Bharat is powering the gaming boom in India: Report
According to the report, Bharat users already make up over 70% of India’s social media population, and a growing share of them engage primarily in regional languages.
Despite the real-money gaming ban, India’s gaming and interactive media industry is entering a new growth cycle—one no longer defined by India's metros but by the rise of Bharat.
According to a report by BITKRAFT Ventures, in partnership with Redseer Strategy Consultants, the sector is poised to nearly triple in size to $7.7 billion by FY30.
The report, "The Gaming and Interactive Media Opportunity in India," highlighted 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 behaviour toward interactive and personalised content.
The report emphasised that growth is increasingly driven by the Bharat audience (Tier II+ segments), who seek vernacular content, social identity through gaming communities, and new avenues for social connection.
Bharat users—long been underserved by mainstream media and entertainment—are now at the heart of India’s digital economy. Affordable smartphones, low-cost data, and the ubiquity of UPI have democratised access to interactive content, turning mobile screens into spaces for play, community, and identity, the report added.
In fact, the report noted that Tier II+ users already make up over 70% of India’s social media population, and a growing share of them engage primarily in regional languages. For them, gaming isn’t merely recreation—it’s social currency, a way to connect, express, and participate in new digital communities.
The shift is visible across categories. As regulatory changes restrict real-money gaming, growth is tilting toward casual, hybrid-casual, and community-driven formats—genres that thrive on accessibility and cultural resonance rather than high spending.
Local developers are building experiences that reflect everyday Indian contexts, from cricket-themed challenges to mythological adventures and story-based mobile dramas.
Further, micro-transactions, often in the range of Re 1 to Rs 10 through UPI AutoPay, have made it easy for users in smaller cities to pay for in-app features or premium content without friction.
Vernacularisation is another powerful undercurrent, the report noted. With over 40% of Tier II+ users consuming content exclusively in regional languages, game studios and interactive media platforms are localising gameplay, dialogue, and narratives.
Meanwhile, AI tools are helping creators lower production costs, personalise user experiences, and scale faster, bringing global-quality content within reach of small teams.
This “Bharat effect” is fundamentally altering how the industry grows. It’s no longer about exporting games from India, but building a distinctly Indian gaming culture—rooted in local languages, social dynamics, and payment habits, the report said.
Edited by Suman Singh