India’s online gaming industry is expanding rapidly, emerging as one of the world’s most promising gaming markets, but the sector continues to be dominated by young male players. A new report highlighted that while mobile gaming is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, women and older players are gradually reshaping the gaming landscape through their growing participation in specific genres.

According to MIXI’s “State of Play” report, India’s mobile gaming market is projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2029. The country currently ranks second among emerging gaming markets based on combined market indicators, with improvements over the past three years reflecting increasing industry maturity and investment potential.

Despite this growth, major demographic gaps remain. The report noted that around 86 per cent of Indian gamers are male, while women account for only 14 per cent of the gaming audience. Competitive categories such as sports, strategy and shooter games have the highest male concentration, with around 90 per cent of players belonging largely to the 18-24 age group.

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However, the gender divide is narrowing in certain gaming categories. Women represent around 52 per cent of the audience for lifestyle games and nearly 45 per cent for puzzle games, showing stronger participation outside traditional competitive gaming segments. Lifestyle gaming has also emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories in terms of revenue, recording a 23 per cent year-on-year increase, driven significantly by female players.

Puzzle and casino games are attracting relatively older audiences, with more than half of players in these categories aged 35 years and above. The report suggested that genre-specific strategies could help gaming companies reach previously underserved groups and expand beyond the young male audience that currently dominates the market.

While new segments are growing, shooter games continue to lead in revenue generation, particularly through in-app purchases. The report stated that shooter titles account for 43 per cent of India’s in-app purchase revenue, reflecting the strong commercial appeal of competitive multiplayer experiences.

Experts believe the shift towards a more diverse gaming audience will happen gradually as the market matures. Similar trends have been observed across Southeast Asian gaming markets, where competitive games remain popular but women and older players are increasingly contributing to the growth of new genres and expanding the overall gaming ecosystem.

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