The Indian government has officially pegged the country’s online gaming market at ₹23,200 crore for 2024, marking the first time New Delhi has released comprehensive revenue figures for the sector. The valuation was part of a broader creative industries assessment published by the Press Information Bureau on February 16, 2026.
Gaming Outpaces Films, Animation in Revenue Rankings
The government data positions online gaming as the fourth largest revenue generator within India’s media and entertainment ecosystem, surpassing the filmed entertainment industry valued at ₹18,700 crore and the animation and VFX sector at ₹10,300 crore.
Only digital media (₹80,200 crore), television (₹67,900 crore), and print (₹26,000 crore) recorded higher revenues than gaming in 2024, according to the official figures.
The government projects gaming revenues will climb to ₹26,000 crore in 2025, ₹28,800 crore in 2026, and reach ₹31,600 crore by 2027, representing a 36 percent increase over three years.
First Official Valuation Amid Regulatory Overhaul
The release of official gaming market figures comes as India undergoes a major regulatory transformation following the ban on money-based online gaming in 2025. The ₹23,200 crore valuation represents the sector’s size after the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA).
Industry observers have noted the government’s decision to publish gaming revenue data signals official recognition of the sector’s economic significance. Previously, India’s Parliament discussions on esports and gaming had acknowledged that no official government study on the gaming industry’s size had been conducted.
Media Sector Valued at ₹2.5 Lakh Crore
The PIB release valued India’s entire media and entertainment sector at ₹2.5 lakh crore (₹2,502 billion) in 2024, with projections showing growth to ₹3.07 lakh crore by 2027.
The government stated the sector supports over 10 million livelihoods directly and indirectly, with annual output standing at approximately ₹3 lakh crore. Digital media accounts for roughly one-third of total sector revenues, fundamentally reshaping production and distribution models.
AVGC Sector Identified as Technology Frontier
The government report grouped gaming with Animation, Visual Effects, Comics and Extended Reality under the AVGC-XR umbrella, describing these as “the most technology-driven frontier of the creative economy.”
Animation and VFX revenues stood at ₹10,300 crore in 2024, projected to reach ₹14,700 crore by 2027. Combined with gaming’s ₹23,200 crore, the AVGC gaming cluster represents approximately ₹33,500 crore in current revenues.
“Gaming has evolved into a mainstream digital medium woven into daily life,” the government document stated. “Across metros and small towns, millions log in each day to compete, collaborate, and build virtual worlds of their own.”
Infrastructure Investment Announced
The PIB release detailed plans to establish AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) has been designated as the National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR and gaming.
The government projects the AVGC sector will require nearly 2 million professionals by 2030, with the broader creative industries expected to generate approximately 20 lakh direct and indirect jobs over the next decade.
Established hubs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram anchor the industry, while emerging cities are developing creative clusters to expand opportunities beyond metropolitan areas.
Live Events Sector Shows Fastest Growth Rate
While gaming shows steady expansion, the government data reveals live entertainment as the fastest growing segment by percentage. Live events, valued at ₹10,100 crore in 2024, are projected to reach ₹16,700 crore by 2027, representing a 65 percent increase.
Music revenues are expected to grow from ₹5,300 crore to ₹7,800 crore over the same period. Out-of-home media will rise from ₹5,900 crore to ₹7,900 crore, while radio expands modestly from ₹2,500 crore to ₹3,000 crore.
Traditional Media Shows Mixed Performance
Television, the second largest segment, faces marginal decline from ₹67,900 crore in 2024 to ₹66,700 crore by 2027. Print media shows slight growth from ₹26,000 crore to ₹26,700 crore. Filmed entertainment is projected to grow from ₹18,700 crore to ₹21,300 crore.
Digital media demonstrates the strongest absolute growth, rising from ₹80,200 crore to ₹1,10,400 crore by 2027, cementing its position as the dominant revenue driver in India’s media landscape.
Regulatory Framework Takes Shape
The gaming market projections arrive alongside evolving regulatory frameworks. Recent developments include esports being granted national status under the Sports Ministry and India’s official recognition of esports as a multisport event.
These policy shifts distinguish skill-based competitive gaming from gambling activities, creating separate regulatory pathways for esports and casual gaming.
Corporate Investment Follows Government Data
Major corporations have announced gaming investments aligned with the government’s market assessment. Reliance partnered with European esports giant BLAST to expand competitive gaming infrastructure, while Nvidia’s GeForce Now platform confirmed its India launch targeting the country’s expanding gamer base.
Orange Economy Framework
The government positioned gaming within its broader “Orange Economy” strategy, which treats culture and creativity as sources of economic value. The framework includes cultural industries, creative services, heritage-based activities, and experience-driven sectors where intellectual property generates income and employment.
The PIB document stated: “For India, the Orange Economy has a deeper meaning. It turns the country’s rich cultural heritage, diversity, and creative talent into economic opportunity and global visibility.”
WAVES Summit Highlights Industry Integration
The government highlighted the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) as a focal point for India’s creative ecosystem. Supporting platforms include WaveX for startup innovation and WAVES Bazaar operating as a marketplace for scripts, music, comics, and audio-visual rights.
The Create in India Challenge was identified as connecting emerging talent directly to global platforms, ensuring locally developed ideas can compete internationally.
Global Context
The government noted that creative industries contribute between 0.5 and over 7 percent of GDP across different countries globally. India’s creative economy is emerging as a major pillar of growth, employment, and value creation within this global transformation.
The document emphasized these are “technology-intensive, globally tradeable sectors embedded within modern services economies and international value chains,” rather than peripheral cultural pursuits.
What This Means for the Industry
The official ₹23,200 crore valuation provides the first government-backed market size for India’s gaming sector. Previous estimates relied on private consulting firms and industry associations, with figures varying significantly.
Industry analysts suggest the post-PROGA valuation indicates the government views skill-based gaming and esports as distinct from the banned real-money gaming segment. The projected growth to ₹31,600 crore by 2027 signals official confidence in the sector’s trajectory under the new regulatory framework.
The data release also positions gaming alongside traditional entertainment industries in government economic planning, potentially opening access to infrastructure support, skill development programs, and international trade promotion typically reserved for established sectors.