Industry estimates predict that the number of online gaming users in India is expected to grow from 481 million in 2022 to over 657 million by 2025.
With the emergence of new technologies, better connectivity, innovative products, and rapidly evolving content creation and consumption trends, the future of gaming looks brighter than ever before.
The top five trends in the Indian gaming and esports ecosystems in the coming year are:
#1 Casual Gaming
A huge number of Indians are turning to games for entertainment, leisure, and stress relief. This trend will likely spike in 2023 and beyond, as more people have the spending power to purchase powerful gaming devices, gain access to improved connectivity, and get better gaming storylines.
With stunning visuals, immersive storylines, and realistic gameplay mechanics, casual gaming titles are gaining popularity and appealing to a wider demographic of gamers.
#2 Better Internet Connectivity
Mobile gaming has become one of the biggest drivers of the gaming and esports industries’ growth. With more Indians owning smartphones, and the Indian government extending support for high-speed internet across even the remotest corners of the country, the popularity of mobile gaming is soaring constantly.
With the increased proliferation of 5G networks in India in 2023, gamers can expect to have access to faster speeds, lower latency, and better connection stability while playing their favourite mobile games. This in turn could make mobile gaming even more enjoyable for Indian gamers, leading to an even bigger increase in its popularity.
#3 Cloud Gaming
Cloud gaming is expected to really take off in India over the next two years. It is supposedly one of the biggest evolving trends expected in 2023, propelling the growth of the gaming industry in India.
In India, the rapid growth of cloud gaming could make playing high-end games much more accessible and popular. Many gamers do not have access to the latest hardware, and cloud gaming seems like the ideal answer to this issue. This could further open up a huge opportunity for game developers and publishers, as well as more accessible gaming titles for gamers across multiple levels.
#4 Battle Royale Gaming Titles
The Battle Royale genre of gaming has been gaining a lot of popularity in India since it was introduced back in 2017. With more investments and eyeballs, the popularity of Battle Royale games will increase immensely.
Battle Royale games are already a big hit in the esports tournaments held in India. More tournaments are expected to be hosted in the country and international tournaments featuring teams from India have recently increased as well.
#5 Esports being recognised by the Government
In December, 2022, India officially recognised esports as a multi-sport event, giving it a major boost by integrating it with the mainline sports disciplines in the country. The change to India’s Allocation of Business Rules of 1961 saw the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports include esports in the category of multisports events.
As a result, the esports industry will continue to grow in India and gain more recognition at national and international levels, and more investment in esports infrastructure and support for professional gamers and teams in 2023 will be expected.
A significant rise in the number of professional esports athletes, teams, tournaments, and organisations in the country will be expected. The emergence of new digital platforms for hosting gaming tournaments and leagues will help create a vibrant and competitive gaming community in India. As a result, it will be much easier for new and amateur gamers to break into the esports industry.