the opposite with online gaming communities creating a much more social environment.

These communities are also helping to break down traditional gender and age walls, opening up games to people of all ages, genders and ethnicities.

Online gaming events like e-Sport competitions are drawing huge audiences from around the world with huge global events live-streamed on platforms such as Twitch and viewed by millions of people around the world.

Summary

The gaming industry is booming right now and India is no exception. Gaming developers are well aware of the growing market and one of the world’s leading games, PUBG Mobile has rolled our regional developments, including an India-specific Battleground Mobile India game.

With over 560 million internet users, India is the second-largest internet customer in the world, a huge driving force behind the growth in gaming in India. India also has a strong and growing market for affordable smartphones coupled with the world’s lowest data tariffs and a high 4G penetration.

Factor all these together along with the rise in mobile gaming platforms, and it is easy to see why the online gaming industry is booming in India and is expected to continue its growth beyond 2026.