India’s Gaming and Interactive Media Market Set to Triple by FY2030 to almost $8 Billion - Report

BITKRAFT Ventures, a leading global investment platform for gaming and interactive entertainment, today announced the release of a report powered by Redseer Strategy Consultants, forecasting high growth in India's gaming and interactive media sector, despite the ban on real money gaming. The study reveals that the segment, already a key engine in India’s digital media & entertainment space, is projected to triple in size, reaching $7.7 Billion by FY2030.

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.

Key Market Projections: A Structural Shift Towards 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 gaming (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 Mid-core game-like progression and deeper meta systems is emerging as a key segment. 
• The Battle Royale genre continues to enable most monetisation.
• 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 5 years with ~6X 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 & Devotional Tech: Projected to grow 8x 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: "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: "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.

About BITKRAFT Ventures

BITKRAFT Ventures is a global investment platform at the intersection of games, immersive technology, digital assets, and AI. With over $1B in assets under management and more than 130 portfolio companies, BITKRAFT is built by founders for founders. The firm leverages deep domain expertise, a decentralized global presence, and institutional-grade infrastructure to back visionary teams building in interactive media and adjacent verticals. BITKRAFT’s core belief is that gaming is not just the largest entertainment sector—it is a catalyst for consumer and technology innovation and a blueprint for the future of digital experiences.

About Redseer Strategy Consultants

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. Since then, they have become one of the leading advisory firms in India, MENA, SEA helping businesses, specifically in consumer-facing industries, navigate and accelerate their growth journeys. With a deep-rooted understanding of consumer behavior and market shifts. Redseer delivers growth-focused solutions across diverse industries, including digital media, retail, food, 828 and 8FSI. Their expertise is powered by 15+ years of IP in emerging markets, enabling them to generate BITKRAFT Ventures, a leading global investment platform for gaming and interactive entertainment, today announced the release of a report powered by Redseer Strategy Consultants, forecasting high growth in India's gaming and interactive media sector, despite the ban on real money gaming. The study reveals that the segment, already a key engine in India’s digital media & entertainment space, is projected to triple in size, reaching $7.7 Billion by FY2030

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.

Key Market Projections: A Structural Shift Towards 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 gaming (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 Mid-core game-like progression and deeper meta systems is emerging as a key segment
• The Battle Royale genre continues to enable most monetisation.
• 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 5 years with ~6X 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 & Devotional Tech: Projected to grow 8x 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: "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: "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.

About BITKRAFT Ventures

BITKRAFT Ventures is a global investment platform at the intersection of games, immersive technology, digital assets, and AI. With over $1B in assets under management and more than 130 portfolio companies, BITKRAFT is built by founders for founders. The firm leverages deep domain expertise, a decentralized global presence, and institutional-grade infrastructure to back visionary teams building in interactive media and adjacent verticals. BITKRAFT’s core belief is that gaming is not just the largest entertainment sector—it is a catalyst for consumer and technology innovation and a blueprint for the future of digital experiences. For a full list of public investments made to date, view BITKRAFT’s portfolio here.

About Redseer Strategy Consultants

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. Since then, they have become one of the leading advisory firms in India, MENA, SEA helping businesses, specifically in consumer-facing industries, navigate and accelerate their growth journeys. With a deep-rooted understanding of consumer behavior and market shifts. Redseer delivers growth-focused solutions across diverse industries, including digital media, retail, food, 828 and 8FSI. Their expertise is powered by 15+ years of IP in emerging markets, enabling them to generate unparalleled insights for their clients. Redseer is known for its proprietary methodologies, deep consumer understanding, high-quality research, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Having a strong presence in India, Middle East. Southeast Asia, USA and UK, with headquarters in Bengaluru. Know more: www.redseer.com insights for their clients. Redseer is known for its proprietary methodologies, deep consumer understanding, high-quality research, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Having a strong presence in India, Middle East. Southeast Asia, USA and UK, with headquarters in Bengaluru. Know more: www.redseer.com

All projections and market forecasts are provided by Redseer Strategy Consultants and are subject to change. They do not constitute guarantees of future performance and should not be construed as indicative of BITKRAFT’s investment results. This material is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Projections and statements of opinion reflect those of the referenced third-party research provider and/or BITKRAFT Ventures at the time of publication and are subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future results.