Tara Meyer
Mobile gaming in India is experiencing massive growth. For app makers in India and global developers eyeing this hypergrowth market, understanding mobile app localization and consumer dynamics is crucial.
In this episode of Tenjijn ROI 101 Joseph Kim, the founder of GameMakers and veteran gaming executive with over 20 years of experience building and scaling mobile games unpacks his insights on mobile gaming in India for 2026.
In this article, we’ll distill their insights with a particular focus on how BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) solved the mobile app localization challenge, after Chinese apps were banned in India and how you can apply these learnings to your own product development.
Understanding Mobile Gaming in India: The Opportunity
Joseph Kim identifies India as “the biggest opportunity in 2026,” driven by two critical factors:
“From a market perspective, it is the fastest growing market in the world from my perspective… But also, I think that there seems to be an opportunity from a demand perspective.”
“Just in terms of the digital gaming revenue, we’re seeing that there’s been significant growth at a 31% CAGR since 2023 over the last couple of years, and it’s expected to grow to $4.4 billion by 2030.”
Another important statistic he brings up is the increasing user spend by 9X over the last five years and the growth of the mobile gaming market in India.
As Joseph notes:
“What we are seeing is massive and dramatic growth in terms of the local Indian economy as well as the mobile apps landscape.”
A huge driver behind this transformation is the local consumption culture. Unlike Western markets, India’s information and entertainment consumption is fundamentally mobile-first. This creates unique opportunities for mobile app development in India.
The mobile-first infrastructure implies that:
- Most users skilled the PC era
- All entertainment and information flows through smartphones
- User behaviors are different compared to western markets
- There are unique opportunities for geo-specific and mobile app localization strategies
Dual Opportunity for Gaming Studios in India
It can get quite complex. Roman asks:
“Do you create a product specifically for India? Do you have a global product that you’re locating for India? Are you creating user acquisition and retention programs that are specific for India?”
To answer, top mobile games in India have evolved from two distinct strategies: global to local app development or putting Indian app makers in India first. Joseph and his team at GameMakers use a dual approach:
“We have a studio that is based out of India building for the global market. But then we also have started to explore the local Indian gaming market as well.”
Global to Local App Development
This model builds products with local Indian talent for global markets, then adjusts and adapts for local market consumption. Some of its benefits are leveraging cost-effective talent, a deep cultural understanding for localization, and the ability to test locally before global expansion.
India-first: App Makers in India
This model focuses on developing apps and games specifically for the Indian market, their unique characteristics, preferences, and consumption behaviors.
BGMI: The Ultimate Case Study in Mobile App Localization
When Chinese apps were banned in India in 2020, PUBG Mobile, a publisher with over 33M daily active users was removed from app stores.
The Problem:
There has been a ban on all Chinese apps in India since 2020. Joseph helps provide more context:
“In the middle of 2020, there was a fight or a conflict at the India-China border. And so the Indian government at the time banned a number of Chinese apps. One of the prominent apps that were banned at the time was TikTok… and also this game called PUBG Mobile.”
The Chinese app ban had an enormous impact since over 33M people were playing this game per day. That’s the entire metropolitan area of Delhi playing the same game, every single day.
The Solution: Creating BGMI
To fill this huge demand gap, Krafton partnered with an Indian company to relaunch as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and implemented smart mobile app localization strategies.
Key Localization Elements
1. Local Partnership Structure
- Partnered with Indian company for operations
- Maintained compliance with government regulations
- Built trust through local ownership
2. Cultural Customization
Joseph details:
“They changed a bunch of features. They changed the blood color from red to green. They had a bunch of parental consent clauses, so they were trying to make sure that… underage gamers weren’t playing this game and they needed parental consent.”
3. Regulatory Compliance
- Adapted content for cultural sensitivities
- Implemented age-verification systems
- Created India-specific gameplay modifications
BGMI’s Success Story
The results of this mobile app localization strategy were remarkable according to Joseph:
“The game came back and it got 34 million downloads in the first month,” Joseph reveals. “So you would think that the game would have gotten all of its players back. PUBG Mobile had 33 million DAU, 34 million downloads. But actually, it ended up peaking at 18 million.”
18M downloads still packs quite a punch. This 50% recovery rate provides critical insights:
- Not all users returned despite massive demand
- Market gaps emerged for competing titles and genres
- Localization alone doesn’t guarantee full market recapture
Genre Gaps Beyond Battle Royale
While game genres can affect your monetization, there’s no question that Battle Royale games like BGMI dominate. Although it’s one of the top mobile games in India, significant opportunities exist in other underserved genres. Joseph focuses on the gap:
“Outside of BGMI and Free Fire and maybe Call of Duty Mobile, there aren’t a lot of other titles that have meaningfully penetrated the top grossing charts. And so I do think that there is an opportunity for publishers to come in and offer competing products.”
“If you look at the top grossing charts, it tends to be real money gaming and then battle royale. There’s very little outside of that.”
And if we consider that RMG was banned in late 2025, there are even more opportunities for growth, especially for mobile gaming genres:
- Mid-core strategy games
- RPGs with local themes
- Casual puzzle games with Indian cultural elements
- Social casino games
- Sports games beyond cricket
Global to Local: How to Enter Mobile Gaming in India
1. Start Small and Test Locally
Joseph’s primary advice is:
“We’re not going in with some sort of massive bet. We are going in with small, what I would call experiments or tests… We want to see if there’s actually a demand for our products in the local market.”
This translates into soft launches in select test cities, measuring engagement metrics that matter for the demographic. Taking these steps help validate product-market fit before scaling.
2. Hire Local Product Managers
Understanding cultural nuances is impossible without local expertise.
“Have somebody local on the ground who really understands the local market. You can’t do this just by looking at reports and data. You need to have someone who is local, who is from India, who understands the culture and the gaming preferences.”
Cultural insights are qualitative elements that statistical data simply can’t capture the same way as a good conversation, experience and real understanding. Certain aspects like understanding local payment preferences or special knowledge about regulations are pivotal to success, while maintaining local contacts and user communities will be able to provide opinions and support.
3. Focus on Mobile App Localization Beyond Translation
True mobile app localization goes far deeper than language translation.
“Are you creating user acquisition and retention programs that are specific for India? So it’s a multilayered thing. It’s not just, okay, we’re going to translate our game.”
4. Understand the Regulatory Environment
The ban on Chinese apps in India demonstrated the importance of regulatory compliance.
Joseph advises:
“You have to partner with local companies. You have to understand the regulatory environment… This is not a market where you can just kind of launch a product and hope for the best.”
Some key considerations include age verification systems, content guidelines, data localization requirements, data localization, partnership structures with local companies, and tax and revenue regulations.
5. Optimize for Lower-End Devices
When it comes to mobile-first economies, mobile app development in India must account for device diversity.
“The phones that are used in India tend to be on the lower end relative to other markets like the U.S. or developed Western European markets.”
Technical optimizations such as smaller app sizes, lower memory requirements, and performance on older Android versions should be considered. In addition to elements like battery efficiency and especially data usage optimization.
6. Adapt Monetization Strategies
With ARPPU at $27 (versus $3 in 2020), monetization strategies must evolve.
“The market is willing to spend. They’re willing to spend and engage with these products. The question is, are they willing to spend on your product?”
Let’s start with purchasing power. Although there’s growing middle class in India, consumers expect lower price points than western markets. They also expect alternative payment methods like Paytm or UPI and IAP offerings that match their gameplay. For example, BGMI has introduced a battle pass system.
The Future of Mobile Gaming in India
The most successful gaming studios in India share common characteristics. Not only do they possess a deep understanding of mobile-first user behavior, they recognize how India’s consumption patterns are different. They’ve mastered the ability to build quality products cost-effectively, leveraging local talent without compromising on production value.
Their cultural insights extend in both directions: they understand the nuances of the Indian market while also grasping what resonates globally, making them uniquely positioned for the dual opportunity model.
However their success stems from a remarkable agility in responding to market changes, whether that’s adapting to regulatory shifts like the Chinese app ban or pivoting to capture emerging genre opportunities.
They are adaptable as Joseph observes:
“The studios that I’ve talked to that are based out of India that are building for the global market, like they’re smart, they’re very focused on making great products, they have interesting ideas…I think you’re going to see more developers. You’re going to see more growth in this space. I don’t think it’s going to slow down.”
Mobile App Localization Strategies Are A Must
India’s mobile gaming market offers unprecedented opportunities for app makers in India and global developers willing to invest in proper mobile app localization. The BGMI case study shows that after Chinese apps were banned in India, understanding local culture, regulatory environments, and considering local user preferences play a big role for success.
As Joseph summaries:
“This is the biggest opportunity in 2026… The market is willing to spend. They’re willing to spend and engage with these products.”
The key is approaching the market with respect, local expertise, and a commitment to true localization. It’s not as simple as translation. For true growth it’s important to start small, test locally, and hire product managers who have a deep understanding of the culture. Simultaneously, there’s even bigger opportunities if game studios look for genre gaps beyond the dominant Battle Royale category.
For gaming studios in India and international developers alike, the time to act is now. The market is growing, users are spending, and the right global to local strategy can unlock massive growth in the world’s fastest-growing mobile gaming market.
