AFK Gaming forecasts 10-25% growth in India’s gaming & esports sector

AFK Gaming, a leading gaming and esports media company, which was recently acquired by NODWIN Gaming, has unveiled its latest report, ‘India’s Gaming & Esports Landscape 2025,’ offering an in-depth analysis of the industry’s projected growth, emerging trends, and challenges.

The report, based on data-driven insights and a survey of business leaders and industry professionals, indicates that India’s gaming and esports sector is entering 2025 with cautious optimism, as 60% expect annual revenue growth of 10%–25% for the overall industry.

Here are some of the key insights from of the report:

• Given the option to choose multiple factors, industry stakeholders highlighted new game titles and a growing player base as the primary drivers of esports growth in 2025, with 60% identifying them as key. Next in line are investments (40%), collegiate tournaments (30%), and supportive government policies (30%), which will also act as key enablers.

• In 2025, Indian esports and gaming organisations are focusing on new IP development, with 40% of respondents emphasising this priority, followed by better monetisation of existing IPs (30%)

• Battle Royale is the top choice for developers and organisations when it comes to most promising mobile genres, with 90% of respondents citing it, while Hyper-casual games are favoured by 10%.

• 60% of survey respondents remain confident in Battlegrounds Mobile India’s (BGMI) continued dominance, while 40% anticipate that contenders may eventually overtake it. In terms of contenders, 70% of respondents believe Free Fire is the most likely to challenge BGMI’s dominance, followed by VALORANT at 20%.

• 70% of respondents believe that local themes, languages, and culturally resonant content will be key to Indian games' global success in 2025, driving greater player affinity both at home and abroad.

• Respondents identified lack of infrastructure and reduced brand spending as the main challenges for Indian esports (30% each), followed by regulatory issues (20%), and low engagement outside metros (10%). No respondents cited a limited talent pool as a concern.

Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Nodwin Gaming: Forecasts “more PC esports in India, more Indian teams going international, more games that will become ‘esports’, more games in India from global, more indie games in India, more conferences.”

Parth Chadha, Co-Founder and CEO of STAN: Expects the industry valuation to reach “USD 8.92 Billion by 2028” and predicts that “ad spend on gaming will double in 2025.”

Karan M Pathak, Associate Director of Esports at KRAFTON India: References “23 million new gamers” joining in 2024 and projects a “USD 9.2 billion market by FY29.”

Roby John, CEO and Founder of SuperGaming: Foresees “Slow Growth” but still believes the industry “will continue to thrive, driven by the massive and engaged player demographic.”

Founded in 2012 by Nishant Patel, Rakesh Ramchandran and Siddharth Nayyar, AFK Gaming has been at the forefront of the Indian gaming and esports media industry for over a decade. The platform provides the latest updates from the industry through its website and its specially curated gaming business newsletter, Pixel P&L.

Known for delivering curated insights and analysis, Pixel P&L has established itself as a trusted source of information, building a strong community of esports and gaming business leaders from across the globe. The newsletter has become a go-to resource for industry stakeholders seeking to stay ahead of trends and opportunities. This report is a key initiative under the Pixel P&L banner, designed to empower stakeholders with actionable data and promote informed decision-making.