BGMI paying users climb 17% amid rise in India's in-game spending trends

This is the first time a gaming company has publicly shared India-specific paying user growth numbers

India is one of the world’s largest gaming markets with nearly 590 million gamers. Turning those players into paying users, however, remains a challenge. 

Now, for the first time, any gaming company has publicly disclosed India-specific paying user growth numbers. 

South Korean gaming major Krafton said paying users for Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) grew 17 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in the first quarter of calendar year 2026 (Q1CY26), helping drive record quarterly revenue of Korean Republic Won (KRW) 1.37 trillion (about $930 million) and operating profit of KRW 561.6 billion (about $380 million) globally. 

The broader PUBG franchise crossed KRW 1 trillion (about $680 million) in quarterly revenue for the first time, driven by growth across PC and mobile titles, including BGMI in India. 

For India’s gaming industry, where companies have historically disclosed little around payer behaviour, the numbers offer insight into how Indian gamers are spending inside games. 

Srinjoy Das, Director of Marketing and BGMI Product Management, KRAFTON India

 

In an interaction with Business Standard, Srinjoy Das, head of India Publishing, BGMI, said the company had seen growth across spending brackets, from first-time users purchasing Royal Pass subscriptions priced at roughly ₹70 to high-spending users buying premium cosmetic offerings such as BGMI’s “XSuit” drops, which recorded 26 per cent Y-o-Y growth. 

"XSuit" drops refer to limited-time, high-end, upgradable mythical outfits released through special in-game events. 

It is no longer the size of transactions which drives the growth, Das said. “We’ve seen an increase in both new paying users who turned into minnows and then we have seen an increase in whales also for different products,” he added. 

The company was also seeing stronger retention among paying users, with more first-time purchasers returning for subsequent in-game spends, he said. 

Much of the spending inside games was now tied to cosmetics, creator integrations, and digital identity rather than traditional pay-to-win mechanics, according to Das. He linked the rise in spending to collaborations tied to anime franchises, IPL teams, and Indian gaming creators. 

BGMI has previously collaborated with anime titles such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Dragon Ball Z, alongside IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. The game has also introduced creator voice packs for streamers such as Jonathan and Not Your Type. 

“For a global game to celebrate an Indian anime creator or an Indian 2D animation creator in that way was so crazy that we saw record revenues for voice pack,” Das said, referring to the Not Your Type collaboration. 

“Gaming has now permanently sealed itself as a form of entertainment. Previously, it was thought of as a hobby,” he said. 

Das compared the shift to the evolution of OTT (over-the-top) subscriptions in India, where users initially subscribed around marquee releases before recurring payments became more commonplace. He said the company was also seeing purchasing intent rise outside metro cities. 

“Obviously the average wallet spend is higher for metros in India compared to Tier-II cities,” he said, adding: “But we see that changing, that the demographics and the spends are catching on very rapidly.” 

Industry executives said the shift was becoming visible beyond publishers, including in esports events and gaming merchandise. 

“The narrative that India is a high engagement, low monetisation market is rapidly becoming a thing of the past,” said Nishant Patel, senior vice-president at Nodwin Gaming. 

Patel said spending on premium skins, emotes, and digital collectibles was also rising alongside demand for gaming merchandise and premium event tickets at esports and pop-culture events such as Comic Con India. 

Patel attributed the shift to UPI-led transactions and growing comfort around spending on virtual goods. 

India’s gaming market generated nearly $3.8 billion in revenue in financial year 2023-24 (FY24), according to a joint report by Lumikai and Google, even as the country continued to lag major gaming markets in payer conversion and average revenue per user. 

By comparison, China’s gaming market generated more than $53 billion in revenue in 2025, according to Newzoo estimates, while the US generated nearly $50 billion and South Korea around $7.8 billion. 

India recognised esports as part of the multi-sports category in 2022, while Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹250 crore for AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics) creator labs across schools and colleges. 

For gaming companies operating in India, the shift marks a potential turning point for a market that has historically delivered scale and engagement far more easily than revenue. 

Players turn payers

 

• Lower-cost ‘Royal Pass’ subscriptions bringing in firsttime spenders
• Premium XSuit cosmetic offerings rose 26%
• The company was also seeing stronger retention among paying users
• More first-time purchasers returning for subsequent in-game spends
• Anime, IPL, and Indian creators-led collaborations driving purchases
• UPI-led payments and rising Tier-II spending aid growth