Exploring oppurtunities for gaming as a career in India

Think Gaming is just a hobby? Here’s how Indians are making Lakhs Playing!

When Ankit from Pune started playing rummy during the lock down, it was just to beat boredom. After a couple of months, he was taking home more in a week than what he was earning a month. As it turns out, games of skill like poker, rummy and fantasy leagues aren’t all just about chance – they’re all about how skilful you are. And it’s not just Ankit—hundreds of thousands of Indians are making serious money out of gaming, one game at a time.

The concept of making a career out of gaming in India ten years back would have been frowned upon by many. These days, it can get you a job or even a sponsorship.

Indian gaming has grown by leaps and bounds, not only in terms of the number of those who play, but also in terms of access to professional opportunities. When deciding what can be done, there are serious prospects for competitive gamers, content creators, and game testers.

In early 2025, according to a report by India Today, the field of esports has progressed to the point where it has established formal career paths in analysis, team management, game testing, backend support, and broadcasting. These pathways have been further legitimised by the interest shown by the government in esports, such as the recent inclusion of esports in the Khelo India Youth Games. Games like BGMI, Chess, Street Fighter 6, and eFootball made their debut in this much-revered event. It is really easy to figure out why gaming is emerging as one of the most promising and reliable career frontiers in India.

Gaming is not just a Hobby-It is an Economy

India is already one of the most rapidly developing digital entertainment markets, and has more than 400 million active gamers. Real money games have been one of the primary factors driving this rapid surge.

Whether it is fantasy sports, skill-based card games like rummy or online poker, Indians are spoilt for choice when it comes to real money-making opportunities. What used to be a pastime activity is now turning out to be a career maker and is fuelling the country’s economy.

Monetising Micro Wins and Skill-Based Play

One might be tempted to think it requires working in a professional capacity at all times, but even casual skills-based websites are providing career-like income opportunities. Online rummy, poker tournaments, or daily fantasy sports like cricket have been a great money spinner.

Sites such as Deccan Rummy, Spartan Poker, and MyTeam11 that are owned by OneVerse have created a skill and trust-based ecosystem, and hence, they are suited to frequent, small-but-valuable players, particularly those living in smaller cities and playing the game part-time.

Tech and Talent = Exponential Boom in the Industry

The figures say it all:

• In 2024, esports and casual gaming revenue reached ₹5,300 Crore in India and is projected to reach ₹6,300 Crore in 2025 and ₹8,300 Crore in 2026.
• The market cap of online games (including phone and casual games) was ₹23,000 Crore in 2023 and is expected to grow at nearly 15% CAGR to ₹66,000 Crore by 2027.
• The labour market is hot, nearly 2 lakh jobs related to gaming are ready to be unlocked shortly, and those jobs encompass development, design, marketing, coaching, and event production. The current generation of gamers is no longer mere hobbyists, but makers, thinkers, and the ones who are driving future innovations.
• A HP study revealed that almost half of the serious gamers are already making ₹6-12 Lakh per year. Elite players who start content creation or coaching earn even more, covering brand relationships, tournament winnings, subscriptions, and affiliated earnings.

Here is your thought exercise: ₹12 Lakh per annum is a decent middle-income salary in any metro. This is just a ballpark figure – if you’re skilled there’s no limit to what you can potentially earn. That change of mindset is what matters the most: from gaming being thought only as a recreational activity to gaming becoming a money-spinner.

Roads to Profession: Abilities, Coverage, Revenues

What does it take to cut a career in the gaming industry? Okay, let us simplify it:

• Tournaments and Prize Pools: Competitive esports games such as PUBG, BGMI, Fortnite, Free Fire, and CS: GO are now mainstream. Local or national events can provide winners with decent money. In the large stage, sponsorships are provided through sites such as HP, Red Bull, and Asus, and they come with a big prize pool.
• Streaming and Content Creation: Streamers attract dedicated fan bases on YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram. Brand slots, tips (donations), and regular streams can bring in close to 10 lakh subscribers annually, and many subscribers eventually turn into gamers and content creators.
• Fantasy and Card Gaming: Platforms such as Deccan Rummy, PokerDangal, and Kubera Fantasy, owned by OneVerse Gaming, are all skill-based platforms that provide fertile opportunities for Indian players to win real cash. A committed performance here can also become a respectable source of revenue, backup, or primary.
• Support and Online Roles: Not every role is on the front end. The developers, UI designers, event coordinators, team managers, analysts, and social media experts are in massive demand as the industry enters a period of consolidation.

The Art of Balancing Passion and Professionalism

Despite how exciting this may sound, becoming a professional gamer requires a disciplined effort. Future gamers must juggle their practice routines, create content, and work carefully. It is gradually dawning on parents and teachers that well-structured gaming can be a sustainable and profitable career.

In case a full-time position is not an immediate prospect, coaching opportunities, content creation, or QA testing opportunities all have easy entry points. With the maturity of the industry, multiple channels are opening up.

Problems and Opportunities in the Area

The gaming career outlook in India is quite promising, yet it's not completely free of obstacles:

• Lack of infrastructure—there are fewer professional training centres available in the rural areas.
• Social and parental skepticism- Despite the overall positive view about gaming, there’s some element of taboo associated with it, socially.
• Regulations – Regulatory body and tax ambiguity about real-money gaming applications requires some fine-tuning.

However, the momentum cannot be denied: schools are launching esports courses, official organizations are promoting gaming environments, and corporations are investing vast amounts of money to host tournaments and streams.

The Road to the Future: Teaching, Innovating, Growing

Where does gaming as a career in India go next?

• Structured Education: An increasing number of colleges and boot camps have established courses on esports management, game design, AI-engineering, casting, coaching, and analytics.
• Institutional Support: Government and sports promotion organizations are taking gaming as a serious career option and have hosted national championships, such as this year, the Esports Federation of India sponsored WAVES 2025, a multi-title event in Delhi.
• New Layers of Income: In addition to prize money and streaming, creators receive money from merchandise, personalized coaching, economic events, affiliate marketing, and licensing games.

In India, playing games is no longer a hobby but a real career option. The ecosystem is conducive and the market is expanding, with hundreds of thousands of e-gamers, millions in esports, billions of rupees moving through the market, and the job creation has never been like before.

You can make a career out of being a pro player, designing your own game, getting involved in coaching youngsters, or streaming gaming full-time. The possibilities are wide open. The future of gaming in India is shimmering, and youngsters have the world open to pursue their dreams.