Niko Partners projects $91.8 billion in player spending across the 13 Asia and MENA markets it tracks in 2026. China’s domestic market grew 12.17% in the first half. India monetises at $2.04 per player. This page collects the verified 2026 figures on Asia gaming revenue, player counts, platform splits, publisher earnings and esports viewership, each with its source and reporting period.
Gaming Industry In Asia
How Big Is The Gaming Industry In Asia In 2026?
Niko Partners published its 2026 Market Model on 1 June 2026. It measures player spending on game software and services, not hardware, and excludes console gaming in Southeast Asia.
The 13 markets generated $88.9 billion in 2025 and are forecast at $91.8 billion in 2026, reaching $103.6 billion by 2030 at a 3.1% CAGR. That scope covers roughly 46.3% of global video game revenue; the rest sits in wider video game statistics for 2026.
| Scope | 2025 | 2026 | 2030 | 5-year CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia and MENA (13 markets) | $88.9 billion | $91.8 billion | $103.6 billion | 3.1% |
| China | $51.8 billion | $53.9 billion | $59.8 billion | 2.9% |
| Southeast Asia (SEA-6) | Over $5.6 billion | Over $5.9 billion | $7.0 billion | 4.8% |
| India | $1.04 billion | Nearly $1.2 billion | $1.77 billion | 11.2% |
Source: Niko Partners, 2026 Market Model reports, June to September 2026. 2025 figures are actuals; 2026 and 2030 are forecasts. China, Southeast Asia and India are components of the 13-market total.
Gaming Industry In Asia By Market
China alone is forecast at $53.9 billion in 2026, up 4.0% after crossing $50 billion for the first time in 2025. Niko Partners raised that outlook in September 2026, citing stronger results from new launches and long-running titles.
China, Japan and Korea are projected to hold $91.7 billion of player spending in 2030, or 88.6% of the 13-market total. Growth rates run the other way: India leads at an 11.2% CAGR, ahead of MENA-3 at $3 billion by 2030.
Source: Niko Partners, 2026 Market Model and market reports, player spending forecasts for 2026.
Southeast Asia
The SEA-6 markets — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — generated over $5.6 billion in 2025, growing 4.7%. Niko Partners expects the region to pass $5.9 billion and 300 million players in 2026.
Thailand is on track to exceed $2 billion in player spending this year. Indonesia leads on player count with more than 126 million gamers and reaches $1.5 billion in spending by 2030.
| Player behaviour metric, SEA-6 | Share of players | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Support mandatory age verification for 18+ rated games | 67.5% | 2026 |
| Play only the official version of a game | 61.4% | 2026 |
| Prefer out-of-app payment methods for in-game content | Nearly one-third | 2026 |
| Prefer out-of-app payment methods, Thailand only | Over 35.0% | 2026 |
Source: Niko Partners, SEA-6 market reports, 4 August 2026. Figures describe surveyed players in the six tracked markets.
India
India crossed $1 billion for the first time in 2025 at $1.04 billion, up 14.8%, and is forecast at nearly $1.2 billion in 2026 and $1.77 billion by 2030.
Scale and spending move at different speeds. India recorded 511 million players in 2025 and passes 550 million in 2026, while ARPU stood at $2.04 in 2025 and reaches $2.52 by 2030.
| Player metric, India | Share of players | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Women as a share of players | 43% | 2023 |
| Women as a share of players | 49% | 2026 |
| Prefer buying in-game content outside traditional app stores | 31.5% | 2026 |
| Have used a UPI-based payment method | 84.6% | 2026 |
| Have used a credit card for gaming payments | 31.5% | 2026 |
Source: Niko Partners, India market report, 10 August 2026, updated 26 August 2026.
How Fast Is China’s Gaming Market Growing In 2026?
CADPA released its January–June 2026 China Game Industry Report in Shanghai on 30 July 2026. It counts actual sales revenue from Chinese platforms and developers, excluding foreign games not officially published in China.
Domestic sales revenue reached RMB 188.45 billion, up 12.17%. Chinese self-developed games took RMB 163.36 billion of that, up 16.31%. The player base stood at 684 million as of June, up 0.82%.
| Segment | H1 2026 revenue | Year-on-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile games | RMB 135.21 billion | +7.9% |
| PC client games | RMB 45.29 billion | +27.92% |
| Browser games | RMB 2.02 billion | -8.47% |
| Console games | RMB 0.961 billion | -7.06% |
Source: China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, China Game Industry Report January–June 2026, released 30 July 2026.
Mobile took 71.75% of domestic revenue, PC client games 24.03% and browser games 1.07%. PC client growth ran three and a half times the mobile rate, which cuts against the reading of the gaming industry in Asia as a single-platform story.
Mini-program mobile games reached RMB 31.66 billion, up 36.01%, the fastest growth rate CADPA reports. Esports games generated RMB 89.62 billion, up 11.1%.
Source: China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, China Game Industry Report January–June 2026, released 30 July 2026.
Chinese Game Exports
Overseas revenue from Chinese self-developed games hit $12.37 billion in the first half of 2026, up 30.22%, more than double the 12.17% recorded at home. The United States, Japan and South Korea remained the top three destinations at 32.31%, 14.05% and 7.48%.
Source: China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, China Game Industry Report January–June 2026, released 30 July 2026.
Gaming Industry In Asia Player Counts And Demographics
Niko Partners puts the 13-market player base at 1.77 billion in 2026, rising 3.5%, and 1.99 billion by 2030. China’s own base reaches 769 million by 2030.
Women account for 42% of players across the 13 markets, up from 39.5% the previous year and past 40% for the first time. Niko Partners notes the sharpest gains in India and the MENA-3 markets, which skewed 80% male five years ago.
In China, short video apps are the leading discovery channel at 41% of players, 51.3% have engaged with esports against 46.5% a year earlier, and 80% have played mini games.
Source: Niko Partners, 2026 Market Model and China Player Behavior & Market Insights Report, June and September 2026.
Which Publishers Lead The Gaming Industry In Asia?
Tencent reported Q2 2026 Domestic Games revenue of RMB 47.3 billion, up 17%, crediting Delta Force, VALORANT PC and Mobile, and Roco Kingdom: World. Growth at the Shenzhen conglomerate outpaced the 12.17% recorded for China’s domestic market in H1.
International Games revenue was RMB 18.6 billion, down 0.8% as reported and up 4% in constant currency terms, a currency effect rather than a demand signal. It is visible in the segment revenue history.
NetEase posted games and related value-added services net revenues of RMB 25.0 billion for Q2 2026, against RMB 22.8 billion a year earlier. Across the first half that segment rose 8.3% to RMB 50.7 billion, driven at the Hangzhou publisher by Fantasy Westward Journey and Where Winds Meet.
Sources: Tencent Holdings, 2026 Second Quarter Results, 12 August 2026; NetEase, Second Quarter and Interim 2026 Unaudited Financial Results, 20 August 2026.
Esports And Payments In The Gaming Industry In Asia
Esports Charts ranked Mobile Legends: Bang Bang first by peak concurrent viewers in Q1 2026 at 5.68 million, set at the M7 World Championship. The next highest title peaked roughly 73% lower.
MPL Indonesia Season 17 placed second among tournaments at 2.3 million peak viewers, ahead of every PC event that quarter, a pattern also visible in broader esports market statistics.
| Rank | Game | Peak concurrent viewers, Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | 5.68 million |
| 2 | League of Legends | 1.5 million |
| 3 | Counter-Strike | 1.39 million |
| 4 | Valorant | 883,000 |
| 5 | Rocket League | 624,300 |
Source: Esports Charts, top esports games by live viewership, Q1 2026, published 20 April 2026.
Payment routing is the quieter shift. Niko Partners reports that more than 30% of players across the 13 tracked markets now prefer to transact outside the game application itself, which it attributes to regulatory changes enabling out-of-app monetisation.
That preference reaches 31.5% in India and over 35.0% in Thailand. Revenue models built only on store-reported in-app purchases understate those markets, a gap worth checking against the wider market statistics archive and the records of hardware holders such as Sony.
Source: Niko Partners, 2026 Market Model, India and SEA-6 reports, June to August 2026.
FAQs
How big is the gaming industry in Asia in 2026?
Niko Partners forecasts $91.8 billion in player spending across the 13 Asia and MENA markets it tracks in 2026, up 3.4% from $88.9 billion in 2025. That equals about 46.3% of global video game revenue.
Which Asian market spends the most on games?
China. Niko Partners recorded $51.8 billion in player spending in 2025 and forecasts $53.9 billion in 2026. CADPA separately reported RMB 188.45 billion in domestic sales revenue for the first half of 2026.
Which gaming market in Asia is growing fastest?
India. Niko Partners puts its five-year CAGR at 11.2%, rising from $1.04 billion in 2025 to $1.77 billion in 2030. Player numbers reached 511 million in 2025 at $2.04 ARPU.
Where do people discuss gaming industry in Asia statistics on Reddit?
Subreddits such as r/gaming and r/gamedev carry regular threads on Asian market data. For figures themselves, use the primary releases: Niko Partners’ market model and CADPA’s half-year China Game Industry Report.
Is Mobile Legends bigger than League of Legends, as Reddit threads claim?
On Q1 2026 peak viewership, yes. Esports Charts recorded Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at 5.68 million peak concurrent viewers against 1.5 million for League of Legends. That metric measures live viewers, not players or revenue.
Sources
https://nikopartners.com/asia-mena-market-model-2026/
http://www.ecns.cn/cns-wire/2026-07-30/detail-ihfhvays7504718.shtml
https://www.tencent.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Tencent-Announces-2026-Second-Quarter-Results.pdf
https://escharts.com/news/top-esports-games-and-tournaments-live-viewership-q1-2026
