Bitkraft, a game investment firm, and Redseer Strategy Consultants released a report predicting the Indian game market will triple by fiscal year 2030 to $7.7 billion.
The firms are predicting India’s gaming and interactive media sector will grow rapidly despite the ban on real money gaming recently announced by the Indian government.
The report, “The Gaming and Interactive Media Opportunity in India,” highlights that these segments are growing approximately 1.5 times faster than the overall digital media and entertainment market, fueled by India’s massive, young user base, nano-transactions, high smartphone engagement, and shifting consumer behavior toward interactive and personalized content. The predictions are similar to a report issued in 2024 by India-game-focused venture capital firm Lumikai.
Market projections: A structural shift to casual and interactive content
The analysis underscores a pivotal moment for the Indian digital ecosystem, driven by regulatory changes that have cleared the path for mainstream casual gaming and esports:
Gaming Market Resilience: Despite regulatory intervention concerning online money gambling (RMG), the digital gaming sector is set to thrive. This market alone is projected to nearly double, reaching approximately $4.5 Billion by FY2030 and esports is expected to triple at $120 million by 2030.
- Hybrid casual, the new format with similar midcore game-like progression and deeper meta systems, is emerging as a key segment
- The Battle Royale genre continues to enable most monetization.
- While the market is nearly equally split between ads and IAPs (In-App Purchases), the balance is expected to heavily tip towards IAPs in the next five years with nearly six times growth.
Interactive Media Surge: Disruptor segments within interactive media are poised for exponential growth, expanding from an estimated $440 million in FY2025 to $3.2 billion by FY2030. Fastest-growing sectors include:
- Astro and devotional tech: Projected to grow eight times to $1.3 billion by FY2030, digitizing a massive offline market through 1:1 consultations.
- Micro drama: A nascent but high-potential segment mirroring successful models in China, expected to reach $1.1 billion by FY2030 by capitalizing on short, serialized mobile-first video content.
- Audio streaming: Expected to quadruple to $300 million by FY2030, driven by high user engagement and localized content strategies.
The India opportunity: Vernacularization and social connection
The report emphasizes that growth is increasingly driven by the ‘Bharat’ audience (Tier 2+ segments), who seek vernacular content, social identity through gaming communities, and new avenues for social connection. AI is also emerging as a key enabler, significantly lowering content creation costs and accelerating local game development.
Jens Hilgers, founding general partner at Bitkraft Ventures, said in a statement, “India represents perhaps the most compelling greenfield opportunity globally. The confluence of a digitally native youth demographic, established mobile infrastructure, and massive scale is creating what we believe to be a hyper-growth environment. In our view, this is an inflection point, positioning India as a true global powerhouse for interactive entertainment.”
Anuj Tandon, Partner, India & UAE at Bitkraft Ventures, said in a statement, “It’s exciting to see India’s gaming sector entering a phase of durable growth, with local developers creating innovative and monetizable experiences that are beginning to resonate globally. We’re witnessing strong momentum across casual and hybrid-core titles, fueled by rising player engagement, new IP creation, and increasingly accessible payment ecosystems. Together, these factors are helping define the next chapter of India’s gaming and interactive media industry.”
Download the report here.
Redseer Strategy Consultants was founded in 2009 with a vision to provide data-backed recommendations and strategic guidance to businesses, investors, and policymakers operating in dynamic and data-deficient markets.