The game is in play

India is in the midst of a gaming evolution, and makers are not holding back. See what's on the cards in the post-pandemic boom

- Vishal Mathur

As of 2022, 34% of gamers played at least one FPS game; including Battle Royale, which was one of the more popular games 

Fire up those gaming rigs. Charge those controllers. The pandemic is (mostly) over, supply chain issues have been sorted. Video games are making up for lost time. You may finally be able to buy a gaming console without sitting on a waitlist forever. And you can play the latest chapters of the game titles you'd been waiting for.

The ecosystem has as many side quests as the games themselves. There are more unlimited buffet subscriptions. Some mergers remain incomplete. Sony, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Google have been parkouring like they're in first-person shooter games. There's frantic action and a big prize at the end. 

Estimates peg India's share at 630 million gamers by 2026, with $1.4 billion in revenue (up from $704.5 million in 2022). India's overall gaming market was valued at $2.6 billion in 2022, according to the State of India Gaming report FY22 by venture capital fund Lumikai.

See how it plays out:

New games: