Mobile
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Expand your game to India
August 14, 2025•4 min
India is a market that developers can no longer afford to overlook. The continent is rapidly emerging as one of the most significant markets in the global gaming industry. With a player base that now exceeds 591 million, accounting for ~20% of the worldwide gaming population, video game revenue is projected to surpass $952 million by 2029.
Yet, for all this promise, India still presents significant hurdles when it comes to monetization, particularly concerning local payment methods. Developers who adapt to India’s unique digital commerce ecosystem will find success more quickly than their competitors.
Xsolla is a company with a long track record in global game commerce. We're relaunching support for India’s top two local payment methods, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Net banking, through Pay Station. This move aims to eliminate one of the key friction points that developers face when trying to grow their player base and revenue in the region.
Beyond a better user experience, the business case is clear: supporting India’s top payment options means greater reach, higher conversion rates, and stronger player retention. This result is exceptionally accurate for Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, including cities and rural regions, where UPI adoption is exceptionally high and credit card penetration remains low.
Xsolla’s integration also solves a common developer headache: the complexity of managing compliance, settlement, and technical implementation across a fragmented payment landscape. Developers can tap into India’s fast-growing digital economy without having to navigate it alone.
The opportunity in India
The country is home to one of the largest mobile gaming audiences in the world, driven by widespread smartphone use, low-cost internet, and a digital-native younger generation. Different research reports define the Indian gaming market size at USD 4.04 billion in 2025, expected to reach USD 8.36 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of ~16% during the forecast period. The average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) remains lower, at $22, compared to western markets; however, it increased to 15% from FY23. Despite this, many studios struggle to monetize in India because they lack support for the payment options Indian players use. According to the Reserve Bank of India, over 60% of consumer spending in India remains in cash. But that’s changing rapidly. Digital payment usage has surged in recent years due to several converging factors: the rise of mobile internet, a competitive fintech ecosystem, and government initiatives such as “Cashless India.” UPI now accounts for 83.7% of all digital transactions in the country. That’s not a typo—over 170 billion UPI transactions were recorded in 2024 alone. More than 500 million Indians currently (in 2025) use UPI to pay for everything from groceries to mobile game content. Meanwhile, Net banking—used primarily by higher-income users for larger transactions—is seeing a doubling in average daily transaction value via NEFT, from ₹600 billion in 2020 to ₹1.2 trillion in 2025. This shift toward mobile-first, low-friction digital payments is precisely where many international game developers have hit a wall. Without native support for UPI and Net banking, checkout flows become unfamiliar or clunky, leading to lower conversions and high abandonment rates, especially among users outside major cities. That’s where Xsolla’s latest move comes in.Xsolla Pay Station: Your choice for payments in India
By enabling UPI and Net banking via Xsolla Pay Station, developers can now provide a localized, mobile-friendly checkout experience. These payment methods are fast, low-cost, and widely trusted by Indian players. QR code scanning and app-based approvals mean payments are smooth and intuitive, aligning with how Indian users already engage with digital services.
Beyond a better user experience, the business case is clear: supporting India’s top payment options means greater reach, higher conversion rates, and stronger player retention. This result is exceptionally accurate for Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, including cities and rural regions, where UPI adoption is exceptionally high and credit card penetration remains low.
Xsolla’s integration also solves a common developer headache: the complexity of managing compliance, settlement, and technical implementation across a fragmented payment landscape. Developers can tap into India’s fast-growing digital economy without having to navigate it alone.
Conclusion
India’s growth trajectory is undeniable. The volume of players, the dominance of mobile, and the rapid shift to digital payments make it one of the most crucial targets for global developers' expansion. In short, the formula is simple: support the payment methods Indian gamers already trust. With UPI and Net banking available through Xsolla Pay Station, game studios have a clear path to unlock real growth in the region, eliminating the need for guesswork. The takeaway for developers is this: If India is part of your growth strategy, then offering localized payments isn’t optional. It’s essential.Get started: Contact Xsolla
Ready to tap into India's gaming market? Schedule a meeting with one of our experts to learn how Xsolla can help you enable local payments in India. If you're not yet a partner, register for an Xsolla Publisher Account to get started.Featured articles
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